NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Jack Curtis threw for 478 yards and six touchdowns, Tyler Dimond made nine catches for 193 yards and two scores, and the defense held the Macalester College Scots to 239 yards as the Carleton College football team retained the Book of Knowledge rivalry trophy with a 51-7 win.
 
Couch Journell said that "This was a great win…as a team, we played at a high level. [Carleton football] is about putting people in space and running a system, which we did well". Journell was also pleased with Carleton's defensive effort: "[We did a] great job defensively taking away what they wanted to do. We played great, sound football, and I'm really proud of our team".
 
Curtis was sacked on the first Knights (1-1, 1-0 MIAC) play from scrimmage, but a facemask call gave Carleton a first down. They'd make the most of that penalty with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Curtis to James Alexander two plays later. Carleton forced a three-and-out on the ensuing Scots (1-1, 0-1 MIAC) possession, and marched 56 yards down the field after a short punt, capping the drive with a Jaden Coleman 1-yard rushing touchdown.
 
Carleton made it 21-0 before the first quarter ended, largely thanks to a superb diving grab by Dimond that went for 47 yards. That catch put the Knights on the 2-yard line, and two plays later Coleman caught a swing pass from Curtis for another 1-yard tally.
 
Macalester pounded out a 12-play drive over 71 yards, and Paxton Boyd slipped free down the left sideline at 7:31 in the second quarter, catching Macalester's only touchdown from Jack Scully. The Knights needed just one minute and 25 seconds to respond, with Dimond hauling in a 45-yard touchdown to make it 27-7.
 
Carleton scored twice more in the final minute-and-a-half of the first half, as an Anil Dharmarajan interception spotted Carleton the ball at Macalester's 27. Curtis was sacked on play one, and play two saw Dimond spinning free of multiple defenders to score his second touchdown at 43 seconds to go. The Knights posted a stop in just 27 seconds of game time, and after Carleton got the ball back Rye Storrs reeled in a difficult 38-yard catch through contact, Tom Journell called a timeout with just a second left, and Markus Merkelbach drilled a 34-yard field goal as time expired for a 37-7.
 
The two teams exchanged punts to start the second half, and on the next drive Coleman caught a screen and turned some great blocks into a 62-yard touchdown, his third of the game overall. Eric Lail picked off a Scully pass at 5:53, and the Knights capped their scoring when Evan Olds caught a screen and rumbled for a 23-yard TD.
 
Curtis' 478-yard performance was the best of his career, and the fourth-best single-game passing performance in Carleton history. The senior's six touchdowns was tied for second-most in Knights' annals, behind only his own performance against Gustavus last year (see charts below).
 
Dimond's 193 yards were his second-best career total, and were just the 12^th time that a Carleton receiver has topped 190 yards. His two touchdowns through the air have moved him into a tie for the sixth-most receiving scores in a Knight's career.
 
Evan Olds totalled 102 all-purpose yards (76 rushing, 26 receiving) on just 11 touches. He also scored in his second straight game. Coleman's three touchdowns pushed his career total to five.
 
Rookie Chris Shelton led the game with seven tackles, matched by Antonio Barrera. Two of Barrera's stops were tackles for loss. Bryce Bevan and Jake Reinke had two pass breakups apiece.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton has a chance to return the Goat Trophy to Laird Stadium. The Knights take on St. Olaf College next Saturday, September 27 at Laird Stadium. Kickoff in the rivalry game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
 
MOST CARLTEON TD PASSES - GAME
TD        Player                          Opponent        Date
7          Jack Curtis                  Gustavus        11/9/24
6          John Nielson                 Gustavus         10/20/90
6          Christian Zaytoun          Hamline           10/6/18
6          Jonathan Singleton       Augsburg         10/19/19
6          Jonathan Singleton       Crown              9/18/21
6          Jack Curtis                   Macalester      9/20/25
 
MOST CARLETON PASSING YARDS - GAME
Yds.      Player                          Opponent        Date
494      C.G. Shoap                  St. Thomas      9/28/96
486      Ted Kluender               Bethel              11/8/91
482      Christian Zaytoun        Macalester      9/1/18
478      Jack Curtis                 Macalester      9/20/25
469      Jack Curtis                 Gustavus         11/9/24
 
MOST TD RECEPTIONS - CAREER
TD        Player                          Years
32        Jim Bradford                1988-91
28        Chris Gardner              2005-08
26        Jeff Scherer                 1988-91
26        Matt Frank                   2005-08
26        Ntense Obono             2021-2024
22        Anthony Kemper         2009, 2012-13
22          Nathan Streiff             2021-2024
22        Tyler Dimond             2022-pres