NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- The Goat Trophy will remain on the east side of the Cannon River for another year after Carleton College held on to defeat cross-town rival St. Olaf College, 17-13, today at Laird Stadium. Although the head-to-head series began back in 1918, this was the 75th time these adversaries batted for possession of the treasured Goat, which was first awarded back in 1931. This is the oldest of the three trophy games played in the state of Minnesota today. (By comparison, the Minnesota-Wisconsin tussle for Paul Bunyon's axe started in 1948, and the Hamline-Augsburg battle for "The Hammer" didn't begin until 2005.)
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“There’s no better feeling than this,” said Knights’ sophomore quarterback Vaughn Schmid (Mahtomedi, Minn.), who led the way for Carleton, completing 23-of-33 passes for 199 yards and picking up a team-best 61 more on the ground and a touchdown.
This year’s “Cereal Bowl,” the result of which Carleton head coach Kurt Ramler aptly called “delicious,” proved to be a defensive battle for much of the afternoon. After a scoreless first half, both teams eventually found the end zone.
The Knights added a 29-yard field goal by Eric Murphy (So./Stillwater, Okla.) early in the fourth, and on Carleton’s next possession, Ramler got creative with his play calling. Offensive tackle Brad Eckelmann (Jr./Portland, Ore./Lincoln) scored what would turn out to be the game-winning touchdown on a five-yard lateral. That score put the Knights up 17-0 with 9:17 remaining in the game.
In a furious comeback, however, the Oles (3-2, 1-2 MIAC) nearly overcame the deficit thanks to touchdown passes of 40 and 38 yards from John Haberman to Antonio Jennings, making the score 17-13 with under four minutes remaining.
A missed extra point following the second St. Olaf touchdown proved costly however. Trailing by four points instead of three, the Oles did not have the option of attempting a game-tying field goal and instead were forced to try for a touchdown on their final drive. On fourth down at the Carleton 12-yard line with just 40 seconds to play, the Knights defense came up with one last stop
The story for much of the game was defense, as Carleton rose to the challenge of an Ole team that entered the day allowing just 46.5 rushing yards per contest.
“The defense played out of their minds,” Ramler said. “[Defensive coordinator Bob] Pagel is a genius, and those guys play with great poise and heart.”
Both teams had numerous first-half scoring chances quashed by their opponents’ defensive prowess. On Carleton’s opening drive, the Oles blocked a 41-yard field goal, then six minutes later, the Knights returned the favor when cornerback Tsubasa Matsui (So./Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) intercepted Haberman at the Carleton 17 yard line.
The second quarter proved to be equally defensive, as numerous penalties on both sides prevented the offenses from gaining momentum. The Knights drove well into Ole territory on their first possession, but Patrick Luevano picked off a Schmid pass at the 32 to end the chance. St. Olaf then proceeded to march effectively down the field, but a holding call on second down pushed them back, and Jens Lillehei (Fy./Minneapolis, Minn./Breck) teamed up with George Zeon (Jr./Edina, Minn./Richfield) to stuff Ole rusher Leon Clark on fourth-and-one, giving the ball back to the Knights.
The defenses continued to bear down and the scoreboard remained untouched going into halftime, during which Carleton honored the undefeated 1954 football team.
Perhaps inspired by the ceremony, the Knights took the field for the second half, forced St. Olaf to punt, then found the end zone for the first time. Schmid led the drive, completing two passes and rushing for gains of 30 and twelve yards on nifty draw plays, before jaunting into the end zone from eight yards out.
“I’ll get the yards any way I can,” Schmid said. “I’ll run them. I’ll pass them. Whatever we need, I’ll do it.”
The sophomore signal-caller continued his effectiveness into the fourth quarter, leading another scoring drive by completing four-of-five passes to set up Murphy’s 29-yard field goal with 13:12 remaining in the contest.
St. Olaf’s first comeback bid was then snuffed as two plays into the drive, linebacker Killian Murphy (Jr./Eau Claire, Wis./Regis) recovered a Clark fumble at the Oles’ 42, setting the stage for another Carleton score.
After a 17-yard rush by Jon Lien (So./Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes), who finished the afternoon with 15 carries for 58 yards, brought the Knights into the red zone, Ramler pulled an old trick out of his sleeve by using a similar play to the one that won his first conference game as head coach against nationally-ranked Bethel University back in 2006.
On second-and-goal, Eckelmann, generally the right tackle, lined up on the left side, threw a block, then rolled back behind the line of scrimmage to catch the lateral from Schmid and take it to the end zone, flattening an Ole defender in the process.
“Last year we ran the same play against St. Thomas, and I went for the pylon and I didn’t get it,” Eckelmann said. “So all that was going through my mind was the truck stick. I saw that guy coming at the goal line, and I just put the head down and went for it.”
With the performance of the defense to that point, a 17-0 Knights’ advantage with 9:01 to play seemed secure, but the Ole offense dug deep and came roaring back to life. Despite turning the ball over on downs at the Carleton 16 when DeAngelo Williams (So./Minneapolis, Minn./De La Salle) and Neil Kolstad (Jr./St. James, Minn.) stopped Clark on fourth-and-seven, St. Olaf quickly forced the Knights to go three-and-out. It then took only one play for the Oles to end the shutout, as Haberman connected with Jennings from 40 yards out with 5:42 remaining.
It took less than two minutes for St. Olaf to score again. After the Ole defense forced another quick Carleton punt, Haberman connected with Carson Jones for 32 yards then again with Jennings for a 38-yard touchdown pass. In what proved to be perhaps the game’s biggest play, though, kicker Josiah Powell slipped on the PAT attempt which sailed wide right, keeping the score 17-13 and requiring St. Olaf to score another touchdown.
They very nearly did, but ultimately, it was to be Carleton’s day. The Oles got the ball back one last time with 2:28 remaining, needing 59 yards for a score. Haberman completed passes of 18, 5, and 19 yards, then rushed for five more to bring the ball to the Carleton 12 yard-line. That is where the Knights’ defense made its final stand.
On the third-and-five, Knights’ cornerback Paul Hoffer (Fy./Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) elevated to break-up a jump-ball end-zone pass to Jennings, and on the Oles’ last chance, Haberman’s pass sailed by diving tight end Mike Shimshock, sending the Carleton sideline and stands into frenzy.
It was the third time on the afternoon that Pagel's defense forced a turnover on downs inside the 25-yard line.
After Schmid took a knee twice to lock up the win, the celebration moved by foot to Bridge Square in downtown Northfield, where the entire Knights team and many parents and fans proudly gathered around the war memorial located in the center of the plaza. They reveled in the fact that the eagle atop the monument will remain pointing towards the campus of Carleton for a second consecutive year.
Senior captain Phil Blue (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) put it best, saying “Honestly, this is the best feeling ever. Last year we beat them for the first time in 12 years. This time it’s even better, because literally, the season is a success if you go out with an Olaf win, and it’s my last season, so I couldn’t be happier right now.”
Furthermore, the victory could act as a springboard for the rest of the season. “I think it’s huge for the season to show that we can get through adversity,” Blue added. “We showed that we can buckle down and play good teams in the MIAC.”
The Knights will look to continue their winning ways next Saturday in Minneapolis against Augsburg College in a 1 p.m. contest. Knights Online will carry a simulcast of the KQCL 95.9 FM feed.
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