Ground game leads Macalester past Vikings

APPLETON, Wis. — The Macalester College football team ran for 416 yards Saturday and went on to a 35-7 Midwest Conference North Division win over Lawrence University at Ron Roberts Field at the Banta Bowl.

Zandy Stowell had 25 carries for 193 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Alec Beatty ran 13 times for 179 yards for two touchdowns for the Scots (4-3, 2-1 MWC).

Lawrence quarterback Ryan Butterfield was 11-for-19 for 75 yards and a touchdown. Jacob Berman caught five passes for 44 yards for the Vikings (1-6, 0-3). Lawrence’s Terrence Simon had five carries for 29 yards, and he had three punt returns for 55 yards.

Linebacker Jacob Lueck had a career-high 17 tackles for Lawrence, and Tony Harth and Dan Rothbauer recorded 11 stops apiece. Harth also had 2.0 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Beatty changed the tone of the game with his speed when he entered at the start of the second quarter. His first run went 73 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Macalester lead.

Lawrence was forced to punt on the ensuing possession, but the ball touched the Scots’ Trey Johnson and Alic Riedel scooped it up for the Vikings. Butterfield hit Wes Hetcher with a 19-yard scoring pass on the next play to tie the game at 7-7.

Macalester went 78 yards in 12 plays on the next possession to take back the lead. Beatty ran the final five yards for the score and a 14-7 lead.

Simon had an electric 44-yard punt return early in the third quarter to put Lawrence in business at the Macalester 19-yard line. Macalester came up with a big stop on third down, and Pat O’Mahoney’s 40-yard field goal was wide left.

The Scots then had scoring drives of eight and seven plays, all runs, in the third quarter. Beatty scored from three yards out and Stowell had a one-yard plunge and Macalester led 28-7 after three quarters.

The Scots added a fourth-quarter touchdown on Stowell’s 22-yard run after Macalester got a short field when a Lawrence fake punt attempt failed.

Box score