NEW ULM, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris football team trailed throughout much of the game and looked as though the team's five-game winning streak was about to be snapped before a pair of clutch defensive plays late in the game secured a 30-27 triumph at Martin Luther College on Saturday. With the victory, the Cougars improve to 6-3 (4-0 UMAC) as they head into the final week of the regular season.

The game was anything but easy for the Cougars. A 40-yard snag from Andrew Raasch gave Martin Luther a touchdown on its opening possession and the lead grew to 14-0 after Minnesota Morris turned the ball over on its first crack on offense. Max Nordlie finished off the second MLC drive with a five-yard scramble for a touchdown midway through the opening quarter.

A 43-yard completion from Marcus Reeb to Dylan Naughton shifted the field position battle as the first quarter ticked on and Reeb finished the drive off with a one-yard plunge, though Alex Happ's extra point was blocked, leaving the score at 14-6.

A quick three-and-out by the Martin Luther offense before the first quarter ended gave possession back to Minnesota Morris as the second quarter began. The Cougars utilized their balanced offense to move the ball down the field, but then fully turned to the running game inside the red zone. After a five-yard rush from Reeb and a six-yard carry from Izayah Boss, Blake Johnson finished the drive off with an eight-yard run off the left edge, trimming the deficit to 14-13.

Martin Luther got back to work on offense after that and put another touchdown on the board with a 12-play, 67-yard drive. Nordlie went to the air again for a big chunk of yardage, gaining 31 yards on a pass to Jude Pederson. Two plays later, Nordlie scored from one yard out to stake the Knights to a 21-13 lead.

A big kickoff return of more than 50 yards by Jacob Miranda set Minnesota Morris up in excellent field position at the Martin Luther 37-yard line. The Cougars fully committed to the ground game, rushing on seven straight plays and taking advantage of a personal foul from the Martin Luther defense to score on a nine-yard read by Reeb to make it 21-20. 

Attempting to add onto its lead just before the end of the first half, Martin Luther had a Nordlie pass intercepted by Isaiah Henderson. Henderson's 49-yard return left the Cougar offense on the doorstep in the final minute of the half and ultimately resulted in a 25-yard field goal from Happ to give UMN Morris a 23-21 edge at the half.

The third quarter flew by with three drives accounting for nearly all of the 15 minutes. Unfortunately for Minnesota Morris, a drive of close to seven minutes to start the half ended in the red zone with a failed fourth-down conversion. Martin Luther then picked up 51 yards on a Rees Roecker rush to move into Cougar territory and drove inside the 10-yard line before settling for a 24-yard field goal to take a 24-23 advantage into the final quarter.

In control of the ball as the fourth quarter began, Martin Luther milked close to six minutes off the clock before another 24-yard field goal gave the Knights a 27-23 lead with nine minutes remaining. The Cougar offense was forced off the field after failing to convert on a fourth down near midfield with less than six minutes remaining and the MLC offense then began a slow march that brought the Knights inside the UMN Morris 10-yard line with less than three minutes to go. 

With Martin Luther just needing to continue draining the clock or punching it in from near the goal line, the Minnesota Morris defense came up with its biggest play of the day. Stuffing Nordlie on an inside run, Carter Maurice punched the ball loose and there were only maroon and gold defenders in the backfield to pick up the ball and run. Greg Ohman claimed the fumble and rumbled 92 yards for the score to stun the home crowd and give Minnesota Morris a 30-27 edge with 2:26 to go.

Time still remained and Martin Luther needed only a field goal to force overtime. Instead, Chayce Meyer recorded an eight-yard sack on first down, Alex Emmrich snuffed out a middle screen on second down for only a two-yard gain, and Henderson recorded his second interception of the day to give the Cougars the ball with 90 seconds to go. Two Boss rushes earned a first down for Minnesota Morris and the Cougars were able to kneel out the clock from there.

Reeb finished the afternoon 10-of-22 for 92 yards through the air, with 11 carries for 41 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Johnson was the leading rusher for UMN Morris with 13 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown. Boss added 18 carries for 76 yards. 

Ohman was the leading tackler for Minnesota Morris with eight solo stops and the game-winning fumble return. Hunter Infanger added seven stops (three solo). Meyer ended with six tackles (three solo) with a sack and 2.5 tackles for a loss.

Saturday's result, paired with a win from the University of Northwestern over Westminster College, means that next weekend's game at Big Cat Stadium between the Cougars and Eagles will feature a pair of teams undefeated in UMAC play as they duke it out for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Kick-off on Nov. 11 is set for 1 p.m.