Box Score ST. PAUL, Minn. – In its first official game in 662 days, the Macalester College football team held on to beat the University of Minnesota Morris, 38-32 Saturday night at Macalester Stadium. The victory is the first under interim head coach Kijuan Ware, who was making his head coaching debut.

In an exciting, back-and-forth affair, the two teams combined for over 800 yards of offense while waiting until the final moments to decide the outcome. Early in the first quarter, the Cougars took advantage of a short field following a dropped punt that gave them the ball at the Macalester 26-yard line. Garrett Elison ran it in from three yards out for a 6-0 lead. Senior John Newton (Highland Village, Texas/Coram Deo Academy) blocked the extra point.

Macalester answered with a 10 play, 65-yard drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown run by senior Kian Sohrabi (Dubai, UAE/American School of Dubai) at the start of the second quarter. Later in the second quarter, UM Morris blocked a field goal attempt, and Hunter Infanger returned it to the Macalester 18-yard line. Marcus Reeb hit Branden Carlson with a 14-yard touchdown pass to make the score 13-7 Cougars.

The Scots would close out the half with two long drives that ended with touchdown catches by senior Rex Desso (Evergreen, Colo./Lakewood). Junior quarterback Michael Nadeau (Garden Grove, Calif./La Quinta) connected with Desso on a 15-yard TD pass, then found Desso in the end zone 15 seconds before halftime on a 13-yard throw to put Macalester on top, 21-13.

Sohrabi notched his second touchdown of the day, a 6-yard run early in the third quarter for a 27-13 advantage. Later in the third, Reeb capped an 82-yard drive with a 5-yard scoring run to make the score 27-20. A field goal by senior Jon Neve (Minnetrista, Minn./Mound Westonka) late in the quarter pushed the lead to 30-20.

The Cougars opened the fourth quarter with a 79-yard scoring drive that saw Elijah Kowalzek find the end zone on a 17-yard run. Again Newton pushed through the line and blocked the extra point, keeping the score at 30-26 Scots. The block seemed to spark Macalester, as the Scots drove down the field on their next possession. On second down and goal from the 11-yard line, Nadeau ran towards the goal line and was about to score when he fumbled. UM Morris recovered, ending what could have been a game-ending drive for Macalester.

The visitors were able to move the ball out to the 16-yard line. On second down, Reeb found Dylan Naughton, who scampered 84 yards for the touchdown. The play put the Cougars ahead, 32-30 following a missed extra point.

On the ensuing kickoff, first year Josh Bulski (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) fielded the kick at the 12-yard line and found daylight, just when the Scots' hopes seemed the darkest. Bulski sprinted 88 yards to pay dirt, sending the Macalester faithful into a frenzy and the Scots to a 36-32 lead with just under four minutes to play. Coach Ware went for two, and Nadeau hit senior Brody Fuller (Groveland, Mass./St. Mark's School) in the end zone for a 38-32 advantage.

The Cougars weren't done, however, as UM Morris quickly pushed the ball down the field. On first down at the Scots' 14, Elison ran to the left side and fumbled, with senior Nathan Gottlieb (Torrance, Calif./Torrance) recovering for Macalester.

The game still wasn't settled, as the Scots failed to get a first down, and Elison returned the punt to the Macalester 28. Three straight incomplete passes left the game up to one play, and senior Brady Thompson (New Brighton, Minn./De La Salle) intercepted Reeb's pass in the end zone.

Desso caught eight passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns, while Nadeau was 19-of-29 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Kia Akimoto (Tamuning, Guam/Father Duenas Memorial School) ran for 66 yards on 18 carries, and Sohrabi finished with 51 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. On defense, senior Paul Brinson (Buffalo, N.Y./Nichols School) led the Scots with eight tackles.

Reeb threw for 258 yards and rushed for 42 yards. Carlson caught six passes for 88 yards.

The Scots travel to San Antonio, Texas to face Trinity University on Saturday, Sept. 11. Game time is 6:00 p.m.

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