Colorado Springs, Colo. -- Starting the day only 27 yards away from Adam Henry’s '93 single season rushing record it seemed inevitable that Erik Fisher (Maple Lake, Minn.) would break Carleton’s rushing record. It would have been hard to predict that he would shatter it in such a dramatic fashion, hower, as the senior racked up up 205 yards and three touchdowns as Carleton College claimed a 43-40 shoot-out victory over Colorado College.
Pat Barry (Jr./Hercules, Calif.) also delivered his fair share of heroics by hitting all three of his field goal attempts, including a 47-yard kick late in the fourth quarter. The three field goals in a game and nine for the season matched school records and the 47-yarder was the longest field goal in Carleton history.
Fisher will be leaving Carleton after putting an indelible mark on the football record book. Fisher’s 205 yards is the fifth-best rushing day in school history and means that he now holds five of Carleton’s top 10 rushing single-game totals. He topped 180 yards rushing a remarkable five times this season and ran for more than 100 yards in nine of his last twelve games, dating back to last season. He ended the season with 1,423 yards and his career with 1,965 yards, leaving him seventh on the all-time list.
On top of all that, Fisher performed double duty returning five kickoffs for a total of 146 yards. The 351 all-purpose yards is believed to be one of the top-five single game totals in Carleton history as well.
Perhaps feeling the effects of the longest road trip that the players had ever faced, Carleton struggled in the opening quarter mustering only one first down in its first two possessions.
The Tigers, meanwhile, came out firing on all cylinders as quarterback Jay Macias ran for touchdowns of 33 and 4 yards to put Colorado College up 13-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Knights began to drive towards the end of the first quarter and, facing second and short near midfield, decided to take a shot and were rewarded with a clutch 26-yard completion from Darren Caspers (Bemidji, Minn.) to fullback Kevin Hanley (Chicago/ Holy Cross) down to the Tigers' 21-yard line. Four straight runs by Fisher ended the drive on a 1-yard touchdown plunge.
After a holding penalty on the kickoff buried the Tigers deep in their zone, the defense held for the Knights and a 16-yard punt return from Wade Thompson (Peterson, Minn./ Rushford-Peterson) gave Carleton excellent field position. Caspers displayed composure after a holding penalty had the Knights facing 1st-and-20 at the Tigers’ 34-yard line. A five-yard scramble from Caspers was followed by three straight completions, the final one a 9-yard toss to Alex Marston (So./Excelsior, Minn.).
The momentum shifted squarely in Carleton’s favor after another defensive stop. Using eight runs and two passes, Caspers capped the drive by finding a wide-open Nate Flaherty (Oakdale, Minn./ Tartan) in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard scoring toss to give the Knights their first lead of the game, 20-13.
Macias’ legs again sparked Colorado College as its 80-yard drive was highlighted by a 42-yard run from Macias and ended in a touchdown for the Tigers.
A 37-yard kickoff return from Fisher gave the Knights the ball in Colorado College territory with 1:32 left in the half. Two clutch passes to Flaherty set up a 21-yard field goal from Barry on the final play of the half as the Knights went into the lockerroom ahead 23-19.
Both teams came out committed to the ground game in the third quarter. After Colorado College had a touchdown drive on six straight runs, Carleton answered with seven straight runs, the final one a 35-yarder from Fisher that capped the drive and regained the lead for the Knights, 30-26.
The teams continued to trade scores. Gabriel Brown took a shovel pass 30 yards for his third touchdown of the game. Fisher's 35-yard return to the Carleton 41-yard line set up a drive that ended with Barry's 22-yard field goal, as the two teams headed to the fourth quarter tied at 33-33.
After forcing a punt from the Tigers, Carleton took over on their own 30-yard line early in the fourth quarter. After picking up two first downs, Carleton had a tense moment as Fisher fumbled the ball on the Tigers’ 40-yard line, but he came up with his own recovery to maintain possession for the Knights. On the very next play, Hanley bust through the middle of the line, breaking numerous tackles in picking up 30 yards and taking the ball all the way inside the 10-yard line. Fisher again finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run and the Knights led 40-33.
With less than 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Knights' defense came up with a huge stop. On third-and-five from the Tiger's 25, Brown took a screen pass from Macais, but Randy Foss (Hastings, Minn.) sniffed out the play, picking up the biggest of his seven tackles, stopping Brown for only a two-yard gain.
The Knights could only pick up one first down on the ensuing drive and faced fourth-and-three from the Tigers’ 30-yard line, so Carleton head coach Chris Brann called on Barry to attempt a 47-yard field goal. Barry delivered with the longest field goal in Carleton history, giving Carleton a 43-33 lead with 5:34 left in the game.
Colorado College continued to fight and a 45-yard touchdown pass with just under two minutes left the game very much in doubt, but the Knights recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock for the victory.
Carleton ran for 353 yards, which topped last week’s effort of 341, and was the second best team total ever. Hanley had the biggest day of his career picking up 61 yards on just six carries. Thompson added 52 yards.
Caspers ran a very effective game completing 11 of 16 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns. It marked the first time Caspers has thrown for multiple scores in a single game, and the yardage total was the second-best of the season for the rookie quarterback. Seven different receivers caught at least one pass for the Knights, with Flaherty leading the way with three grabs for 43 yards. Ryan Richards (Hibbing, Minn.) added a carer-high three catches for 36 yards, including a pair of key third-down catches.
Nick Brokke (Roseville, Minn.) led the Knights with eight tackles and Foss added seven stops, giving him 100 for the season.
While senior linebacker Andrew Wild (Janesville, Wis./ Craig) posted only two tackles against the Tigers, he finished his career with 284 tackles, good enough for seventh all-time at Carleton.
Macias, who entered the contest ranked second in the nation in total offense, lived up to his billing with 90 yards rushing 293 yards passing. He accounted for five touchdowns, ttwo running and three passing.
After starting the season with seven losses, the Knights won their final three games of the year to finish 3-7. It marked the Knights' best record since the 1996 squad finished 5-5 . The three-game winning streak is the first for the Knights since 1995.