NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College football team came up a yard short on a potential game-winning two-point conversion in overtime in a 41-40 loss to Gustavus Adolphus College on Saturday afternoon at Klein Field at Manitou.

After Gustavus (5-3, 4-2 MIAC) scored on the first play of its possession in the first overtime, St. Olaf (4-4, 1-2 MIAC) answered with a touchdown on its first time with the ball and opted to go for the win on a two-point conversion. On the attempt, junior Theo Doran flipped the ball to the left to fifth-year senior Payton Schott at the one-yard line, but the Gusties' defense rallied to the football to keep Schott from being able to extend the ball over the goal line.

The overtime dramatics came after a frantic final 20 seconds of regulation that saw both teams score in the late stages. After trailing 31-20 with less than 11 minutes remaining, Gustavus rallied to take the lead on consecutive touchdown passes from George Sandven to Matthew Carreon, the latter of which was a seven-yard score with 20 seconds to go that gave the visitors a 34-31 lead after a two-point conversion.

Gustavus opted for a short kick on the ensuing kickoff, allowing St. Olaf to get the ball at its own 47-yard line trailing by three. Doran connected with junior Evan Hammonds for gains of 16 and 20 yards to get the Oles to the Gustavus 17-yard line with three seconds to go. After St. Olaf called its final timeout to stop the clock, senior Collin Swan made a 34-yard field goal to send the game into overtime and set the stage for the dramatic finish.

Doran had his fourth-straight 300-yard passing day for the Oles, going 27-for-41for 335 yards with four touchdowns and one interception, including finding senior Derek Hansen nine times for 117 yards and two scores. Hammonds made seven receptions for 97 yards, while sophomore Will Skemp and junior Siegel Howard III caught touchdowns in the loss.

The Gustavus defense limited fifth-year senior Jordan Embry to an average of 3.3 yards per carry – well below his season average of 5.1 yards per rush – but Embry still logged his seventh 100-yard game in seven games this season with 117 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries.

Sandven was 23-for-37 for 309 yards with four touchdowns and one interception for Gustavus, connecting with Carreon nine times for 131 yards and three touchdowns. St. Olaf held Jake Breitbach, who entered the game averaging nearly 170 receiving yards per game, to 102 yards on eight receptions.

After receiving the opening kickoff, the Oles marched 76 yards in 11 plays to open the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Doran to Howard III, which came a play after St. Olaf converted a fourth-and-three at the Gustavus 21-yard line on a pass from Doran to Hansen. Later in the quarter, the Gusties took advantage of a short field after a 59-yard interception return to score on an eight-yard TD run by Rohee Konde but missed the extra point, leaving the Oles with a 7-6 lead after 15 minutes.

St. Olaf pushed its lead to 14-6 on a 12-yard pass from Doran to sophomore Will Skemp with 8:44 remaining in the second quarter, marking the second-straight game with a touchdown catch for Skemp. Gustavus responded with an 11-play, 81-yard drive that culminated in a one-yard plunge by Walker Britz to make it a 14-13 game late in the second quarter. St. Olaf got in position for Swan to kick a 30-yard field goal as time expired to take a 17-13 lead into the halftime break.

After Gustavus grabbed its first lead of the game with 5:32 left in the third quarter on a touchdown pass from Sandven to Kleinschmidt, Doran and Hansen hooked up for touchdowns of 15 and 26 yards late in the third and early in the fourth to give St. Olaf its largest lead of the game at 31-20. The second of Hansen's touchdowns came on a fourth-and-eight play and the Oles also converted a third-and-11 situation earlier in the drive.

Trailing by 11, the Gusties needed just two plays and 43 seconds to get back within one score, as Sandven found Carreon for a 47-yard touchdown to bring the visitors within 31-26 with 10:08 left in the fourth. St. Olaf ate up over six minutes of clock on its next possession but turned the ball over on downs at the Gustavus 38-yard line. After converting a third-and-seven on a defensive holding penalty, Gustavus took a 34-31 lead on a seven-yard pass from Sandven to Carreon followed by a two-point conversion rush by River Wood to start the late dramatics.

The Oles outgained the Gusties by a 459-380 margin and held a time-of-possession advantage of over seven minutes in the game. St. Olaf was just 6-for-15 on third down on the afternoon but was 3-for-4 on fourth down. Senior Deonta Thomas had five solo tackles and the second interception of his career for the Oles defensively.

In its final home game of the season, St. Olaf holds its Senior Day ahead of a 1 p.m. kickoff against nationally-ranked Saint John's University on Saturday, Nov. 4.