Macalester football had its first victory of the season last Saturday with a win over Lawrence (Wis.) 30-25, giving the Scots a 1-2 record. The victory was due in part to a record-tying five interceptions and a touchdown on a 67-yard fumble recovery. Macalester has only picked off that many passes twice in its history: in 1983 against Gustavus and in 1986 against Bethel.

David Kruger ’04 led the team with 117 yards on 14 carries and 66 yards on three passes, as well as two touchdowns: one each in the first and third. Adam Heathcote ’04 caught a 15-yard pass from quarterback Adam Denny ’04 in the first quarter, Dan Haley ’07 scored on a 67-yard fumble return in the third and Andrew Connet ’06 kicked a 22-yard field goal in the fourth to give the Scots an even 30 points. Lawrence (0-2) scored early in the first and third, tying the game at 13 before Macalester reeled off 17 straight points to take a 30-17 lead. Lawrence scrambled to catch up, scoring twice late in the fourth, but was unable to find enough points to match the Scots.

“It was a good, well-fought game,” Denny said. “Defense played really well, and the offense made plays when they needed to make plays.”

“I’m glad for the program, and glad we had support from the fans, and especially from the new president,” Kruger said.

Macalester’s first two games of the season, against Beloit (Wis.) and Lewis & Clark (Ore.), resulted in losses of 19-49 and 20-49, respectively. “We’re at 1-2; we’d like to be 500. Maybe we’ll get there this weekend,” Coach Dennis Czech said of the season so far.

Among the Scots’ star players this year are three NCAA Division III national statistical leaders. Kruger is ranked ninth in all-purpose running and 16th in pass receptions, having caught passes for 294 yards, run for 170 yards and returned kicks for 179 yards. Denny is ranked 21st in total offense with a 269.7 yard-per-game average, and cornerback Tim Burns ’06 is ranked 13th in passes defended, with three interceptions and four passes knocked down.

According to Kruger, however, “We have a number of guys on the team who have the potential to be nationally ranked; it just depends on who gets the ball.” Matt Munson ’04, for instance, was nationally ranked last year, and is expected to have another big season.

This is only the Scots’ second season as an independent after leaving the MIAC in 2002, when Macalester was considering whether to drop the football program. When the future of the program was still in doubt the first-years left, so there is only one junior on the team this year. Additionally, Macalester historically has had a very small football team, and this year is no exception.

“Numbers are our biggest problem,” Czech said. This had led to a Macalester philosophy that numbers are nice, but quality is better. “That is how we’re able to win with 29 players,” Czech said. Lawrence has 48 players on its roster this season, which was an important advantage in a sport where bigger is often better.

Historically, one of the team’s best skills has been passing. Before they left the MIAC, the Scots usually had a quarterback and one or two receivers who were ranked highly in the conference. This year is no exception, with both Kruger and Denny ranked nationally.

“Denny is a superb quarterback; he’s probably as good as any we’ve had, and he gets better every week. Kruger is having an awesome year. He ran over 100 yards last week, and was a big factor in the victory,” Czech said of his players.

The third-ranked player, Burns, is a sophomore, but it is his first real year of game play. He played one game last year and hurt his knee, so he was out the rest of the season. Czech, however, is not surprised Burns is performing so well this year. “We knew he was an outstanding athlete.and he’s only going to get better,” he said.

“It’ll be a good year,” Denny said, “We’re young, but we have a lot of speed. Hopefully we’ll be over 500 this year.”