ST. PAUL, Minn. – On a beautiful fall Saturday in the Twin Cities, the Martin Luther College Football team spoiled Senior Day for the University of Northwestern, eking out a 35-34 win thanks to a fourth-quarter blocked PAT, avenging an early-October loss. After clinching at least a share of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference title last week at Crown, UNW needed to win just one of its final two games to win the championship outright and clinch the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Playoffs. In a back-and-forth, high-scoring affair, the Knights were able to use an electric passing attack to emerge victorious and keeping their chances of catching the Eagles alive, as they are now separated by one game in the UMAC standings with one week to play.
Northwestern got the scoring going right away on its opening possession. After Elijah Alexander (Minneapolis, Minn./Andover) found Braeden Little (Ladysmith, Wis./Ladysmith) for 24 yards through the air, UNW used a ground-and-pound approach to get in the end zone. Keaton Sargent (Manhattan, Mont./Manhattan) had five carries for 25 yards, and Alexander chipped in two for 16, including a 10-yard touchdown dash. Martin Luther scored on its first drive as well to even the score at seven, but the Eagles were able to regain the lead early in the second quarter when Alexander escaped pressure and scampered 50 yards into the end zone for his second rushing score of the afternoon.
The teams began trading punts, but Northwestern had one go awry, as the snap was fumbled, setting up MLC at the UNW 16-yard line. The visitors capitalized, scoring through the air on the second play of the series. A combination of sacks and penalties pushed the Eagles further and further back on their ensuing drive, and Martin Luther was able to march down the field and go ahead 21-14 with just 15 seconds left before halftime…