NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College football team cut an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to seven but could not complete the comeback in a 35-21 loss to Gustavus Adolphus College on Saturday on Homecoming and Family Weekend at Klein Field at Manitou.

St. Olaf (2-3, 1-3 MIAC) held a 10-7 lead late in the second quarter before Gustavus (1-4, 1-3 MIAC) scored three consecutive touchdowns to open up a 28-10 lead one minute into the fourth quarter. Trailing by three scores, the Oles tallied the game's next 11 points to get within 28-21 with 6:37 to go, but the Gusties turned a swing pass into a 54-yard touchdown on a third-and-nine play with 2:48 remaining to seal the win.

St. Olaf controlled the ball for 35:44 and ran 88 plays but could not overcome three turnovers – all interceptions, including a pick-six – in the loss. The Gusties, who entered the game last in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in total offense (266.5), outgained the Oles by a 400-392 margin and did not turn the ball over on the afternoon.

Dylan Blount led Gustavus to the victory by going 22-for-37 for 333 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Blount connected with Caden Kleinschmidt seven times for 136 yards and two scores, while Walker Hennen and Dom Mathies also caught touchdowns. Hennen had 134 total yards for the visitors, with 86 coming through the air and 48 on the ground.

Junior Luke Crosby threw for a career-high 251 yards while rushing for 32 more yards and a touchdown for St. Olaf. Sophomore Jackson Caught set career-high totals in receptions (7) and receiving yards (88), while senior Will Skemp hauled in six receptions for 83 yards. Senior Gus Gartzke had 10 carries for 32 yards and a touchdown, while junior Bryon Sauvy carried the ball 17 times for 78 yards.

After both offenses were three and out on their opening possessions, Chance Swansson picked off a Crosby pass and ran it back 40 yards for a touchdown to give Gustavus a 7-0 lead inside the first five minutes. St. Olaf drove down to the 15-yard line on its next possession before an interception on a tipped pass ended the scoring threat.

The Oles got on the board in the final minute of the first quarter on a career-long 44-yard field goal by sophomore Ethan Hess. The score remained 7-3 until St. Olaf put together a 16-play, 83-yard drive that took 8:05 off the clock and culminated in a one-yard sneak by Crosby that gave the Oles a 10-7 lead with 5:52 to go in the first half.

Gustavus responded with a 10-play, 70-yard drive that ended in a six-yard pass from Blount to Mathies with nine seconds left in the second quarter. The Gusties held a 14-10 halftime lead despite being outgained 192-107 in the half.

A missed field goal and turnover on downs in the red zone on Gustavus' first two possessions of the third quarter kept St. Olaf down just four, but the Gusties proceeded to add to their lead with a 44-yard pas from Blount to Kleinschmidt with 2:49 left in the third to put the visitors up 21-10. The pair connected again – this time from 25 yards out – exactly one minute into the fourth to stretch the Gustavus lead to 28-10.

St. Olaf responded with an eight-play, 63-yard drive of its own that ended with a four-yard touchdown run by Gartzke for the senior's fourth rushing touchdown of the season. The Oles converted a two-point conversion on a pass from Crosby to sophomore Tory Pinkney Jr. to make it a 28-18 game with 11:26 to go.

St. Olaf's defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back to the offense, which converted a pair of fourth downs on its next drive to set up a 39-yard field goal by Hess with 6:37 left that brought the Oles within seven at 28-21. Crosby found Kauck for 26 yards on a fourth-and-10 three plays before the drive stalled just outside the red zone.

On the next Gustavus drive, the Gusties were faced with a third-and-nine near midfield and, out of a St. Olaf timeout, Blount found Hennen on a swing pass that turned into a 54-yard touchdown up the right sideline that put the game out of reach.

Sophomore Josh Kerber had seven total tackles, including 2.0 tackles for a loss and a sack, for the St. Olaf defense. First year Leo Bock and junior Finn Qualls also recorded sacks in the loss.

The Oles will head to Arden Hills to face nationally-ranked Bethel University on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m.