NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College football team dropped its home opener to Greenville College by the score of 21-14 in overtime on Saturday.

The Panthers wasted no time getting on the board as they scored on the first play from scrimmage in the first quarter. Running back Paul Garrett caught a wheel route down the sideline and went the distance for the 77-yard score.

The Knights' defense rallied, however, and held the Panthers without a point for the rest of regulation to give the offense a chance.

The MLC offense started to come around in the second half, as Mike Radue recovered a fumble in the end zone to tie the game 7-7 with 6:31 in the play in the third quarter. 

After the Panthers jumped back in front on a 21-yard defensive scoop-and-score in the final minute of the third quarter, Max Nordlie once again tied the game with a five-yard touchdown run in the fourth period to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, Garrett scored on a one-yard run to give Greenville the lead, and the Panther defense finished the game with a fumble recovery on fourth down to secure their first win over the Knights in the last four tries.

The defense was the story for MLC, as it held the Panthers without a point for the final 59:44 of regulation. The Knights finished with four sacks and held the UMAC's top offense coming into the week to 367 total yards. Noah Nordlie led MLC with 10 total tackles, including one sack, while Brice Guse recorded one sack and two more quarterback hurries. 

On offense, Carson Oestreich led MLC with 25 carries for 108 yards. Joshuah Kren added 55 yards rushing on 13 carries. Max Nordlie finished the day 7-18 through the air for 117 yards, with Radue catching three passes for 70 yards to lead the receivers.

The loss snapped the Knights' winning streak in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) games (dating back to the start of the 2018 season) at 16.

MLC fell to 1-4 on the season and 0-1 in UMAC play in defeat. Greenville improved to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in league play with the win.

The Knights will return to action on Saturday, October 9, when they travel to Crown College.