NORTHFIELD, Minn. – A sound defensive performance keyed the Carleton College football team to a 48-17 victory over Augsburg University.
"I'm proud of the way our team really responded after last week," said Carleton head coach
Tom Journell. "To come out and play at a high level; offense, defense, and kicking. It was great to get a lot of players playing today, and I'm happy with our execution by our young guys."
The Knights' (6-2, 6-1 MIAC) defense allowed just 245 total yards, forced six punts and a fumble, and put together a stretch of eight straight drives allowing 25 yards or less.
Owen Detmer led Carleton with 12 tackles and a tackle for loss.
Eric Lail made eight stops and two pass breakups.
Spencer Goetz and
JP Janik both registered sacks, and Goetz's forced a fumble.
Meanwhile the offense was clicking as well.
Jack Curtis went 24-for-34 for 307 yards and four touchdowns. These numbers push the senior signal caller to 80 touchdown passes and 8,233 passing yards for his career, moving him into ninth and 10th places, respectively, in the MIAC record books (see charts below). In conference games over his career, Curtis has thrown 6,620 yards, 204 shy of the top six in recorded history in the league. He is currently in sixth place with 64 touchdowns thrown against MIAC opponents.
Carleton received the opening kickoff and needed just seven plays to open the scoring with a 17-yard catch-and-run by
Cooper Pollard. Lail broke up a pass on the next drive to force a turnover on downs, and
Nick Toole slammed home a 2-yard touchdown run for a 14-0 lead.
Augsburg (3-5, 3-4 MIAC) was pinned deep on the ensuing kickoff, but a 35-yard toss to Tyrone Wilson led to Nathan Wangensteen knocking in a 35-yard field goal for the visitors' first points of the day.
On Carleton's next possession, the Auggies brought an all-out rush on the first play. Jax Bokman got home and forced a fumble, the ball bounced 25 yards backwards, and Auggie safety Foster Mulvehill scooped and scored to make it 14-10.
Curtis was briefly forced off the field after the strip sack, and
Tyler Mastronardi stepped in at quarterback and threw a short pass to Pollard that turned into a 58-yard gain. Curtis returned to the game after the quarter flipped and threw a touchdown pass to
Jaxon Watson. After an Auggie three-and-out, Watson made another house call from 48 yards out to give Carleton a 27-10 lead.
Curtis marched the Knights 77 yards down the field on their next drive, and
Jaden Coleman powered in a 5-yard touchdown, his ninth of the season. Carleton led 34-10 at halftime.
The Knights defense forced another three-and-out to open the second half and authored an 11-play drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown throw to
Rye Storrs. In the late third quarter, Detmer burst into the backfield on a fake punt attempt and made a tackle for loss to force a turnover on downs, and Carleton used the ensuing field position — starting at the Augsburg 14 — to punch in a one-yard touchdown via
Evan Olds.
Augsburg ground out a long drive in the mid-fourth quarter to score their only offensive touchdown, but the scoring would end there.
Mastronardi finished 16-for-27 for 129 yards in relief duty. Pollard set career highs in receptions and yards, catching six tosses for 132 yards and a score. Watson had seven grabs for 111 and two touchdowns. Storrs notched 86 yards on seven snags, picking up a touchdown.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton takes on No. 4 Bethel University in Arden Hills next Saturday, Nov. 8. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.
MIAC PASSING RECORDS
TOUCHDOWN PASSES – ALL GAMES
TD Player Team Years
147 Aaron Syverson Saint John's 2021-24
139 Jackson Erdmann Saint John's 2016-19
100 Alex Kofoed Saint John's 2004-07
97 Ayrton Scott Augsburg 2012-15
87 Michael Veldman
Gustavus 2016-21
87 Kurt Ramler
Saint John's 1993-96
85 Cade Sheehan
Augsburg 2020-23
84 Michael Nadeau
Macalester 2019-23
80 Jack Curtis Carleton 2022-pres
PASSING YARDS – ALL GAMES
TD Player Team Years
12888 Aaron Syverson Saint John's 2021-24
11639 Jackson Erdmann Saint John's 2016-19
10737 Alex Kofoed Saint John's 2004-07
10281 Ayrton Scott Augsburg 2012-15
9936 Michael Nadeau
Macalester 2019-23
8777 Jordan Berg
Augsburg 2006-08
8741 Michael Veldman
Gustavus 2016-21
8549 Mitch Hendricks
GAC/SJU 2012-15
8496 Jordan Stolp Gustavus 2004-07
8233 Jack Curtis Carleton 2022-pres
TOUCHDOWN PASSES – MIAC GAMES
TD Player Team Years
109 Aaron Syverson Saint John's 2021-24
79 Ayrton Scott Augsburg 2012-15
75 Jackson Erdman
Saint John's 2016-19
70 Kurt Ramler
Saint John's 1993-96
69 Alex Kofoed Saint John's 2004-07
64 Jack Curtis Carleton 2022-pres
PASSING YARDS – MIAC GAMES
TD Player Team Years
9295 Aaron Syverson Saint John's 2021-24
8430 Ayrton Scott Augsburg 2012-15
7414 Jordan Berg
Augsburg 2006-08
7290 Alex Kofoed Saint John's 2004-07
6918 Jordan Stolp Gustavus 2004-07
6824 Mitch Hendricks GAC/SJU 2012-15
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6620 Jack Curtis Carleton 2022-pres
