DULUTH, Minn. – Senior receiver Rex Desso (Evergreen, Colo./Lakewood) broke two school records with an 18-catch performance, as the Macalester College football team defeated the College of St. Scholastica, 28-14 Saturday afternoon at the Duluth Public Schools Stadium. The MIAC cross-divisional win is the second victory in a row for the Scots, who are now 3-6 on the season. The Saints fall to 0-7.

Desso's 18 receptions broke the school record for receptions in a game, which he set earlier this year with 14 catches against Carleton on Oct. 9. He now has 84 catches on the season, breaking the old mark of 77 set by Ty O'Connell '02 in 2001.

Macalester got on the scoreboard right away, driving 62 yards on six plays on the first possession, culminating in an 18-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Michael Nadeau (Garden Grove, Calif./La Quinta) to senior receiver Ty Bruckner (Wichita, Kan./Wichita North) just three minutes into the game. St. Scholastica responded with a 64-yard touchdown pass from Byron Bishop to Pete Saint Fleur on the Saints' first drive to tie the score at 7-7.

In the second quarter, the Scots used 10 plays to cover 65 yards for another score, this time sending senior defensive lineman John Newton (Highland Village, Texas/Coram Deo Academy) on a 1-yard touchdown run for a 13-7 lead. Later in the second quarter, with first year Matt Smalbach (Corte Madera, Calif./Redwood) in at quarterback, Macalester scored again with Smalbach running for a 14-yard touchdown. The Scots went for two and converted to take a 21-7 lead.

Still in the second quarter, Nadeau returned to lead Macalester on a 71-yard scoring drive that saw Nadeau hit sophomore tight end Nick Bice (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) with a 27-yard touchdown pass. Nadeau also connected with Bruckner for a 37-yard completion earlier in the drive. With the Saints driving near the end of the half, sophomore Gabe Gallardo (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) intercepted Bishop at the Scots' 4-yard line to end the scoring threat.

On the first possession of the second half, senior defensive back Daniel Beidelschies (Kenyon, Minn./Bethlehem Academy) forced a fumble that was recovered by senior linebacker Aaron Stannard (Appleton, Wis./Kimberly). The Scots went on a long drive that ended on downs at the Saints' 1-yard line. Neither team scored until late in the fourth quarter, with Bishop running for a 22-yard touchdown with less than three minutes to play.

Macalester racked up 451 yards of total offense compared to 302 for St. Scholastica, and had the ball for almost 43 minutes. Nadeau was 45-of-56 for 336 yards and two touchdowns. Desso finished with 106 yards on 18 catches, while Bruckner caught eight passes for 110 yards for his best day as a Scot. First year running back Josh Bulski (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) had 11 receptions for 58 yards, while sophomore running back Logan Pampel (Johnson Creek, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran School) ran 14 times for 64 yards. On defense, senior linebacker Brady Thompson (New Brighton, Minn./De La Salle) had a team-best eight tackles, while senior defensive back Nathan Gottlieb (Torrance, Calif./Torrance) had an interception and junior linebacker Victor Wright (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner) tallied a sack.

Macalester wraps up the 2021 season on Nov. 13 against Carleton on MIAC Championship Week. The Scots will honor their seniors before the game, which starts at 1:00 p.m. at Macalester Stadium.

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