Box Score NEW ULM, Minn. – Senior quarterback
Michael Nadeau (Garden Grove, Calif./La Quinta) threw for a school-record eight touchdown passes, as the Macalester College football team defeated Martin Luther College, 56-27 Saturday afternoon at the MLC Football Bowl. The victory improves the Scots to 2-0 on the season, while the Knights drop to 0-2.
Combined with the season-opening, 44-30 victory over Minnesota Morris last week, Macalester has scored 100 points in the first two games of the season for the first time in the program's history. The previous mark of 93 was set in 1969 with a 59-6 win over Bethel and a 34-8 victory over St. Thomas to open the season.
Both teams came out of the gate quickly in a first quarter that saw six touchdowns and a combined 42 points. Martin Luther scored on the first offensive play of the game, a 71-yard pass from Max Nordlie to Mason Cox for a 7-0 lead. Not to be outdone, Nadeau hit senior receiver
Nick Bice (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) with an 85-yard touchdown pass on the Scots' first play from scrimmage. The extra point attempt was blocked, making the score 7-6 Knights. Just three plays into Martin Luther's next possession, Nordlie connected with Cox on another 71-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 13-6. After a 37-yard kickoff return by first year
Boaz Lieberman (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township), the Scots drove 50 yards on eight plays, culminating in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Nadeau to senior running back
Logan Pampel (Johnson Creek, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran School). A successful two-point conversion gave Macalester a 14-13 lead.
Still in the first quarter, the Knights scored another touchdown, this time on a 7-yard run by Rees Roecker, to regain the lead, 21-14. Again the Scots responded, as Nadeau threw a 27-yard pass to senior receiver
Nathan Wu (Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate) before hitting Bice with a 35-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 21-21. Although the first quarter ended the scoring did not. On Macalester's second play of the quarter, Nadeau threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Wu for a 28-21 lead. A pair of interceptions deep in Martin Luther territory kept the Scots from extending their lead until just before halftime. With the ball at the Macalester 41-yard line, a 42-yard pass to senior receiver
Michael Poker (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield East) and a 17-yard touchdown pass to Wu put the Scots up at the half, 35-21.
In the third quarter, Nadeau sandwiched a 28-yard touchdown pass to Poker and an 84-yard bomb to Bice around a Knights' touchdown to lead, 49-27. Then in the fourth, Macalester completed an 8-play, 64-yard scoring drive with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Nadeau to Poker to make the score 56-27. The eight touchdown passes for Nadeau eclipses the old mark of six, held by Nadeau and
Cody Petrich '19.
Nadeau was 29-of-40 for 542 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Bice caught seven passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns, Wu had eight catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns, and Poker finished with eight receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore running back
Vasco Sierra (Chicago, Ill./DePaul College Prep) led the ground attack with 46 yards on 14 carries.
The Scots' defense limited Martin Luther to just one touchdown on 91 yards after halftime. Senior linebacker
Noah Bresson (Homosassa, Fla./Crystal River) led Macalester with 10 tackles, while junior defensive back
Cameron Latvis (West St. Paul, Minn./Two Rivers) and sophomore defensive back
Derek Foker (Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic School) each had six tackles. Lieberman also tallied an interception, his first as a Scot.
Macalester has a bye week next week, then travels to face MIAC foe St. Olaf on Saturday, Sept. 23. The game starts at 1:00 pm. in Northfield, Minn.
