Saturday’s games
- St. Thomas 47, Carleton 24
- Bethel 21, Augsburg 20
- Gustavus 37, Hamline 0
- St. Olaf 38, St. John’s 35
Saturday Oct. 6
- Gustavus at St. Thomas
- Macalester at Carleton
- St. John’s at Augsburg
- St. Olaf at Hamline
- Concordia at Bethel
Sophomore quarterback Erik Peterson ran for three short touchdowns, then unbeaten Bethel stopped Augsburg’s two-point conversion pass in the closing minutes for a 21-20 victory at Minneapolis.
Augsburg (3-1 overall, 2-1 MIAC) cut the lead to 21-20 with 1:46 left in the game. Freshman quarterback Ayrton Scott threw a 13-yard pass on fourth down to Adam Carl, Scott’s third TD pass of the game. The Auggies went for two points, but Scott’s pass was batted down.
Augsburg had a final chance to drive the football with 32 seconds left, but Bethel’s J.D. Melhorn intercepted a Scott pass to end the threat.
Scott led the rushing stats with 127 yards on 20 carries. He completed 29 of 45 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns, but with three interceptions.
Bethel (4-0, 2-0), ranked No. 7 nationally gained only 164 yards on offense, compared with 432 for Augsburg. But the Royals took advantage of big plays, two by special teams players.
Brandon Marquardt returned the opening kickoff 61 yards to the Augsburg 25-yard line, and Peterson scored from a yard out five plays later.
Augsburg took a 14-7 lead with 4:34 to go in the second quarter on Scott’s second touchdown pass of the game to Tyler Swanson.
But Bethel’s Mitch Halstrom returned the kickoff 61 yards again to the Auggies’ 28. This time Peterson ran 2 yards for the score four plays later.
Augsburg took the kickoff to start the second half, but Bethel’s Seth Mathis picked off a Scott pass and set up the Royals on the Augsburg 44. Peterson scored six plays later from the 1-yard line.
Augsburg plays host to St. John’s next Saturday; Bethel is at home against Concordia-Moorhead.
Gustavus 37, Hamline 0
Junior running back Jeffrey Dubose rushed for 131 yards and four touchdowns to lead Gustavus Adolphus (2-2, 1-2) to the victory at St. Peter, Minn. The Gusties racked up 283 yards on the ground against Hamoline (1-3, 0-3).
Dubose scored from 2 yards out late in the first quarter, then add scoring runs of 10 and 13 yards in the third quarter, when Gustavus put the Pipers away. Dubose added a 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
Gustavus plays next Saturday at St. Thomas; Hamline is at home against St. Olaf.
St. Olaf 38, St. John’s 35
Quarterback Dan Dobson completed 32 of 39 for 390 yards and five touchdowns to lead St. Olaf to its first victory over St. John’s in Collegeville since 2001, and in the Johnnies’ homecoming game.
Dobson’s final touchdown pass of the game, for 19 yards to Stephen Asp with 3:43 left in the fourth quarter, gave St. Olaf (4-1,2-1) its first lead for the day.
St. John’s (2-3, 0-3) drove into St. Olaf territory on its final possession, but Jimmie Mattson’s 36-yard field goal kick went wide left, Mattson’s fifth missed field goal of the game.
St. Olaf’s Lucas Wainman kicked a 53-yard field goal off the cross bar with 7:52 left to get the Oles within four, but he missed two (45, 43) in the first half.
Reggie Woods intercepted a pass and returned it 32 yards with 6:18 left in the fourth to set up the Oles’ winning drive. Woods also broke up a third-down pass in the end zone on St. John’s final drive.
St. Olaf hadn’t beaten St. John’s since 2004. St. John’s is at Augsburg next Saturday while St. Olaf travels to Hamline.