Luther Punishes St. Olaf with Running Game in 34-16 Victory

The first play from scrimmage for St. Olaf was a 66-yard touchdown run by J.J. Strnad. The Norse answered quickly on their way to a win in Decorah, Iowa, on Saturday.

Luther's first snap also resulted in a touchdown. Christian Moore dashed 64 yards for the score. The Oles retook the lead on their next drive with a 32-yard field goal by Owen Witte. The see-saw action continued when the Norse got the ball, going 73 yards in 11 plays capped by a 12-yard run by quarterback Damon Stroup for the TD. That gave Luther a 14-10 lead with 5:38 remaining in the first quarter.

The scoring pace of the game slowed down. The Oles were forced to punt on their next four possessions. One of those punts pinned the Norse at their own 4-yard line early in the second quarter. They responded with a 14-play, 96-yard, 7-minute drive that ended with a short touchdown run from QB Brady Letney. All 14 plays were runs. The Norse took a 21-10 lead into halftime.

Luther added a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown drives for a 34-10 lead. Each drive consisted entirely of running plays. The Norse had 459 yards rushing on 70 carries. They completed one pass for four yards in the game. Luther had a big advantage in time of possession, 37:22 versus 22:38.

St. Olaf had the final score of the day. Nate Penz connected with Nate Bauer for a 13-yard touchdown. The extra point failed for the 34-16 final.

Brice Peterson had four solo tackles and 11 assisted tackles to lead the Oles. Seamus Walsh had 2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack.

St. Olaf (1-1) will open MIAC play Saturday, Sept. 19, hosting nationally ranked Bethel. The Royals are 1-1 after losing to Wartburg.