Box Score

DULUTH, Minn. – Despite owning a 10-point lead in the third quarter, the University of Northwestern lost to Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) rival College of St. Scholastica 28-24 on Saturday night. The Saints scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to hand the Eagles their first loss of the 2014 season.

The Eagles were rolling early, scoring the game's first points on a Jacob Fetting three-yard touchdown run before finding the end zone again on a two-play drive that ended on a 71-yard pass from Jacob Fletcher (Moorhead, Minn./Park Christian) to Caleb Couwenhoven (Blaine, Minn./Fridley). The Saints used an 80-yard drive to match UNW's initial score, but Northwestern added another touchdown when offensive lineman TJ Palme (West Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling Catholic) fell on Zac Cash (Highlands Ranch, Colo. /Mountain Vista )'s fumble in the end zone to lead 21-7. UNW was close to an even bigger lead, but Jacob Fletcher (Moorhead, Minn./Park Christian) was picked off in the red zone.

Trailing by 14, St. Scholastica looked unfazed in its next drive, an eight-play charge that needed just one third down conversion as quarterback Tyler Harper had two completions for 20 yards or more before Preston Robinson took a one-yard plunge across the goal line to come within seven at 21-14. Neither team scored in the remaining minutes of the first half, giving the Eagles a touchdown-sized margin at the break.

With halftime adjustments coming in big for Northwestern in previous games this season, it was the Saints' midway moves that made a difference as St. Scholastica out-scored UNW 14-3 in the final 30 minutes.

Both teams were forced to punt on their opening possessions of the third quarter before Ben Lyons (North Olmstead, Ohio/Ohio Distance & Electronic Learning Academy)' 28-yard field goal gave the Eagles a 10-point buffer with 18 minutes to play in the game. While the two teams shared seven punts on the afternoon (all of Northwestern's punts came in the second half), turnovers were nearly as frequent. Cash fumbled for UNW to start the fourth before Ben Greener (Foley, Minn./Home School) had his second interception of the day to end the Saints' ensuing drive. Northwestern had to punt after a three-and-out, but the Purple and Gold got another chance after Robinson fumbled at his own 24-yard line. The Eagles made it to the 21, but turned the ball over on an incomplete fourth down pass.

St. Scholastica needed just two minutes to go 77 yards to pull within three and continued to thrive on its momentum on defense, forcing Northwestern off the field after four plays. Cue another Harper comeback, CSS's second straight week of overcoming a 14-point deficit, and Robinson put his team on top 28-24 with a four-yard scoring scamper with 2:07 left to play.

Northwestern started from its own 28-yard line and had made it to the Saints 38 in just over a minute. Fletcher then connected with Couwenhoven for a 19-yard strike to get UNW inside the red zone before being intercepted inside the five-yard line on the next play to effectively end the game with St. Scholastica ahead for good.

The Eagles out-gained CSS 528-361 in the game, but the Saints tallied 147 yards in the fourth quarter, 116 of which were through the air. Fletcher finished with 302 yards on 18 completions, throwing one touchdown pass compared to three picks. On the other side, Harper completed 11 of 22 passes with a score and two interceptions. Both Cash and Chris Simon-Wallace (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka) rushed for over 100 yards for the Eagles, while Couwenhoven racked up 185 receiving yards on seven catches.

In addition to his two interceptions, Greener led Northwestern with nine tackles and a fumble recovery. Of his eight tackles on the day, Luke Sommerlot (Pocahontas, Iowa/Pocahontas Area ) had three tackles for a loss, with 2.5 of those going for sacks.

Now 4-1 overall and 3-1 in UMAC play, Northwestern will shift its attention to a new week and a new opponent when taking to the practice field on Monday. The Eagles will welcome the University of Minnesota Morris to St. Paul for homecoming on Saturday, October 11 as Northwestern officially cuts the ribbon on the renovated Reynolds Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.