JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – In a game that saw both teams combine for over 1,000 yards of offense, the Macalester College football team defeated Illinois College, 45-35 at England Stadium. The victory came in the first Midwest Conference game for both teams, as the Scots improve to 2-1 overall. The Blueboys drop to 1-2.

Macalester compiled 527 yards of total offense, including 367 yards passing, compared to 481 total yards for Illinois College. Sophomore quarterback Cody Petrich (Lansing, Ill./Thornton Fractional South) threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns, completing 26-of-47 with no interceptions. Junior running back Jacob Jones (Hanceville, Ala./Holly Pond) rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown on 19 attempts, while sophomore receiver Alec Beatty (Topeka, Kan./Topeka) caught eight passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

Beatty's first touchdown on a four-yard pass from Petrich opened the scoring at the 8:29 mark of the first quarter. Later in the quarter, a 12-play, 62-yard drive was capped by a 23-yard field goal by senior Ben Haltmaier (Short Hills, N.J./Pingry School) to give the Scots a 9-0 lead. Early in the second quarter, a 22-yard pass to Beatty set up Jones's 36-yard touchdown run that put Macalester up 15-0.

The Scots' defense was up to the challenge early, forcing four consecutive punts. After the fourth Blueboys' punt gave Macalester the ball at its own 43, Petrich punctuated a 57-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown run of his own to give the Scots a commanding 22-0 edge. Illinois College broke through on their next possession with a 69-yard touchdown pass from Blake Matson to Logan Uyetake. After Haltmaier connected on a 27-yard field goal, the Blueboys struck again with a 37-yard touchdown catch by Bo Davis to make the halftime score 25-14 Mac.

The Scots opened the second half with a defensive stop and a 40-yard drive that ended in a 25-yard Haltmaier field goal. Illinois College responded with a 69-yard drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Austin Ellsworth to make the score 28-21. With the lead dwindling, Macalester responded with Beatty's second touchdown catch, a 15-yarder from Petrich for a 35-21 lead. But the Blueboys scored touchdowns on their next two possessions to tie the score at 35-35 with 10:47 remaining in the game.

On their next drive, the Scots moved the ball to the IC 23 yard line, where Haltmaier connected on his fourth field goal of the game, this one from 41 yards, to lead 38-35. The Blueboys moved the ball to the Macalester 48, only to have the Scots' defense hold and force another punt. After a pair of runs by Jones put the Scots at the Macalester 31 yard line with 3:13 left on the clock, Beatty threw a pass to senior receiver Garrett Eichhorn (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman), who scored the clinching touchdown on a 69-yard reception.

Illinois College advanced to the Scots' 33 yard line but stalled on downs, and Macalester ran out the clock to preserve the win. Matson finished with 418 yards passing and four touchdowns, while Uyetake caught eight passes for 175 yards for the Blueboys.

On defense, junior linebacker Phil Wettersten (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) had 12 tackles and first year safety Kiante Miles (Yukon, Okla./Mustang) notched 10 tackles to pace the Scots. Senior linebacker Glen Hartford (North Andover, Mass./North Andover) tallied two tackles for loss, while senior defensive lineman Nick Egersdorf (Rochester, Minn./Mayo) had a sack.

Macalester continues Midwest Conference play with a home game against Grinnell College on Saturday, Sept. 24. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Macalester Stadium.