Martin Luther College Football
Defense and special teams led the Knights football team to a 16-8 victory over UM-Morris. Senior defensive back Tom Voss picked off Eagles quarterback Jeff Karschnik with 10:47 remaining in the first quarter, and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown, giving the Knights an early 8-0 lead (fullback Sam Hunter’s completed pass to Nate Hochmuth earned a successful two-point conversion). The Knights shuffled their starters, with the hopes of generating more offense, junior quarterback Philip Scriver got the starting nod, with senior Dan Lange moving to running back. It worked well, initially, as Scriver connected with Lange for a 38-yard reception, taken down at the Morris 30 yard line. The Knights completed the drive with a 25-yard field goal by sophomore Jake Schwartz, giving the Knights an 11-0 lead.
The Cougars would answer back on Karschnik’s 31 yard touchdown pass to Adam Von Ruden, and successfully converted the two-point conversion, trimming the Knights lead to 11-8. The Knights defense would not give up any more points the rest of the game, thanks to many standout efforts. Senior linebacker Andrew Kruse forced two fumbles, recovering one, and made a key tackle on a forth-and-one in Knights territory in the fourth quarter, stopping Karschik for no gain. Senior defensive end Aaron Krause had his third multi-sack of the season, finishing the game with two sacks.
The player of the game, however, belongs to Voss, who not only returned an interception for a touchdown, but also sacked Karschnik in the back of the end zone for a safety, giving the Knights a 16-8 lead, and ultimately the victory. On special teams, Scriver handled the punting duties, and handled them well, with two fifty-yard punts, four inside the twenty, including one downed at the one-yard line, setting up Voss’s safety. Sophomore return specialist and wide receiver Jake Schwartz showed his big play ability, coming down with a 40 yard catch from Scriver with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game, setting up his successful field goal attempt, putting the Knights up 14-8. On special teams, Schwartz had a 72 yard return, his longest of the season, and was 2-2 in the field goal department, with a long of 26.