MORRIS, Minn. – New head football coach Phil Nicolaides began his tenure at Macalester College with a 45-24 victory over University of Minnesota Morris in the season opener for both teams Saturday night at Big Cat Stadium. The win also is Nicolaides' first as a college head coach.

Junior quarterback Michael Nadeau (Garden Grove, Calif./La Quinta) threw for 387 yards and three touchdowns, as senior Rex Desso (Evergreen, Colo./Lakewood) and junior Michael Poker (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield East) each had over 100 receiving yards with 148 and 158 yards, respectively. Four of the Scots' touchdown drives were for at least 70 yards.

Although the teams would combine for almost 70 points, the game started slowly, with UM-Morris kicking a field goal for the only points of the first quarter. The scoring drive was set up by a Macalester fumble on the Scots' first drive of the game. On their second drive, Nadeau hit junior receiver Nathan Wu (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate) for an 11-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter to cap an 11-play, 70-yard possession. Later in the quarter, Nadeau connected with Poker on a 40-yard pass that set up a one-yard touchdown run by sophomore Josh Bulski (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) for a 14-3 lead.

On their first play after Bulski's touchdown, the Cougars scored their first touchdown of 2022 on a 72-yard touchdown run by Izayah Boss to make the score 14-10. Macalester responded by engineering a 12-play, 83-yard drive capped by a nine-yard touchdown pass from Nadeau to junior Nick Bice (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge). UM-Morris moved the ball to the Macalester 14-yard line, but a missed field goal sent the teams into halftime with the score 21-10 Scots.

The third quarter saw just three points added to the scoreboard, as sophomore Theo Crosby (Edina, Minn./Blake School) made a 28-yard field goal to increase the lead to 24-10. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Boss found the end zone on a 5-yard run to make it a one-score game, 24-17. The Scots answered with a 70-yard drive, with Nadeau completing four passes for 36 yards. But it was Poker who threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Bice for a 30-17 advantage.

After the Cougars turned the ball over on downs at their own 39-yard line, Nadeau hit Poker with a 27-yard touchdown pass to give Macalester a commanding 38-17 lead with 9:21 left in the game. UM-Morris later scored a touchdown on a 21-yard pass from Marcus Deeb to Dylan Naughton with 5:45 remaining. Following a failed onside kick attempt, the Scots scored again on a 4-yard touchdown run by Bulski to close out the scoring, 45-24. Bulski ran the ball five times for 33 yards in the drive.

Nadeau completed 32-of-44 for 387 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Desso, who led Division III last season in receptions per game (10.0) while setting program records with 100 catches for 1,266 yards, caught 12 passes for 148 yards. Poker caught eight passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. Bulski rushed 10 times for 55 yards and two touchdowns while also catching six passes for 37 yards. On defense, sophomore Cameron Latvis (West St. Paul, Minn./Two Rivers) led the way with eight tackles and a pass breakup, while senior Brady Thompson (New Brighton, Minn./De La Salle) also had eight tackles and a quarterback hurry.

Boss rushed nine times for 121 yards and two scores, while Reeb completed 21-of-40 for 178 yards and a touchdown. He also ran eight times for 46 yards.

Macalester plays its first home game of the season next Saturday, Sept. 10 against Martin Luther. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Macalester Stadium.

box score