ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Lawrence University football team came up empty on four drives Saturday and that proved costly in a 17-7 Midwest Conference loss at Macalester College.
The Vikings gave up the ball on downs at the Macalester 30-yard line and 34, missed one field goal and had another one blocked. The Scots (5-1, 4-0 MWC) hit on one long run play and took advantage of a fumble to set up another touchdown to stay unbeaten in the league.
Quarterback Philip Santiago completed 16-of-36 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings (2-3, 1-2). He also ran eight times for 55 yards. Cam Boerm caught six passes for 86 yards and a score for Lawrence.
Jacob Jones paced Macalester with 13 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Christian Adams was only 9-of-23 passing for 107 yards.
Lawrence linebacker Jake Gostisha had another big game as he piled up a game-high 12 tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss.
On the second play from scrimmage, Matt Bonazzoli broke free for a 47-yard touchdown run, and the Scots led 7-0 just 41 seconds into the game.
Quarterback Ryan Butterfield fumbled on the first possession for the Vikings, and Cash McGregor recovered at the Macalester 47-yard line. The Scots needed just four plays to score as Jones ran 24 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
The Scots were up 17-0 when Lawrence drove to the Macalester 34 late in the first quarter, but Butterfield’s fourth-down pass was incomplete.
Lawrence took the opening kickoff of the second half and moved 86 yards in 15 plays for a touchdown to cut the lead to 17-7. Santiago hit Boerm with a nine-yard touchdown pass with 8:08 left in the third. The Vikings had two big plays on the drive as Santiago found Chris Shaw for 23 yards and Boerm caught a 22-yard pass.
The Vikings took their next possession and moved 57 yards to the Macalester 17, but Pat O’Mahoney’s 34-yard field goal was wide. Lawrence’s next drive went 36 yards to the Macalester 18, but O’Mahoney’s 35-yard field goal was blocked.
The Vikings took its next possession and moved 51 yards to the Macalester 30 before the drive stalled. Santiago’s fourth-down pass was incomplete and the Scots took over.
The Vikings dominated the game statistically as they piled up 385 yards of offense, compared to 299 for the Scots. Lawrence had eight more first downs and an 11:40 advantage in time of possession.