PHOTO GALLERY BY HUGH O'CONNOR '20
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – With possession of the Goat Trophy at stake, crosstown rivals Carleton College and St. Olaf College football teams met for the 97th time in series history. The back-and-forth battle was not resolved until the closing seconds, with the visiting Oles holding on to prevail, 32-25.
Carleton (1-7, 1-5 MIAC) got off to a quick start, scoring on the first drive of the game. The Knights took the ball down the field 65 yards in nine plays, which was eventually capped off with a seven-yard touchdown run by Emanual Williams (Fy./Lovelady, Texas./Lovelady). The Oles (2-5, 1-4 MIAC) took no time to respond, as immediately answered with a touchdown drive of their own, but the extra point was missed, giving Carleton an early 7-6 lead. The Oles added a field goal late in the first quarter to give them a 9-6 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Early in the second quarter, the lead changed hands once again—something that would happen five times in the first half—as Williams scored his second rushing touchdown of the day on a one-yard plunge. The run capped off a methodical 10-play, 70-yard drive that took almost five minutes. The Oles once again were able to respond as Jack Goldstein connected with Connor Henderson for a 16-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the Oles with a 15-14 lead. Each team added a field goal late in the first half, making the halftime score 18-17 in favor of St. Olaf.
The second half started with both team’s offenses clicking early. The Oles scored on their first drive of the half on a 55-yard pass from Goldstein to Connor Yahn, extending their lead to 25-17. The Knights answered quickly, marching the ball down the field 66 yards on seven plays, including a nine-yard touchdown strike from Christian Zaytoun (So./Raleigh, N.C./Woodberry Forest) to Zach Creighton (Sr./Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North). The two-point conversion for the Knights was good, tying the game at 25-25. The Oles were able to punch the ball in the end zone one more time in the third quarter on a six-yard rush from Troy Peterson, giving the Oles a 32-25 lead.
The game remained deadlocked into and during the fourth quarter, with both defenses making key stops down the stretch. While Carleton forced three straight punts, St. Olaf came up with a trio of fourth-down stops in its defensive territory The Knights showed promise on their last drive of the game, but could not convert on fourth down with three seconds remaining in the game.
Zaytoun led the Knights offensively, throwing for 305 yards and one touchdown as he completed 27 of 46 pass attempts in his first career start. Zaytoun also led the Knights in rushing with 68 yards on 16 carries. Mack Journell (Fy./Stevens Point, Wis./Stevens Point) and Creighton both had over 100 yards receiving for the Knights, with 125 yards and 120 yards respectively. Creighton had 14 receptions, tied for second most in recorded Carleton history.
Defensively, the Knights were led by their safeties. Spencer Francis (So./Hartland, Wis./Brookfield Academy) had eight tackles on the day, while Mark Leedy (So./Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) had six tackles and an interception.
The Knights look to shake off this tough loss as they travel to Moorhead, Minn. to take on Concordia College next Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff in that game is slated for 1 p.m. with live audio available via Power 96 (KQCL 95.9 FM) in the Northfield/Faribault area and worldwide via Knights Online.
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