NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College football team notched its second consecutive victory and won its third straight Homecoming Game with a 38-28 come-from-behind triumph over Augsburg College. Jon Lien (Jr./Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) posted his third career 100+ yard day, totaling 163 yards on 24 carries. The second of his two touchdown runs sealed the victory in the final minute.
Despite a location change—the game was moved to Northfield High School after Laird Stadium was damaged in last week’s historic flooding of the Cannon River—both team’s offenses found the endzone with relative ease in the early going, with Carleton holding a 24-21 edge at halftime. The teams combined for just one punt in the first half.
The defenses must have stopped and asked for directions as they finally made their arrival after intermission. The teams combined for just 21 second-half points. Knight defenders came up with a pair of huge fourth-down stops, and Carleton scored a pair of touchdowns in the final period to rally for the victory.
In a game that featured the MIAC’s top two quarterbacks in passing yards coming into today, it was Carleton running back Lien who ended up stealing the spotlight. Thanks to a strong showing from the Knights’ veteran offensive line, Lien transcended the century mark for the second consecutive week, finishing just five yards shy of his career best—established two years ago against Augsburg.
Lien’s cause was aided by quarterback Vaughn Schmid’s (Jr./Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi) precision passing, as the Knights’ signal-caller threw for 263 yards and two scores while running for another. Wide receiver Kilian Murphy (Sr./Eau Claire, Wis./Eau Claire Regis) was once again Schmid’s favorite target, as he followed up on last week’s career high in yardage by setting a new personal best with 114 yards on 10 receptions.
The Knights couldn’t have scripted a much better first quarter, as their defense was able to contain the explosive Augsburg offense while the offense kept the chains moving. Carleton engineered a 10-play scoring drive the first time it touched the ball, with Schmid dragging a defender into the end zone with him from four yards out.
After the Knights defense forced its first of several turnovers on downs, Carleton cruised 72 yards on its next drive to vault to a 14-0 lead. This time it was Lien who found his way into the endzone, taking a pitch from Schmid before putting a move on a defender to break loose.
Following Lien’s seven-yard touchdown jaunt, Augsburg’s dormant offense would finally let its presence be known, as they pieced together a scoring drive highlighted by a touchdown run from Phil Putratz. Carleton rookie defensive end Curtis Vamarasi (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) managed to block the point after, making the score 14-6.
With their lead nearly halved, Carleton responded with another controlled drive. Unfortunately though, the Knights were unable to punch it in after infiltrating the red zone, and had to settle for a 20-yard field goal from Eric Murphy (Jr./Stillwater, Okla./Stillwater).
The Auggies’ high-powered offense kept pace with the Knights on their next set. With the defense’s attention directed primarily towards leashing Augsburg’s explosive receiving corps, Putratz slipped through a chink in their armor for a 43-yard touchdown dash. The Auggies were successful on the two-point conversion to pull within three points of their hosts.
With the makings of a shootout brewing that surely conjured memories of the 2008 Homecoming encounter between these squads, Carleton answered with a clutch touchdown catch by Murphy less than two minutes from halftime. Pushed back by penalties, the Knights had a fourth-and-goal situation on their hands from the 22-yard line and elected to take their chances. The gamble paid off when Schmid found Murphy open over the middle for the scoring strike, giving Carleton a 24-14 advantage.
As it turns out, the 1:47 remaining on the clock was more than enough for the Augsburg offense to go the distance of the field for seven more points, keeping the pressure on the Knights heading into the half.
While offensive fireworks abounded in the first half, defense ruled supreme following intermission. Carleton would require the services of punter Bill Moritz (Jr./Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) for the first time in the afternoon, as all three of their third quarter possessions resulted in punts.
The Knights finally rediscovered their offensive groove at the beginning of the fourth quarter, when Schmid zipped a beautiful 32-yard touchdown completion to tight end Brian Frett (Fy./Wilmette, Ill./New Trier). The standout freshman caught Schmid’s bullet in stride before splitting two defenders and bowling his way to the endzone to put the Knights back on top, 31-28.
Back in the driver’s seat, it was up to the Knights defense to keep Augsburg off the scoreboard to preserve the win. The defense survived their first test on Augsburg’s ensuing drive, when Justin Rotman (Jr./Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka) and Andy Zweber (So./Elko, Minn./New Prague) combined for a huge fourth-down stop on the Knights’ 30-yard line.
Only 90 seconds later, Carleton was forced to punt the ball back into the hands of the Auggies. Once again Augsburg succeeded in penetrating Knights territory, but shortly thereafter Carleton’s defense rose to the occasion a second time and mounted a dramatic stand to deny the Auggies another first down. Defensive lineman Andrew Wolter (So./Elysian, Minn./Waterville-Elysian-Morristown) delivered a timely tackle for a loss when he corralled Putratz in the backfield. A few plays later, with the Auggies facing a fourth-and-15, Brumm heaved a pass toward star receiver Muneer Al-Hameed that was broken up by ballhawking safety Neil Kolstad (Sr./St. James, Minn./St. James).
Faced with the task of keeping the clock ticking, the Knights needed only to put the ball into the capable hands of Lien. The junior running back collected 72 smash-mouth yards and a touchdown on the drive, as he and the offensive line simply overpowered the Auggie defense. Lien’s score extended the Knights’ lead to ten points, and put the game out of reach.
Next week the Knights will put their two-game win streak on the line when they make the trek to Moorhead to face Concordia College. That contest will be broadcast live on Knights Online with a radio simulcast on Power 96 in the Northfield/Faribault area.
