ST. PAUL, Minn. – In the 23rd Book of Knowledge game, the Macalester College football team lost to Carleton, 24-10 Saturday afternoon at a rainy Macalester Stadium. The defeat drops the Scots to 1-3 overall, while the Knights stay unbeaten at 4-0.

Both defenses played well, limiting the chances to score. Macalester broke through with a 41-yard field goal by senior Jon Neve (Minnestrista, Minn./Mound Westonka) to put the Scots on top, 3-0 with 5:30 left in the first quarter. A Carleton interception gave the Knights a short field, and Aiden Chang capped a 36-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. Senior John Newton (Highland Village, Texas/Coram Deo Academy) blocked the extra point, his third blocked kick of the season, to keep the score at 6-3 Carleton.

Later in the second quarter, the Scots drove 75 yards on eight plays to find the end zone on a 14-yard pass from junior quarterback Michael Nadeau (Garden Grove, Calif./La Quinta) to senior receiver Rex Desso (Evergreen, Colo./Lakewood) for a 10-6 Macalester lead. Earlier in the drive, Nadeau hit senior receiver Ty Bruckner (Wichita, Kansas/Wichita North) with a 44-yard pass on 3rd-and-19 to keep the drive alive.

On the ensuing kickoff, Travis Brown fielded the kick at the 5-yard line and raced down the right sidelines all the way for the touchdown. With both teams playing solid defense, the special teams score proved to be the difference in the game. Late in the second quarter, Carleton drove down to the Macalester 3-yard line before the Scots stopped the drive and forced a field goal attempt, which was made by Trent Ramirez from 21 yards for a 16-10 halftime lead.

On the first drive of the third quarter, Macalester moved the ball from its own 20 to the Carleton 35-yard line. The Knights ended the drive with an interception by Ryan McGregor, and the Scots wouldn't return to Carleton territory until the last minute of the game. Macalester's defense forced the Knights to punt twice and also attempt a field goal, which was missed, through the third and into the fourth quarter.

With 5:42 to play, the Scots decided to go for it on 4th-and-5 from their own 25-yard line. An incomplete pass turned the ball over on downs. Carleton drove to the 2-yard line and stalled on fourth down, giving Macalester the ball with three minutes remaining. At that time the skies opened up, pouring rain down on the Macalester Stadium field. The Scots managed one first down but turned the ball over on downs at their own 12. Chang eventually ran it in from eight yards out, and a successful two-point conversion made it 24-10 Carleton with 36 seconds left. Macalester moved the ball to the Knights' 33-yard line, but McGregor picked off Nadeau again to end the game.

Nadeau threw for 204 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He also ran for 36 yards and was sacked four times. Desso was his main target with 14 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Desso's 14 receptions breaks the school record for catches in a game. The precious record of 13 catches was held by five different players. Sophomore Michael Poker (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield East) caught six passes for 33 yards. Junior defensive back Joshua Strickler (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) led the defense with 10 tackles and a pass breakup, while senior Pierce Lundt (Santa Barbara, Calif./Cate School) added nine tackles. Senior Brady Thompson (New Brighton, Minn./De La Salle) also had a sack to go with seven tackles. Chang led Carleton with 115 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Macalester hosts Concordia on Saturday, Oct. 9 in the first Skyline Division game of the season. The kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at Macalester Stadium.