Photos

NORTHFIELD, Minn. - J.J. Strnad had 304 yards of total offense, 226 rushing and 78 receiving, and five touchdowns to lead St. Olaf to a 34-27 MIAC football victory over Carleton College on Saturday afternoon at Manitou Field.

Strnad had scoring runs of 73 and 40 yards in the second half as the Oles (2-5, 1-4 MIAC) collected their second straight and fifth win in the last seven tries against the Knights (1-6, 0-5 MIAC). He had two other scoring runs -- a 3-yard plunge in the second quarter and a 36-yard run with 12:49 left in the third. He gave the Oles a 7-0 lead with his 16-yard TD reception on the Oles' opening drive in the first quarter. 

Strnad's final score came with the Oles leading by 1 with 52 seconds left. St. Olaf missed the ensuing extra point and Carleton drove deep into St. Olaf territory. On a 2nd-and-10 from the Ole 23-yardline, Kyle Keenan intercepted Carleton quarterback Zach Creighton to seal the victory. 

The interception was Keenan's second of the day for the Ole defense, who generated five turnovers. Ethan Lunning had a team-high seven tackles, including a sack on a 4th down late in the fourth quarter. 

St. Olaf now owns a 51-43-1 advantage in the series with Carleton, including a 16-3 mark since 1997.

Creighton rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown, threw for 127 yards on 9-of-21 passing and had three tackles including a sack on defense. 

Ole quarterback Nate Penz was 21-for-29 for 268 yards with a touchdown toss and an interception. He was sacked six times but led the Oles to converting on third down in 7-of-17 attempts and 2-of-3 on fourth down. Carleton was 1-of-8 on third and 0-for-2 on fourth downs. 

Strnad carried 23 times for his 226 rushing yards. Andy Gustafson had 12 carries for 69 yards and two touchdowns for Carleton. 

St. Olaf controlled the time of possession (37:26-22:34) but was penalized a season-high 14 times for 112 yards.