ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College football team racked up 651 yards of total offense in a 54-35 victory over visiting St. Scholastica in a cross-divisional MIAC game Saturday afternoon at Macalester Stadium. The Scots improve to 4-5 on the season, while the Saints drop to 2-7.

Junior quarterback Michael Nadeau (Garden Grove, Calif./La Quinta) threw for a school-record 556 yards while tying the program mark with six touchdown passes. His performance today also helped him break school records for passing yards in a season (2,899), completions in a season (251), career passing touchdowns (52) and career passing yards (6,393). His main target today was senior receiver Ty Bruckner (Bel Aire, Kan./Wichita North), who caught 10 passes for a school record 265 yards and three touchdowns.

A slow start had Macalester down early, as Ricky Weber caught two touchdown passes from Donald West for a 14-0 St. Scholastica lead. The Scots' offense righted itself and scored touchdowns on their next five possessions to take a 35-21 lead at halftime. An 8-yard pass from Nadeau to junior running back Logan Pampel (Johnson Creek, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran School) capped an eight-play, 72-yard drive, then senior offensive lineman Brant Newman (Indiana, Pa./Indiana Area) blasted into the end zone on a one-yard run to tie the score at 14-14. Nadeau hit junior receiver Nick Bice (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) for a 7-yard touchdown to start the second quarter, then connected with Bruckner for touchdown passes of 38 and 21 yards. Between the Bruckner touchdowns, West ran for a touchdown to make the halftime score 35-21 Macalester.

In the third quarter, the Macalester offense stalled twice inside the Saints' 10-yard line, turning the ball over on downs and missing a field goal. But the defense put points on the board for the Scots, with first year defensive back Jacob Degnan (Kansas City, Mo./The Pembroke School) picking off West and returning it 20 yards for a touchdown. St. Scholastica scored two touchdowns in the quarter, thanks in part to a dropped punt, to pull to within six, 41-35.

In the fourth quarter, the Scots' defense tightened, forcing a punt on one possession and holding on 4th-and-goal on another. Nadeau threw touchdown passes to Pampel and Bruckner to increase the lead to 54-35, and senior defensive back Joshua Strickler (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) intercepted West to ice the victory.

Nadeau completed 36 of his 54 passing attempts for 556 yards and six touchdowns. Pampel finished with nine receptions for 86 yards and two scores, while Bice (113 yards) and senior receiver Rex Desso (Evergreen, Colo./Lakewood) (53 yards) each had seven catches. Senior linebacker Victor Wright (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner) led the defense with nine tackles and two quarterback hurries. Strickler and sophomore defensive back Cameron Latvis (West St. Paul, Minn./Two Rivers) each had seven tackles.

For the Saints, Nick Schlender rushed for 161 yards on 24 carries, while West threw for 277 yards and four touchdowns, three to Weber, who had 138 yards receiving.

Before the game, Macalester honored its senior players, managers and trainers as a part of Senior Day.
 
Next week The Scots wrap up the 2022 season with a MIAC Championship Week game at St. Olaf. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. in Northfield, Minn.