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NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Rylie Sheridan ran back a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown for the go-ahead score in the third quarter as Concordia (Minn.) College defeated the St. Olaf College football team, 21-10, on Saturday afternoon in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) action at Klein Field at Manitou.
Sheridan's return came after St. Olaf (5-4, 3-4 MIAC) took a 10-7 lead on a 30-yard field goal by Gonzalo Pirela midway through the third quarter to put Concordia (4-5, 3-4 MIAC) up 14-10. The Cobbers scored the game's final 14 points to secure the win and maintain possession of the Troll for the seventh-straight season.
Concordia outrushed St. Olaf by a 197-62 margin in the game, as Dane Ringquist and Blake Kragnes combined for 156 yards on 32 rushing attempts. Kragnes' two-yard touchdown run in the first minute of the fourth quarter gave the Cobbers a two-score lead.
The Oles gained 176 of their 238 yards through the air, as senior Ricardo Johnson III was 12-of-24 for 176 yards and a touchdown in the loss. First-year wide receiver Gabe Alada hauled in four passes for 104 yards and a touchdown for his third 100-yard game of the season, but St. Olaf was limited to 2.1 yards per rush on the afternoon.
Concordia's Dan Johnson had a pair of sacks on the opening drive of the game, including a strip sack of Johnson III that set up the Cobbers at the St. Olaf 16-yard line two minutes into the contest. Johnson finished with three of his team's four sacks in the game.
Three plays after the turnover, Sheridan ran around the left side for a 10-yard touchdown to put the Cobbers ahead, 7-0, after a little less than three minutes.
The score remained 7-0 until the final seconds of the opening half. On a third-and-11 play with the clock winding down, Johnson III found Alada up the left sideline for a 60-yard catch-and-run touchdown to knot the score at 7-7 at the half.
The St. Olaf defense stopped Kragnes on a fourth-and-five run on the opening possession of the second half to give the Oles the ball at the Concordia 48-yard line. A 15-yard pass from Johnson III to Alada and a pass interference call against the Cobbers helped move the ball into field goal range and Gonzalo Pirela was good from 30 yards out to put the Oles ahead, 10-7, with 8:47 to go in the third.
On the ensuing kickoff, Sheridan found a lane up the left side on his way to a 95-yard return to add to his earlier rushing touchdown. Following a fourth down stop by the Cobbers' defense at the Concordia 40-yard line, the visitors covered 60 yards in 10 plays, capped by a two-yard plunge by Kragnes to stretch their lead to 21-10.
The Concordia defense made the lead stand up by forcing punts on St. Olaf's final three possessions. Andrew Thompson led the Cobbers with nine tackles, while Leandro Ferreira had a career-high 11 for the Oles and forced a fumble.
St. Olaf hosts Gustavus Adolphus College on Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. at Klein Field at Manitou.