Media contact: Scott King, kings@stolaf.edu, Voice telephone: (507) 646-3834; fax: (507) 646-3033
November 6, 1999
For Immediate Release
NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- The Gustavus Adolphus Gusties stayed in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football race Nov. 16 with a 36-17 defeat of the host St. Olaf Oles at Manitou Field.
The Gusties (7-2 overall) will take a 6-2 MIAC record into their final game against conference-leading Saint John's at 5 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Metrodome. The Johnnies (8-1 overall) lead the MIAC with a 7-1 mark.
Gustavus' win over the Oles was closer than the score indicates. In fact, St. Olaf (2-7, 2-6 MIAC) led 10-0 after the first quarter thanks to a 39-yard field goal by Haakon Nelson (White Bear Lake, Minn.) and an 11-yard touchdown pass from Joe Hammond (Neillsville, Wis.) to Steve Ryan (South St. Paul, Minn.), the first of their two touchdown connections.
The Gusties responded with 22 unanswered points, capped by Cameron Scripture's 62-yard interception return for a touchdown with 9:36 remaining in the third quarter. The Oles fought back, cutting the lead to 22-17 less than two minutes later on Ryan's 34-yard touchdown catch, but the Gusties scored the game's final 14 points. Brady Brau's 31-yard touchdown grab made it 29-17 Gusties before running back Travis Prunty (22 carries, 89 yards, 2 TDs) capped the scoring on a two-yard touchdown plunge.
St. Olaf was not without its chances in the fourth quarter. Twice the Oles penetrated deep into Gustavus territory, and twice they came away empty. Both drives ended with interceptions.
Gustavus running back Ryan Britz was the game's leading ball carrier with 113 yards on 14 carries. Manuel Spreigl (South St. Paul, Minn.) led the St. Olaf ground game with 96 yards on 22 attempts.
Ole quarterback Hammond had a productive afternoon despite three interceptions. Hammond completed 19 of 36 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns, both to Ryan, who caught four passes for 63 yards. Brian Sprout (Lake City, Minn.) caught six passes for 73 yards for the Oles.
The Gusties outgained the Oles, but only by a 383-360 margin.
The Oles close the regular season at 5 p.m. Nov. 11 with a game against Macalester at the Metrodome.
St. Olaf is a four-year, co-educational liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) with a student enrollment of 2,998 and a full-time faculty of 257. The college is known nationally for its art, music, science, pre-medicine, mathematics, pre-law, international studies and religion curricula. It is one of Money Guide's top 100 "elite values in college education today," and it leads the nation's colleges in number of students who study abroad.