NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College football team could not overcome a 26-7 halftime deficit in a 33-30 to Macalester College in its season finale as part of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championship Week on Saturday afternoon at Klein Field at Manitou.

After St. Olaf (4-6, 3-5 MIAC) scored on the opening possession of the game, Macalester (5-5, 3-5 MIAC) scored 26-straight points to build a 19-point halftime advantage. The Oles rallied by outscoring the Scots by a 23-7 margin in the second half but could not make up the three-score deficit.

The game marked the final contest in the careers of St. Olaf's eight graduating seniors: Josh Prom, Jake Olson, Harlen Nolasco, Ryley Moran, Kris Kurtz, Truls Hansen, Antonio Angel Gonzales, and Sean Finger. The group was honored along with their parents on the field prior to the game.

With 148 rushing yards on 27 carries, senior Jordan Embry recorded the 10th 1,000-yard rushing season in recorded program history for St. Olaf. Embry's 1,067 yards this season rank sixth in single-season program history and made him the first Ole to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Leon Clark '12 in 2011.

St. Olaf racked up 501 yards of offense and averaged 7.0 yards per play, but could not slow down Macalester, which gained 515 yards, ran 85 plays, and averaged 6.1 yards per play on the afternoon. Sophomore Theo Doran was 15-for-31 for 295 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, while running for two more scores, for the Oles.

Senior Payton Schott recorded his third 100-yard game of the season, hauling in five receptions for 105 yards and his ninth touchdown of the season. Junior Derek Hansen had his fourth-straight game with at least six receptions, catching six passes for 77 yards and a score.

Michael Nadeau was 36-for-54 for 411 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions for Macalester and also caught an 11-yard score. Nadeau threw two touchdowns to Nick Bice, who had five catches for 130 yards, and connected with Rex Desso 14 times for 115 yards. Nathan Wu and Logan Pampel each had seven catches for 60+ yards and a touchdown for the Scots.

After getting the ball to start the game, St. Olaf marched right down the field for a touchdown, covering 80 yards in 10 plays. Doran found Hansen five times for 56 yards on the drive, including an 11-yard touchdown, as Hansen outjumped a pair of Macalester defenders in the end zone for the first points of the game.

The quick start accounted for the lone points of the half for St. Olaf, however, as Nadeau threw touchdowns to Pampel, Wu, and Bice and also caught a touchdown from Wu to give the visitors a 26-7 lead at the half.

Midway through the third quarter, the Oles made it a one-score game when junior Collin Swan connected on a 25-yard field goal after a blocked punt and a 49-yard strike from Doran to sophomore Evan Hammonds set St. Olaf up in the red zone. The St. Olaf defense forced a turnover on downs on a botched snap on a punt on the ensuing Macalester possession to get the ball back.

After starting at the Scots' 30-yard line, the Oles closed the gap to 26-16 on a three-yard touchdown run by Doran on a quarterback sneak with 4:51 remaining in the third quarter. Macalester drove into St. Olaf territory on its next possession, but junior Ben Hestorff made a tackle for loss on a fourth-and-one play to force a turnover on downs, but the Oles gave it right back after failing to convert a fourth-and-three.

Macalester went back up by three scores 1:21 into the fourth quarter on a 30-yard pass from Nadeau to Bice to make it a 33-16 game. St. Olaf answered with a five-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in a six-yard touchdown run by Doran to get back within 10 with 11:52 to go, but the Scots ate up 7:44 of time in their ensuing drive despite being stopped on fourth-and-goal from the four.

The Oles gave themselves a shot at an improbable comeback by driving 96 yards in 14 plays to get within three, 33-30, following an 18-yard touchdown from Doran to Schott with 32 seconds on the clock. St. Olaf recovered the ensuing onside kick but touched the ball one yard to soon to enable Macalester to take three knees and run out the clock.

Junior Luke Stanga had a team-high 10 tackles (eight solo) and a sack for St. Olaf, while classmate Jacob Halek had added nine tackles (all solo).