The Ole defense stole the show on Saturday, redeeming themselves from the poor performance against Concordia the previous weekend. Defensive personnel forced six Gustie turnovers.

The defense was led by linebacker Bill Germscheid '04, who turned in a memorable performance in the final game of his St. Olaf career. He recovered a fumble and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown, intercepted two passes, taking one to the house from 42 yards away, while also recording four tackles and one sack.

The game started on an ominous note for the Oles when Gustavus quarterback Sean Smith threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nate Novak three minutes into the contest.

The Oles struck back with a 14 play, 87-yard drive that ended with quarterback Brian Senske '04 throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Fritze '05.

The Oles took an 8-7 lead on Gustavus when running back Nick Rost '07 rushed right side for a two-point conversion.

The Oles added to their lead in the second quarter after a 10-yard touchdown run by fullback Aaron Stinar '04 and a 59-yard bombshell delivered from Senske to wide receiver Cory Patterson '04.

Gustavus pulled to with nine at 22-13 when Sean Smith scored from one-yard out midway through the second quarter, but would get no closer as the Oles tacked on three more scores.

The Oles compiled 358 yards of total offense running 80 plays in the game. Senske led the offense by completing 13-of-17 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Stinar rushed 18 times for 94 yards.

The victory snapped the Oles seven-game losing streak to Gustavus. The win also marked the first time the team defeated the Gusties in St. Peter since the 1995 season.

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