Football 9/23/06 -- St. Olaf 68, Augsburg 17

BOXSCORE

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (9/23/06) -- Quarterback Matt Penz (Jr., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) was 14-of-16 for 300 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, as St. Olaf College rolled to a 68-17 win over visiting Augsburg College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football game on Saturday afternoon at Manitou Field.

Evan Endsley (So., Eagan, Minn.) ran for two scores and caught another for the Oles, who scored touchdowns on their first seven drives. The 68 points and 85 combined rank as seventh most in St. Olaf school history.

Andrew Neumann (Sr., Somerset, Wis.) and Ricky Schreier (Sr., Maplewood, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) each caught eight passes in the loss for the Auggies (0-3 overall, 0-2 MIAC). Neumann caught eight passes for 69 yards, while Schreier caught eight passes for 58 yards. Royce Winford (So., Albertville, Minn./Osseo HS) led all receivers with five catches for 122 yards and a touchdown.

Reserve quarterback John Haberman (Fr., Brainerd, Minn.) added 75 rushing yards, on seven carries, and three touchdowns in the win for the Oles (4-0 overall, 2-0 MIAC). St. Olaf's 4-0 start is their second straight. The only other seasons when St. Olaf had consecutive 4-0 starts were in 1969 and 1970.

Augsburg quarterback Jordan Berg (So., Gaylord, Minn./Sibley East HS) threw for 275 yards on 25-of-43 passing with one touchdown and no interceptions. James Strand (Fr., Pequot Lakes, Minn./Brainerd HS) rushed 10 times for 34 yards and a touchdown, while Arthur Minus (Jr., St. Paul, Minn./Humboldt HS) had eight carries for 41 yards, and Riley Cullinane (Fr., Brainerd, Minn.) had six carries for 41 yards.

Defensively, Augsburg's Mike Matson (Sr., Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS) recorded 10 tackles (eight solo), marking the ninth straight game he has recorded double-digit figures in tackles. Garrett Kratz (Jr., Jordan, Minn.) had nine tackles (eight solo).

Kyle Danner (Sr., Ramsey, Minn./Elk River HS) kicked a 30-yard field goal for the Auggies in the second quarter.

Both teams return to MIAC play next Saturday (9/30) at 1 p.m., with Augsburg hosting Concordia-Moorhead at Edor Nelson Field, and St. Olaf playing at Gustavus Adolphus.

Augsburg at St. Olaf Game Notes

GAME: The Augsburg College Auggies (0-2 overall, 0-1 MIAC) travel to face the St. Olaf College Oles (3-0 overall, 1-0 MIAC) in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football game on Saturday, September 23 at 1 p.m., at Manitou Field (capacity 3,500) in Northfield, Minn.

COACHES: Augsburg head coach Frank Haege (Wisconsin-Stout '92) is in his second season and has an 1-11 record. St. Olaf head coach Chris Meidt (Bethel '92) is in his fifh season at St. Olaf and has a 27-16 record.

WEBCAST/BROADCAST: All Augsburg football games are webcast live online, through an arrangement with Stretch Internet. Devon Krueger, sports director at KFIL Radio in Preston, Minn., will be doing play-by-play, with former St. Thomas offensive lineman Joe Moline on analysis. To listen online, go to http://www.augsburg.edu/athletics/liveaudio/. There is no over-the-air radio coverage of Augsburg football. St. Olaf football is aired on KDHL-AM 920 in Faribault, Minn., with Mike Morrissey on the call, and webcast at http://www.stolaf.edu/athletics/Webcasts.

SERIES: This is the 49th game in the all-time series between Augsburg and St. Olaf, a series the Oles lead 35-13. St. Olaf was the opponent for Augsburg's first-ever football game in 1926, a game the Oles won 26-0. Augsburg and St. Olaf played each season from 1926 to 1934, in 1941 and 1942 and from 1946 to 1950, and every year since St. Olaf rejoined the MIAC in 1974. Augsburg has won five of the last nine games in the series. The Auggies and Oles have played numerous close games in recent years, as nine of the last 13 games in the all-time series have been decided by a touchdown or less.

