New Ulm, MN - The MLC football team had its homecoming game on Saturday afternoon against Crown College and battled hard on the gridiron before the Polars defeated the Knights
17-7 in a solid defensive performance from both teams.
Jamarrius Courtney had another impressive game on the ground, as the run-heavy quarterback rushed for a game-high 119 yards. The Polars' quarterback won UMAC Player of the Week due his performance against Northwestern and the Knights knew he'd his legs would be a factor in this one as well. MLC limited Courtney through the air as Crown passed for only 47 yards, but Courtney did connect on a 15-yard touchdown pass to put them up 14-0 in the beginning of the second quarter. Crown previously scored on its opening drive of the game, which took up nearly nine minutes of the first quarter.
MLC would have trouble getting much done offensively on the Crown defense, but would find the end zone early in the fourth quarter as
Arthur Robinson punched it in on a 2-yard rush up the middle to get the Knights back into it down 17-7. From there, the Knights played inspired defense and got the ball back with a chance to make it a one-score game, but the Polars tightened up on defense and forced a turnover on downs.
Crown had a chance to put the game out of reach with a field goal, but the Polars would miss it, keeping the door open for a possible MLC comeback.
Despite another opportunity, Crown's pass rush reached another gear and pressured
Brady Turriff on the Knights' final offensive drive, which included a couple of sacks.
Turriff passed for 183 yards, while Robinson was the leading rusher for the Knights, going for 55 yards and one touchdown. Freshman tight end
Noah Huebner had two big catches for 69 yards, while
Thomas Koelpin had six receptions for 59 yards.
Thomas Balge and
Ethan Melso were active on the field and both had season-highs in tackles with 16 and 13 respectively.
Micah Koschnitzke also had an impact at linebacker, recording 13 tackles as well.
MLC will have another home game next week when they host Greenville on Saturday, October 18. Kickoff is planned for 12 p.m.
