BELOIT, Wis. – The Macalester College football team used a tough defense and a pair of interceptions for touchdowns to earn a Midwest Conference victory on the road, 27-0 at Beloit College Saturday afternoon at Strong Stadium. The Scots improve to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in conference play, while the Buccaneers drop to 1-8, 1-4 MWC.

The 2-3 conference record puts Macalester in fourth place in the MWC North Division standings and sets up a trip to Cornell College next Saturday for Midwest Conference Championship Week. The Scots defeated Cornell, 24-9 at Macalester Stadium earlier this season.

In the first quarter, the Scots took advantage of good field position after forcing Beloit to punt from their own 1-yard line. With the ball at the 29, Macalester needed just two plays to find the end zone, with sophomore quarterback Grady Munro (Calgary, Alberta/Springbank Community) hitting senior receiver Krishn Rapoor (Omaha, Neb./Brownell-Talbot) with a 26-yard touchdown pass.

On the Bucs' next possession, Beloit fumbled at midfield and senior linebacker Dane Ku Blake (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou) returned it 46 yards to the Beloit 6-yard line. It took all four downs, but the Scots made it 14-0 on a 2-yard touchdown run by junior running back Randy Beidelschies (Ave Maria, Fla./Rhodora J. Donahue Academy).

In the second quarter, senior linebacker Harrison Runnels (Omaha, Neb./Brownell-Talbot) forced a fumble that was recovered by senior defensive back Mason Cohn (Charlotte, Vt./Champlain Valley Union). The Scots moved the ball to the Beloit 10 but did not score before the end of the first half.

Defense continued to carry the day for Macalester, as first year defensive back Jacob Davis (Orlando, Fla./University) intercepted Beloit quarterback Alex Alvarez on the Bucs' first possession of the second half. Later in the third quarter, Beloit drove into Macalester territory looking for its first points of the game. On fourth-and-five at the Scots' 36-yard line, Runnels intercepted a pass from Diontia Charles and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Beloit threatened again with a drive that moved the ball to the Macalester 27. Again, on fourth down, Charles was picked off by Blake, who went 75 yards to the house for the Scots' second pick-six of the day.

In all, the Macalester defense forced five turnovers and held Beloit to 172 yards of total offense. The shutout is the first for the Scots since a 34-0 victory over Grinnell on September 24, 2016.

Munro, making his first start of the season, was 17-of-23 for 136 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Kai Akimoto (Tamuning, Guam/Father Duenas Memorial School) rushed for 50 yards on 14 carries. Rapoor finished with four catches for 40 yards and a touchdown, while senior receiver Reese Bresson (Homosassa, Fla./Crystal River) caught five passes for 25 yards, and senior Johnny Bice (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) caught three passes for 47 yards.

Junior defensive lineman John Newton (Highland Village, Texas/Coram Deo Academy) led the defense with seven tackles, including 2.5 tackles-for-loss. Sophomore linebacker Brady Thompson (New Brighton, Minn./De La Salle) ended up with five tackles.

Macalester will close out the season at Cornell on Saturday, Nov. 16 as a part of Midwest Conference Championship Week.  

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