MIAC OVERALL PER-GAME RANKINGS (2/3 GAMES): Total offense -- Augsburg 6th (289.5), St. Olaf 3rd (408.0); Passing offense -- Augsburg 4th (227.0), St. Olaf 3rd (257.7); Rushing offense -- Augsburg 9th (62.5), St. Olaf 2nd (150.3); Scoring offense -- Augsburg 8th (12.0), St. Olaf 3rd (32.3); Total defense -- Augsburg 9th (445.0), St. Olaf 7th (287.3); Passing defense -- Augsburg 9th (256.0), St. Olaf 7th (203.3); Rushing defense -- Augsburg 9th (189.0), St. Olaf 5th (84.0); Scoring defense -- Augsburg 9th (45.5), St. Olaf 5th (12.0); Turnover margin -- Augsburg 9th (minus-6; 2 gained, 8 lost), St. Olaf t5th (plus-1; 5 gained, 4 lost).

NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL STATISTICS: As a team, St. Olaf is ranked 29th nationally in total offense (408.0 yards per game), 25th in passing offense (257.7 yards per game) and 34th in scoring offense (32.3 points per game). The Oles are also ranked 17th nationally in team kickoff return average (27.88 yards per return) and sixth in team net punting (37.0 net yards per punt).

For Augsburg individuals, Mike Matson (Sr., Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS) is ranked 30th nationally in total tackles (11.0 per game) and 37th in tackles for loss (2.0 per game). Andrew Neumann (Sr., Somerset, Wis.) is ranked 34th nationally in receptions per game (6.0), while Andrew Bergeson (Fr., Red Wing, Minn.) is ranked 35th in forced fumbles per game (0.5).

For St. Olaf individuals, Matt Penz (Jr., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) is ranked 28th nationally in total offense (255.0 yards per game). Evan Endsley (So., Eagan, Minn.) is ranked eighth nationally in kickoff returns (33.2 yards per return). James Bechdol (Jr., Orono, Minn.) is ranked 19th nationally in forced fumbles (0.67 per game) and 37th in tackles for loss (2.0 per game).

LAST WEEK: Augsburg opened MIAC play with a 60-0 home loss to St. John's last Saturday at Edor Nelson Field. St. Olaf improved to 3-0 on the season with a 31-6 victory over Hamline at Manitou Field.

LAST YEAR: Andrew Schmiesing caught eight passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns, and Jason Wilsey threw for 381 yards and five scores, as St. Olaf claimed a 49-0 victory over visiting Augsburg on Nov. 12, 2005 at Manitou Field.

St. Olaf poured out 686 yards of total offense on 75 plays. St. Olaf scored on its first four drives of the game to build a 28-0 first-quarter lead, an advantage expanded to 35-0 at halftime. Wilsey set a single-season school record for passing yardage, finishing with 2,591 yards this year and 26 touchdowns.

Augsburg, which gained 301 yards of total offense, was paced by 125 receiving yards by Andrew Neumann on 13 catches. David Lange, making his third collegiate start, threw for 191 yards on 20-of-43 passing with two interceptions.

Wilsey opened the scoring with a 12-yard pass to Horace Gant with 9:29 left in the first quarter. After Augsburg punted on its next drive, the Oles struck quickly, as Wilsey found Schmiesing over the middle for a 72-yard scoring strike with 7:55 left. On the Oles' next drive, the duo struck again, as a 10-yard scoring pass completed a six-play, 64-yard drive with 4:21 left in the first quarter. St. Olaf went 80 yards in just three plays on its next drive, taking advantage of a 40-yard completion from Wilsey to Preston St. John and two penalties against Augsburg, setting up a 15-yard scoring pass from Wilsey to Chris Feehan, to lead 28-0.

An interception by John Davis -- one of his two pickoffs on the day -- set up St. Olaf's next score, on a one-yard plunge by defensive lineman Andre Conner with 5:59 left in the first half. St. Olaf scored twice more in the third quarter to complete the scoring. Schmiesing caught his third touchdown pass of the game at the 6:53 mark of the third quarter on a fade pattern to the far corner of the end zone from Wilsey, covering nine yards. Reserve quarterback Matt Penz threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jay Higgins at the 3:52 mark of the frame.

Augsburg had several chances to score, but could not put the ball in the end zone as St. Olaf claimed its first shutout victory since the 2002 season. A 58-yard kickoff return by Ricky Schreier late in the second quarter put the ball at the St. Olaf 30-yard line, but a seven-play drive stalled at the St. Olaf 15. Augsburg had a 13-play, 57-yard drive stalled at the St. Olaf 19-yard line early in the third quarter, and two field-goal attempts were missed in the fourth quarter, each ending 11-play Auggie drives.

