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NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College football team rallied from a halftime deficit to top Westminster 28-12 in front of a large Homecoming crown on Saturday.
The Knights struggled offensively in the first half, but the defense held the Blue Jays to just six points and forced three turnovers (all interceptions) to keep the deficit 6-0 heading into halftime.
The MLC offense started to click early in the second half when Zach Bloomquist hitJoshua Wordell for a 65-yard touchdown strike with 11:49 to play in the third quarter to give the Knights their first lead of the game.
MLC kept the momentum from there, as the defense held thh Blue Jays to -9 yards rushing in the quarterback. On offense, Bloomquist ran for an 18-yard touchdown later in the third quarter, and then added a four-yard score early in the fourth quarter to give the Knights a 21-6 lead.
The Blue Jays were able to score with 6:19 to play in the fourth quarter, but missed the two-point conversion, and then fell further behind thanks to a Nate Stein 15-yard touchdown run that iced the game with under three minutes remaining.
Westminster came into the game as the second-best rushing team (behind MLC) in the UMAC, but ran for only 27 yards on 26 carries as the Knights sacked quarterback Trent White five times for -40 yards and recorded 12 tackles for loss.Keith Brassow recorded two sacks and four tackles for loss, while Dan Gensmer finished with 1.5 sacks and five tackles for loss.
The MLC defense also forced three turnovers, as Benjamin Riegsecker, Joe Herrewig and Ben Arndt each recorded interceptions. Riegsecker and Gensmer led the team with 10 tackles apiece, while Arndt finished with four pass break-ups.
Bloomquist led the MLC with three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing). He completed 11 of 21 pass attempts for 132 yards. Austin DeNoyer led the team on the ground with 79 yards on 17 carries, while Joshuah Kren ran 12 times for 76 yards. Wordell led MLC receivers with 73 yards on two receptions.
The win pushed the Knights' winning streak to five, tying a program record last accomplished during the 2009 season.
MLC improved to 5-1 and a perfect 4-0 in UMAC play with the win. Westminster fell to 1-5 overall and 1-4 in league play in defeat.
The Knights will return to action on Friday, October 19, when they travel to Northwestern-St. Paul for a game scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m.