Notables
-CSS had 15 penalties for 134 yards
-Edwards throws at least three TD passes for the third straight game
-Buthe records 140 all-purpose yards
-Olson has recorded a TD reception in each of the last 12 conference games
DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica football team held the University of Minnesota Morris out of the end zone and to only 181 yards of total offense in a 37-7 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) victory Saturday at Public Schools Stadium.
Points and Penalties
The Cougars had the ball first and the Saints were able to force them to punt twice on the possession. CSS would be called for running into the kicker which gave the Cougars a first down after the first punt. However, Morris went three-and-out with the new set of downs. The Saints took their opening possession down the field and Zach Edwards ran it in on third-and-goal from the 10. However, a penalty brought it back, which would be a theme in the contest. It didn't matter through as Edwards found Ben Buthe on the next play and Buthe made a couple a guys miss to find the end zone to make it 7-0.
After another Minnesota Morris three-and-out, CSS settled for a field goal as Donovan Blatz made a 23-yard attempt to extend the lead to 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Saints found the end zone again on their third possession when Jack Peru took the option pitch and turned on the jets around the right side to get in the end zone for a 42-yard score to make it 17-0. That would be the last points of the half for the Saints as the story in the second quarter was CSS penalties. St. Scholastica had six penalties for 65 yards in the quarter alone. In fact, CSS had a fourth-and-56 at one point due to two 15-yard penalties and two sacks.
The Cougars would make a 24-yard field goal towards the end of the half to make it 17-3 as the teams went into the locker room.
Morris was still hanging around midway through the third quarter until Edwards connected with Hunter Thompson for a 34-yard touchdown. After the TD, a pair of penalties forced Blatz to attempt a 40-yard extra point, which was off the mark to make the score 23-3.
Jonathan Senger intercepted a Cougar pass on the ensuing possession, which setup an Aaron Olson 19-yard touchdown reception to extend the lead to 30-3.
St. Scholastica found the end zone one more time in the fourth quarter as Edwards hit Olson again for a 39-yard score to make the final 37-3.
Key Team Stats
Total Yards: CSS-498, UMM-181
Passing Yards: CSS-266, UMM-96
Rushing Yards: CSS-232, UMM-85
Penalties: CSS-15 for 134, UMM 5 for 45
Third Down Conversions: CSS-3 of 9, UMM-3 of 15
Top Performances for CSS
Edwards was 14-of-23 for 266 yards and four touchdowns. Edwards has thrown at least three touchdown passes in each of the last three games. Buthe had 13 carries for 63 yards and also had five receptions for 52 yards and a score. Peru rushed for 86 yards on only eight carries. Olson had four receptions for 102 yards and a score.
Blatz led the defense with 10 tackles. Jordan Kittelson had six tackles, including two for a loss. The Saints defense had 11 tackles for a loss.
Top Performances for the Opponents
Quarterback Justin Masloski threw for 88 yards and ran for 63 yards. That accounted for 83 percent of the Cougar offense. Marcos Luna had a team-high nine tackles on the defensive side of the ball.
Up Next
The Saints (3-1, 3-0 UMAC) hit the road next weekend, traveling down I-35 to face rival University of Northwestern at 1 p.m.