MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Macalester College football team fought hard but came up short on the road at Augsburg University, 27-17 Saturday afternoon at Edor Nelson Field. The Scots are now 3-3 overall and 2-3 in the conference, while the Auggies move to 2-4 on the season and 2-3 in the MIAC.
On the first series of the game, junior linebacker
Dylan Jeppe (Glencoe, Ill./New Trier) forced a fumble and recovered it to give Macalester the ball at the Augsburg 48-yard line. The Scots drove 35 yards before stalling at the 13-yard line, where sophomore kicker
Andrew Wetherill (Glencoe, Ill./New Trier) kicked a 30-yard field goal for a 3-0 Macalester lead.
In the second quarter, Augsburg's RJ Chakolis blocked a punt that was recovered by Mustafa Shaban and returned for a touchdown. On the Scots' next possession, Avery Oseth intercepted a pass by junior quarterback
Jack Scully (Menlo Park, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep) at the Macalester 35-yard line. The turnover led to another Auggie touchdown on a 3-yard run by CJ Ritchie for a 14-3 advantage.
Just before the end of the first half, the Scots went 71 yards on eight plays, culminating in a 1-yard touchdown run by Scully to make the score 14-10. Sophomore running back
David Frechette (Hanover, N.H./Hanover) had a 33-yard run and Scully hit junior receiver
Paxton Boyd (Newton, Mass./Newton South) for 26 yards in the drive. Augsburg moved the ball to the Scots' 31-yard line on its next possession and attempted a 48-yard field goal that was blocked by sophomore defensive lineman
Matt Hernandez (Phoenix, Ariz./Brophy Prep), keeping the score 14-10 Auggies at the half. The teams combined for 177 yards of offense in the first half.
After forcing Macalester to punt on its first possession of the second half, Augsburg drove 67 yards on 10 plays, with the Scots stopping the Auggies on the 12-yard line. Kevin Kargozar kicked a 29-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-10. Another interception resulted in another deep drive by Augsburg, but the Scots' defense held on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Jeppe tackled Ritchie for a 1-yard loss, turning the ball over on downs.
Early in the fourth quarter, a short toss from Caden Rodkewich to Ben Davis resulted in Davis running 36 yards for a touchdown and a 24-10 lead. Kargozar kicked another field goal from 22 yards out for a 27-10 advantage with 7:23 remaining. Macalester was able to put together a quick scoring drive with three minutes left, with first year quarterback
Lucas Kaplan (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley) connecting with Frechette for a 34-yard reception. A roughing the passer penalty moved the ball to the Augsburg 14-yard line, and Kaplan hit senior tight end
Will Watson (Mendota Heights, Minn./Two Rivers) for a 14-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 27-17. But the Auggies recovered the ensuing onside kick, gained a first down and were able to run out the clock.
Macalester was held to 232 yards of total offense for the game compared to 372 for Augsburg. Scully was 12-of-22 for 122 yards and two interceptions, while Kaplan completed 4-of-6 for 65 yards and a touchdown in his first collegiate game. Boyd caught five passes for 81 yards, and Frechette rushed 13 times for 58 yards and caught three passes for 41 yards. Defensively, Jeppe finished with 14 tackles, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss, and sophomore linebacker
Zack Troeger (Edgerton, Wis./Edgerton) added 12 tackles.
Rodkewich threw for 259 yards and a touchdown, and Carter Johnson rushed for 92 yards on 21 carries.
Macalester continues its MIAC schedule with a home game against No. 15 Bethel University on Saturday, Oct. 24. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. at John Leaney Field at Macalester Stadium.
