NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College football team earned its first ever win over Greenville University by the score of 34-20.

The Knights entered the game having lost all seven meetings between the two programs, but used a balanced offensive attack and a strong defensive effort to break through against the Panthers on Saturday.

Greenville scored two touchdowns in the first half, but the Knights led 14-12 going into the break thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Zachary Bloomquist to Joshua Arndt. The first score was a 61-yard deep pass in which Arndt beat the cornerback on a double move. The second came right before the half on a 31-yard slant in which Arndt weaved across the defense into the end zone.

The Arndt/Bloomquist connection struck again early in the third quarter on a wide receiver screen pass that Arndt took down the sidelines for the 34-yard score to push the MLC lead to 21-12.

The Knights put the game away from there thanks to touchdown runs by Bloomquist and Josh Wong, as well as several Panther turnovers forced by the defense.

Bloomquist had a career passing day, completing 14 of 20 passes for 229 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Arndt finished with five receptions for 138 yards, and also made a significant impact as a blocker on a number of running plays. 

MLC finished with 213 yards rushing, led by Wong's 93 yards on 18 carries. Nate Stein added 86 yards on 19 carries.

The defense continued its strong start to the season by holding the Panthers to 352 total yards on 77 plays. The Knights entered the game as the UMAC leader in sacks and interceptions, and continued to add to those totals. MLC finished with five sacks, including two apiece by Jake Kieselhorst and Daniel Gensmer. Kieselhorst led the team with 10 total tackles and also forced a fumble that was recovered by Jacob Schmidt to help seal the win in the fourth quarter.

Joseph Herrewig also came through with a big play late on an interception on the Panthers' final drive.

MLC improved to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in UMAC play with the win. Greenville fell to 1-3 on the season and 1-2 in league play in defeat.

The Knights will return to action on Saturday, September 30, when they travel to Westminster for a game scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m.