Luther Drops SEason Opener to St. Olaf 33-13
Sept, 5, 2009
For the sixth consecutive season, the St. Olaf Oles defeated the Luther College Norse in a renewal of Luther’s longest non-conference rivalry Saturday afternoon in Northfield, Minn. The Oles racked up 410 yards of total offense with a balanced attack of 220 yards passing and 190 yards rushing en route to a 33-13 victory. St. Olaf outscored Luther 19-0 in the second quarter after the first quarter ended at a 7-7 tie.
“When you give up nine explosive plays on defense and have a negative turnover ratio it’s tough to win football games,” said Coach Durnin. “These are concerns that will be addressed in the week leading up to our next game.”
Entering into the season one of the biggest concerns was the play of the special teams unit which was the bright spot of the day for the Norse. Donny Norlander punted eight times for a 41.1 yard average placing four of the punts inside the 20. Return specialist Tyler Bass, returned a career high of five kickoffs for 146 yards with a long of 39 yards. The Norse also blocked a field goal, an extra point, and a punt. Josh Patterson blocked both a field goal and the extra-point. Peter Wehr blocked the punt to set up the first Norse score.
“Our special teams rose to the occasion,” stated Coach Durnin. “It was a positive seeing major improvement in that facet of the game.”
Offensively, wide receiver Darren Oxton, set career highs in catches and yards, grabbing 11 passes for 96 yards. Quarterback Chris Reynolds was 21-of-42 for 181 yards and an 11-yard touchdown to Kris McAllister. The other Norse score came in the fourth quarter as Trevor Theobald scored his first career offensive touchdown on a one-yard plunge.
Theobald led the Norse in tackles with four solos and five assists. George Zacharakis-Jutz had five solo and two assists. Kyle Stoner and Kyle McGivney each had three solos and five assists.
“Even though we dug ourselves a big hole I was pleased that we played hard until the end,” said Durnin. “The fact that we were still battling every down in the fourth quarter will pay dividends for us in the long run.”
The Norse return to action next week when they will host Wisconsin-Lutheran in the first ever match-up between the two schools. Kick-off will take place at Carlson Stadium at 1:00 p.m. Fans who cannot attend the game can catch all the action via video streaming on the Luther College Athletic web site. The game will also be broadcast on college radio station AM 1240 KWLC.
