Concordia (Moorhead) edges Gustavus behind stout defense

Concordia (Moorhead) came up with two big defensive plays in the second half to rally for a 27-17 MIAC victory over visiting Gustavus Adolphus on Saturday.

The Cobbers, ranked No. 16 in Division III, were trailing 14-10 early in the third quarter when Jake Erholtz returned an interception 32 yards to give the Cobbers (4-0, 2-0 MIAC) a 16-14 lead.

Gustavus tied the game early in the fourth quarter on Brendan Boche's 44-yard field goal. Then the Cobbers scored 10 points in less than two minutes to open a 10-point lead. Tony Kostelecky's 32-yard field goal with 10 minutes, 12 seconds left to play gave the Cobbers a 20-17 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, the Cobbers' Sam Michel recovered a fumble at the Gusties 23-yard line. Four plays later Chad Johnson scored on a 4-yard TD run and Kostelecky converted the PAT.

The Gusties (3-2, 2-1) had two possessions in the final nine minutes but both ended in punts.

Hamline 30, Carleton 19: Justice Spriggs passed for 287 yards and four TDs and rushed for 81 yards to help the host Pipers outlast the Knights.

St. Thomas 57, Augsburg 25: Jacques Perra, Jordan Roberts and Tucker Trettel each rushed for two TDs to lead the No. 6 Tommies past the host Auggies.

Perra also completed 21 of 26 passes for 247 yards and a TD for the Tommies, who led 36-13 at halftime.

St. John's 21, Bethel 13: Evan Clark caught two TD passes in less than three minutes in the first quarter to spark the host Johnnies, ranked No. 9, past the Royals.

Clark's 5-yard reception opened the scoring with 5:22 remaining in the first quarter. Bethel punted on its ensuing possession, and on the Johnnies' second play, Clark caught a pass from Jackson Erdmann and went 86 yards to give the Johnnies a 13-0 lead with 2:51 left in the quarter.

Bethel pulled with 21-13 with 9:10 remaining. But in the final nine minutes, the Royals had just one possession, which ended on downs.

St. Scholastica 14, Northwestern 7: Zach Edwards threw a 1-yard TD pass to Jeff LeMay with 2:41 remaining in the fourth quarter to lift the Saints past the host Eagles. Northwestern had two possessions in the final three minutes but was unable to move the ball past midfield. Edwards passed for 304 yards and two TDs for the Saints.

Minnesota-Morris 17, Crown 7: Justin Masloski rushed for 144 yards and a TD to help the host Cougars withstand the Storm.