NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Macalester College football team used a big first half to build a lead and hold on for a 33-30 win over St. Olaf in a MIAC Championship Week game Saturday afternoon at Klein Field. The victory came in the final game of the season for both teams, with the Scots finishing with a 5-5 record and the Oles concluding with a record of 4-6.
The win over St. Olaf is the first for Macalester in the series since 1996, ending an 11-game losing streak to the Oles. The result, combined with wins over Hamline and St. Scholastica, marks the first time since 1988 that the Scots have beaten three MIAC teams in the same season.
St. Olaf scored on the first possession of the game, as Theo Doran hit Derek Hanson for an 11-yard touchdown pass to cap a 10-play, 80-yard drive for a 7-0 lead. Macalester responded with four touchdowns on its next five possessions for a 26-7 advantage. Junior quarterback
Michael Nadeau (Garden Grove, Calif./La Quinta) threw touchdown passes of 24 yards to junior running back
Logan Pampel (Johnson Creek, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran School), and five yards to junior receiver
Nathan Wu (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate) while also catching an 11-yard touchdown pass from Wu for the first three scores. Sophomore defensive back
Cameron Latvis (West St. Paul, Minn./Two Rivers) forced a St. Olaf fumble that was recovered by first year defensive back
Jacob Degnan (Kansas City, Mo./The Pembroke School) at the Oles' 44-yard line. On the next play, Nadeau connected with junior receiver
Nick Bice (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) on a 44-yard touchdown pass. The Scots' defense prevented St. Olaf from gaining a first down in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the Oles scored 10 points on a 25-yard field goal by Collin Swan and a 3-yard run by Doran to make the score 26-16. Macalester started the fourth quarter by stopping St. Olaf on fourth down, then scoring on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Nadeau to Bice for a 33-16 lead. After another Doran touchdown made the score 33-23, the Scots drove deep into St. Olaf territory, using up 7:44 of the clock while moving the ball to the 4-yard line. The drive stalled there, and the Oles were able to go 96 yards on 14 plays to score on a Doran pass to Payton Schott to pull to within three points, 33-30 with 32 seconds left. Latvis recovered the ensuing onside kick, and Macalester ran out the clock to wrap up the win.
Nadeau was 36-of-54 for 411 yards and four touchdowns, while Pampel ran for 76 yards and caught seven passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. Senior receiver
Rex Desso (Evergreen, Colo./Lakewood) caught 14 passes for 115 yards and broke the school record for career receptions with 208. Desso eclipsed the record formerly held by Ty O'Connell '02 of 197. Senior defensive back
Joshua Strickler (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) led the defense with 12 tackles. Sophomore defensive back
Justin Potts (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community) also had an interception. Jordan Embry ran for 148 yards, while Doran threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns for St. Olaf.
The victory also marked the final game as a Scot for Macalester's 13 seniors.