Evan Endsley rushed three times for 86 yards for the Oles, while Feehan rushed 11 times for 63 yards. Higgins rushed five times for 47 yards and caught five passes for 54 yards. St. John caught four passes for 64 yards, and Gant caught three passes for 53 yards. For Augsburg, Schreier caught five passes for 48 yards, while Jason Potts caught six passes for 45 yards and rushed 13 times for 27 yards.

Defensively, Matt Dean had nine tackles (six solo) for the Oles, while Davis had eight tackles (eight solo). Taylor Kroger had 14 tackles (11 solo) and a half-sack for Augsburg, and Mike Matson had 14 sacks (one solo).

DID YOU KNOW: Augsburg quarterback Keith Hagen's (Sr., Northfield, Minn.) father is Dan Hagen, the head athletic trainer at St. Olaf.

MATSON ON EIGHT-GAME DOUBLE-DIGIT TACKLE STREAK: Augsburg linebacker Mike Matson (Sr., Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS) enters this season as a possible NCAA Division III All-American candidate, after having one of the top defensive seasons of any Division III player last year. Last week against St. John's, Matson recorded a game-high 12 tackles (four solo), marking the eighth straight game that he has accumulated double-digit figures in tackles. Matson has 267 tackles (111 solo) in his career, including 17.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two blocked kicks.

This summer, Matson was one of two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference players (Bethel offensive lineman Ryan Wassink was the other) to earn a spot on the 2006 Preseason All-Division III First Team in Lindy's National College Football preview magazine. In 2005, Matson earned second-team All-MIAC honors, D3Football.com All-America third team and All-West Region second-team honors, and Don Hansen's Football Gazette All-West Region third-team honors.

Matson had a breakout year in 2005 as a leader on the Augsburg defense. He finished the 2005 season with 155 tackles (74 solo), leading the MIAC in both overall (15.5 tackles per game) and MIAC play (138, 17.3 tackles per game). Matson finished second nationally among Division III players in total tackles (15.5 per game), as one of just two Division III players to average 15.0 or more tackles per game during the season. He also ranked sixth nationally in solo tackles (7.4 per game).

KICK BLOCKERS: Augsburg defenders blocked three St. John's extra points in last week's game -- one each by Royce Winford (So., Albertville, Minn./Osseo HS), Alex Glasenapp (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) and Ricky Schreier (Sr., Maplewood, Minn./Cretin- Derham Hall HS). Last season, Augsburg recorded five blocked kicks -- two by Mike Matson (Sr., Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS), two by Andrew Neumann (Sr., Somerset, Wis.) and one by Mike Struss (So., Nicollet, Minn.).

SCOUTING THE AUGGIES: Alex Kofoed threw for 266 yards and four touchdowns in the first half, as St. John's scored a 60-0 victory over host Augsburg last Saturday at Edor Nelson Field. The Johnnies, ranked No. 4 nationally, scored on their first eight possessions and on nine of their 11 possessions in the game, as they racked up 573 yards of total offense.

Quarterback Jordan Berg (So., Gaylord, Minn./Sibley East HS), a transfer from Division II Minnesota-Duluth making his first start for Augsburg, threw for 148 yards on 14-of-25 passing with an interception. Kofoed completed 17-of-22 passes in the first two quarters, directing touchdown drives on all six Johnnie first-half possessions, as the Johnnies built a 40-0 halftime lead.

Andrew Neumann (Sr., Somerset, Wis.) caught five passes for 87 yards to led the Augsburg receivers, while Ricky Schreier (Sr., Maplewood, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) caught five passes for 45 yards. James Strand (Fr., Pequot Lakes, Minn./Brainerd HS) led the Auggie rushers with 10 carries for 39 yards.

Defensively, Augsburg linebacker Mike Matson (Sr., Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS) led all players with 12 tackles (four solo), marking the eighth straight game that he has compiled double-digit figures in tackles. Sean Kelly (So., Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) compiled 11 tackles (three solo), Garrett Kratz (Jr., Jordan, Minn.) compiled eight tackles (three solo) and Andrew Bergeson (Fr., Red Wing, Minn.) had seven tackles (one solo).

