Knights Run to Victory

Martin Luther College continues its UMAC dominance

    The Knights scored on each of its first three possessions, jumping out to a 21-0 first quarter lead en route to a 34-20 victory over Crown Saturday.  The win marks the Knights' fifth consecutive victory and the Knights maintained a perfect record in the UMAC, the only team in the UMAC that remains undefeated in conference play.

    "We stressed all week not to take Crown lightly, " head football coach Charles Hussman said.  "We came out focused and ready to go.  The guys came to play."

    After a beautiful punt by Crown punt Brent Tisl that pushed Martin Luther back to its own three-yard line, the Knights marched down the field 97 yards to pay-dirt on its first possession.  Aided by junior quarterback Dan Lange's 54-yard run, junior running back Joel Russow capped off the drive with a one-yard run.  Russow had another standout performance, rushing for over 100 yards and scoring three touchdowns in only one half of play.  The Knight grinded out 329 yards of offense, including over 200 yards rushing, in the first half.  The Knights never even attempted a pass in the first quarter.

    "We were able to move the ball, especially without having to throw the ball, " Hussman said. "It's nice to be able to control the ball on the ground when you have the opportunity."

    Martin Luther came into the game leading the UMAC in first downs and time of possession, and the Knights ball-control offense again had its way.  Not to be outdone, the special teams returns unit had arguably its best game of the year, as freshman kick returner/punt returner Joel Schwartz had some nice runs of his own.  Set up by a string of nice blocks, Schwartz returned a punt 88-yards for the score, giving the Knights a 14-0 early first quarter lead.  Later he showed his big-play potential with a 48 yard kickoff return.  Schwartz leads all UMAC punt returners with a 22.3 avg/return.

    "He's done an excellent job for us," Hussman said.  "He's showing how he can be very dangerous in the open field with the football."

    The Knights used the rare big lead to get some back-ups some much needed game experience.  Knights starters played sparingly in the second half, and rustiness showed, as the Knights had four turnovers in the second half.  The Knights also had five penalties in the second half. 

    "The only way they are going to get any better is with more experience," Hussman said.  "We wanted to get these guys some experience this week and next week.  We have been involved in a lot of close games so far this year, but we need to get some players in there so we know what they are capable of if and when we have to call on them."

    Crown finally got on the board in the third quarter, capitalizing on a Knights turnover.  Freshman quarterback Matt Bremer connected with wide receiver Joe Thompson for a four-yard touchdown pass.  Bremer threw two more touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, with the final touchdown coming with one second remaining in the game.

    The Knights starting defense posted a shut-out in the first half, and stifled Crown's offense.  Neither of Crown's two quarterbacks could find any rhythm, as both were harassed most of the day.  Senior defensive end Aaron Krause had another standout performance, collecting two sacks and further adding to his lead in the UMAC, totaling 8.5 sacks for the year.  Junior linebacker Andrew Kruse had another double-digit tackle performance, and currently leads the UMAC in total tackles.

    Next week the Knights head to North Dakota to face Trinity for its final regular season game of the year.  Kickoff is at 2:00 pm.