Football loses 29-23 to Oles in record 6 OT

L, 23-29, 6 OT

at St. Olaf, September 20, 2008

In the longest football game in NCAA Division III history, St. Olaf scored a 29-23 victory over the visiting Tommies in six overtimes Saturday at Manitou Field. A crowd of 4,400 on a warm September afternoon watched a game with many prime scoring chances stopped by defense and special teams.

In the sixth overtime, the Oles' Coty Watkins' 16-yard touchdown run finished off a game that lasted 3:40 and spoiled the conference coaching debut of UST's Glenn Caruso.

It was one of the 10 longest games in NCAA football history. The only longer NCAA games on record are an eight-overtime game in Division I-AA, and three seven-OT games in Division I.

UST (1-1, 0-1 MIAC) led 14-0 early and still led 14-7 at halftime, but the game finished regulation at 14-14 after St. Olaf's 99-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Both teams lost fumbles on the one-yard line in regulation that denied them prime scoring chances.

Both teams went scoreless in the first, second and fourth overtimes while scoring field goals in the third OT. St. Thomas blocked a 22-yard field goal and saw a 27-yard try sail left to keep the game going.

Both teams scored touchdowns in the fifth overtime then missed the mandatory two-point tries. The Oles took a 23-17 lead on John Haberman's 25-yard TD pass to Evan Endsley, Player pic but a two-point pass failed.

St. Thomas tied the game 23-23 on QB David Sauer's two-yard run, and the Tommies had to go for two by NCAA rule. Sauer's sneak was stopped short to deny UST the victory, and extend the game to a sixth extra session.

The Tommies stalled and missed a 43-yard field-goal try. The Oles (3-0, 1-0) needed just three plays to finally secure the win as Watkins rushed in from 16 yards.

UST raced to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on Brady Ervin's 50-yard interception return for a TD and Fritz Waldvogel's 65-yard scoring reception from Sauer. Freshman Leon Clark had a 78-yard punt return for the Oles to cut the lead to 14-7

The Tommies still led 14-7 early in the fourth period and had 1st-and-goal, but a second-down fumble was Player pic recovered by St. Olaf at its own one-yard line. The Oles marched 99 yards in 11 plays -- and converted one 4th-and-10 in the process -- to tie the game with 5:07 to go. Haberman's 10-yard pass to Watkins capped the scoring march.

Ervin finished with two interceptions. Tommy Becker had a sack, a forced fumble, a blocked field-goal try in overtime and 13 tackles. Zach Sturm had 12 tackles, a sack and a recovered fumble in the end zone. Waldvogel had six catches for 109 yards, and Sauer completed 17-of-34 passes for 207 yards.

It was just the fourth overtime game in UST football history. The Toms had previously played two-overtimes games in 1998 and 2007.

St. Thomas is home next Saturday to face Hamline, while the Oles are at Augsburg in a battle of unbeaten teams.

PHOTOS: Top, Brady Ervin; below, Fritz Waldvogel

Here are some video highlights from Saturday as shot by St. Thomas videographer Brad Jacobsen:

Brady Ervin's first-quarter TD interception:

http://stream.stthomas.edu/view.htm?id=Football_at_StOlaf_21_int_TD

Fritz Waldvogel's first-quarter 65-yard TD catch and run:

http://stream.stthomas.edu/view.htm?id=Football_at_StOlaf_4_td_catch

David Sauer's rushing TD in the fifth overtime:

http://stream.stthomas.edu/view.htm?id=Football_at_StOlaf_3td_ot

Tommy Becker's blocked field goal to send the game to the fifth overtime:

http://stream.stthomas.edu/view.htm?id=Football_at_StOlaf_block_FG_ot