Augsburg defenders blocked three St. John's extra points – one each by Royce Winford (So., Albertville, Minn./Osseo HS), Alex Glasenapp (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) and Schreier.

An interception ended the Auggies' final drive of the contest, a 14-play, 64-yard effort that was stopped at the St. John's 4-yard line with 22 seconds left in the game.

Augsburg had 228 yards of total offense (171 passing, 57 rushing) and turned the ball over three times – on two interceptions and a fumble. St. John's did not have a turnover in the game, and compiled 30 first downs to Augsburg's 12.

SCOUTING THE OLES (from MIAC weekly release): St. Olaf (3-0 overall, 1-0 MIAC) has a chance to have consecutive 4-0 starts for the first time since 1969-70 when it hosts Augsburg. Saturday will be youth football day at Manitou Field. Any youth or high school football player wearing a jersey will be admitted to the game for free. Accompanying parents/guardians will be admitted for $1.

In defeating Hamline 31-6 last Saturday, the Oles extended their winning streak to eight in the all-time series between the schools. Matt Penz's (Jr., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) 350 yards passing and three touchdowns in the win were career-highs for the junior quarterback. He has thrown six touchdowns and one interception this fall in his first year as a starter.

Junior receivers Andrew Schmiesing (Jr., Stillwater, Minn.) and Horace Gant (Jr., Pensacola, Fla./Pine Forest) traded touchdowns of 72 and 71 yards in the Oles' win over Hamline. Schmiesing moved into eighth in school history for career receptions with 76 after his five-catch, 113-yard performance. Gant is sixth on the list with 86. He had four receptions for 116 yards and two scores in the win.

AUGSBURG TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- OFFENSE
RT -- 67-Alan Mueller (Jr., 6-4, 270), 50-Tony Pokriefka (Fr., 6-5, 300)
RG -- 75-Matt Siems (Sr., 6-4, 305), 63-Tyler Reiter (Fr., 6-3, 270)
C -- 77-John Streefland (Sr., 6-1, 250), 71-Andy Navis (Jr., 6-2, 210)
LG -- 55-Andy Estrem (Sr., 6-1, 265), 57-Josh Groll (Fr., 6-5, 330)
LT -- 70-Jason Weber (Jr., 6-4, 265), 79-John Leibfried (So., 6-3, 270)
TE -- 80-Andrew Neumann (Sr., 6-4, 250), 82-Garrett Warren (So., 6-3, 210)
WR -- 5-Royce Winford (So., 6-2, 185), 85-Nate Goodnature (Fr., 6-3, 175)
WR -- 6-Mike Nourie (Fr., 6-2, 180), 25-Stephan Buesens (So., 6-2, 175)
WR -- 2-Ricky Schreier (Sr., 5-8, 180), 31-Craig Henry (Fr., 5-11, 180)
RB -- 12-Arthur Minus (Jr., 6-0, 230), 35-James Strand (Fr., 5-9, 160)
QB -- 16-Jordan Berg (So., 6-3, 200), 9-Keith Hagen (Sr., 6-5, 200)

AUGSBURG TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- DEFENSE
RE -- 95-Derick Kelly (So., 6-4, 230), 11-Erik Bohnhoff (Sr., 6-5, 210)
RT -- 92-Genshi Tezuka (Fr., 6-1, 240), 62-Jake Schoenecker (Fr., 6-4, 230)
LT -- 98-Matt Wong (Jr., 6-0, 280), 96-Adam Viehauser (Fr., 6-1, 240)
LE -- 52-Brandon Rudenick (Jr., 6-1, 250), 68-Dan Thewis (Fr., 5-11, 215)
SLB -- 13-Andrew Bergeson (Fr., 6-2, 200), 33-David Ritter (So., 6-4, 235)
MLB -- 44-Mike Matson (Sr., 6-2, 225), 59-John Welty (Jr., 5-10, 205)
WLB -- 46-Sean Kelly (So., 6-1, 195), 32-Brady Seesz (Jr., 5-8, 185)
CB -- 40-Tony Landecker (Jr., 5-10, 200), 39-Rodney Powell (Fr., 5-11, 175)
CB -- 34-Justin Reese (Jr., 5-11, 175), 22-Ryan Adamson (So., 5-10, 175)
FS -- 15-Andy Roff (Fr., 6-0, 185), 18-David Lange (Jr., 6-4, 190)
SS -- 24-Garrett Kratz (Jr., 5-11, 180), 27-Tyler Judkins (Fr., 5-11, 175)

