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| Skyler Kessenich and his Carleton teammates celebrate with The Goat, the trophy that goes to the annual winner of the Carleton-St. Olaf game. Photo by Caleb Williams, d3photography.com |
Carleton took advantage of a rare opportunity to get St. Olaf's goat, W&J rallied for a PAC win, and Plymouth State picked up its first loss of the season in action involving teams outside the D3football.com Top 25.
The two Division III schools in the town of Northfield, Minnesota, play for a trophy known as The Goat, and it's rare that Carleton gets to take that trophy home in recent decades. But the Knights did so on Saturday, snapping St. Olaf's seven-game winning streak in the series with a 26-7 victory. It's the fourth win for Carleton in the past 25 meetings, and the Knights improved to 5-0 on the season. All four of those wins have come since 2008.
Jonathan Singleton threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 130 yards and another score in the win. After the game, not only does the winner take home the trophy, but the football team gets to walk down the street to Bridge Square, in the center of town, and turn the eagle statue at the top of a concrete pedestal to face the winning school.
Carleton is 5-0 for the first time since 2008.
Washington & Jefferson scored all 17 of its points in the fourth quarter as the Presidents rallied to knock off rival Westminster (Pa.) in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game Saturday afternoon. W&J picked up the victory despite five turnovers and being shut out for the first three quarters of game action. The Titans entered halftime with a lead after Brice Butler intercepted a W&J pass and raced 77 yards for a touchdown with 1:33 showing on the second quarter clock.
John Giller found Julian Ferguson for two touchdown passes, including a 58-yarder late in the first half, and Western Connecticut handed Plymouth State its first loss of the season, 34-27. Willie Lombard had 267 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, including an 87-yard kickoff return TD, for Plymouth, but Giller threw for three scores and ran for another. Ferguson had 11 catches for 185 yards and two TDs in the win, while Shakespeare Rodriguez added another 55 receiving yards and a score. Western Connecticut improved to 3-3, 2-2 in the MASCAC.
Bridgewater outscored Shenandoah 17-3 in the second half to earn a 23-17 victory against its I-81 rival, in a battle of teams that entered the game at 4-0, 1-0 in the ODAC. The Eagles were held to just 158 yards of offense but were able to take advantage of great starting field position. Cedric Drumgoole and Brendan Robinson combined for over 100 yards in kick returns on just two attempts with a 64-yard return from Robinson and a 42-yard scamper from Drumgoole.
Gallaudet improved to 4-1 and coach Chuck Goldstein became the winningest head coach in the history of the school's football program as the Bison defeated Castleton 20-17. For Goldstein, that's 47 career wins in 12 seasons, as he breaks a record that stood since 1903 when Charles Ely's coaching career ended, and was matched by Frederick Hughes, who coached from 1918-35. Brandon Washington finished the game with 24 carries for 125 yards as Gallaudet ran for 191 on a breezy Saturday at Hotchkiss Field in Washinton, D.C.
Husson capped off another win in the Lobster Trap rivalry game as Tucker Buzell returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown with 13 seconds to play in a 31-14 win against in-state rival University of New England. The Eagles got to UNE quarterback Jarrett Henault for three interceptions. Nick Visser threw for 352 yards and ran for 58 in the win, which is Husson's second on the season against four defeats.
The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy won its fourth consecutive game, defeating Norwich 19-7, as the Mariners improved to 4-1. Senior Jeremiah Wang ran for 134 yards and opened the scoring early in the second half with a 37-yard rush to the house after a strong block by classmate Max Michaels led the way. That initial score by the Mariners was set up by an interception by senior Connor Caffrey on the first play of the second quarter. Caffrey ended the day with two picks, as he recorded another late in the third quarter. Nico Casares was 23-for-36 for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns in just his second career start as Catholic scored 21 unanswered points in the second half and rallied past WPI 24-21. The Cardinals join Merchant Marine at 2-0 in NEWMAC play.