NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Visiting Central College scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to break open a seven-point game and held on to defeat the St. Olaf College football team by a 34-24 margin in the season opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Klein Field at Manitou.
Central (1-0) held a 17-10 lead at halftime before scoring 17-straight points to build a 34-10 lead with 4:11 remaining. St. Olaf (0-1) made it interesting late by getting touchdown passes from junior Theo Doran to fifth-year senior Payton Schott and junior Evan Hammonds in the span of 1:01 in the final three minutes to account for the 10-point margin.
The Dutch recorded 308 of their 503 yards of total offense on the ground and averaged 6.7 yards per carry in the win, while the Oles got 282 of their 422 offensive yards through the air. St. Olaf was just 4-for-16 on third down and could not overcome three turnovers in the loss.
Fifth-year senior Jordan Embry had the 13th 100-yard game of his career for St. Olaf, carrying the ball 31 times for 127 yards. Doran was 23-for-45 for 282 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions through the air. Hammonds was Doran's favorite target, hauling in eight receptions for 126 yards and a score, while Schott had five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, sophomore Alijah Cruel and senior Luke Stanga had 10 total tackles apiece, with Stanga adding a sack, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup. Seniors Ben Kettelhut and Ben Hestorff had eight tackles apiece, while classmate Mark Thrower added an interception.
Keegan Glover ran for 113 yards on 14 rushes and threw a pair of touchdowns in the win for Central while splitting time at quarterback with Hunter Hoffman. Hoffman was 12-for-24 for 128 yards and a touchdown, while Ryan Neu had a touchdown run and a touchdown catch for the visitors.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Dutch marched 79 yards on 11 plays for the lone score of the opening quarter, scoring on a 24-yard run by Neu. Just three plays into the second quarter, Central stretched its lead to 14-0 on a 13-yard pass from Glover to Jacob Birch. St. Olaf responded with an 11-play, 83-yard drive, capped by a one-yard quarterback sneak by Doran, to get on the board with a drive that included a pair of first-down passes from Doran to Hammonds.
The teams traded field goals on their final possessions of the half, leaving Central with a 17-10 lead. Logan Sunvold connected from 33 yards out for the visitors with 1:14 remaining before senior Collin Swan's last-second, 38-yard attempt just flew over the cross bar to make it a one-score game at the half.
The score remained 17-10 until Hoffman hit Neu for a 36-yard touchdown with 5:48 to go in the third on the first play after an interception set up the Dutch in St. Olaf territory. After extending its lead to 27-10 on a short field goal by Sunvold, Central capitalized on another interception to score on a 17-yard pass from Glover to Jordan Rusch to push its cushion to 34-10.
St. Olaf did not go quietly, however, covering 96 yards in six plays on its next drive after starting on its four-yard line following a pair of penalties on the Central score that allowed the Dutch to kick off from the St. Olaf 35-yard line. After hauling in a 32-yard pass from Doran on the prior play, Schott made a one-handed, back-shoulder catch by the left pylon for a 29-yard touchdown with 2:33 to go.
On the ensuing kickoff, Swan recovered his own onside kick to get the ball back for the Oles, who got a 17-yard touchdown pass from Doran to Hammonds on a fourth-and-10 play to get within 10 with 1:32 remaining. St. Olaf was unable to get the ball back, however, as the Dutch hauled in a fair catch on a short kickoff and got two first downs to run out the clock.
The 10-point margin marked the closest score line in the last three season openers between the two programs. Central had won the prior two games by a combined score of 90-40. St. Olaf heads to Decorah, Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 9 for a 2 p.m. kickoff against Luther College.
St. Olaf drops season opener to Central despite late fightback
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20230902_qjju.xml
2023
Central
34
St. Olaf
24
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central (1-0) | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
| St. Olaf (0-1) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
Sep 02, 2023