AUGSBURG SPECIALISTS
K -- 90-Luom Seidenkranz (Fr., 5-9, 169), 1-Kyle Danner (Sr., 6-1, 195)
P -- 1-Kyle Danner (Sr., 6-1, 195), 9-Keith Hagen (Sr., 6-5, 200)
LS/SS -- 51-Tim Garnhardt (Fr., 6-1, 230)
H -- 9-Keith Hagen (Sr., 6-5, 200)
KR -- 2-Ricky Schreier (Sr., 5-8, 180), 5-Royce Winford (So., 6-2, 185)
PR -- 2-Ricky Schreier (Sr., 5-8, 180), 5-Royce Winford (So., 6-2, 185)

ST. OLAF TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- OFFENSE
LT -- 73-Jeremy Thomas (Sr., 6-5, 266), 71-Joe Bari (So., 6-4, 262)
LG -- 56-Eric Yuen (Jr., 6-1, 300), 78-Anthony Cirelli (So., 6-0, 300)
C -- 68-Blake Hamel (Jr., 6-0, 282), 63, Tyler Meuleners (Sr., 5-11, 284)
RG -- 61-Matt Churchill (Sr., 6-2, 278), 77-Tom Nickerson (Jr., 6-3, 277)
RT -- 74-Paul Schwingler (Fr., 6-3, 300), 62-John Schantzen (Fr., 6-2, 266)
TE -- 7-Brandon Joyce (Sr., 6-2, 231), 83-Mike Shimshock (Fr., 6-4, 219)
WR -- 9-Horace Gant (Jr., 6-4, 207), 18-Ryan St. John (So., 6-3, 193)
WR -- 21-Andrew Schmiesing (Jr., 6-4, 190), 19-Ryan Anderson (Sr., 5-10, 188)
WR -- 8-Preston St. John (Jr., 6-1, 200), 2-Carson Jones (Fr., 5-10, 171)
QB -- 16-Matt Penz (Jr., 6-1, 203), 21-Andrew Schmiesing (Jr., 6-4, 190)
RB -- 20-Bobby Andrade (Sr., 5-6, 189), 24-Evan Endsley (So., 6-0, 189), 31-Ben Roff (Jr., 5-9, 220)

ST. OLAF TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- DEFENSE
DE -- 97-Ben Veach (Sr., 6-2, 253), 82-Zac Henschel (Fr., 6-4, 221)
DT -- 93-Peter Nelson (Sr., 6-3, 260), 75-Brady Swanson (So., 6-6, 266)
DT -- 99-Chris Orcasitas (So., 6-1, 300), 94-Nate Grinager (So., 6-2, 291)
DE -- 95-James Bechdol (Jr., 6-5, 258), 98-Michael Williams Jr. (So., 6-5, 246)
OLB -- 44-Steven Wood (Sr., 6-4, 203), 22-Latravis Henry (Sr., 5-9, 180)
ILB -- 54-Nick Rydberg (Jr., 6-0, 224), 51-Jake Lodahl (So., 6-3, 213)
ILB -- 58-Charlie Mylrea (Jr., 6-1, 223), 52-Craig Botnen (Sr., 6-0, 219)
OLB -- 49-Chris Feehan (Sr., 5-11, 204), 43-Thomas Warfield (Sr., 6-2, 236)
CB -- 1-Deontae Hutchins (Jr., 6-1, 181), 10-Robert McDonald (Jr., 5-11, 161)
FS -- 47-Peter St. Lawrence (Sr., 6-0, 185), 28-Chris Deluca (Fr., 6-0, 167)
CB -- 4-Jeremy Lund (Sr., 6-3, 210), 15-Derek Bauer (So., 5-10, 174)

ST. OLAF SPECIALISTS
LS -- 92-Neal Holthus (So., 6-2, 256)
P -- 37-Paul Fortman (Jr., 5-11, 182)
H -- 21-Andrew Schmiesing (Jr., 6-3, 181)
K -- 37-Paul Fortman (Jr., 6-0, 183)
PR -- 21-Andrew Schmiesing (Jr., 6-3, 181
KR -- 24-Evan Endsley (So., 6-0, 189), 2-Carson Jones (Fr., 5-10, 171)