St. Norbert Closes Minahan Stadium in Style with Rout of Beloit

From Sports Information Director, October 31, 2009 | Football
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE -- The final game in the 71-year history of Minahan Stadium was an uneventful one as St. Norbert College rolled to a 44-0 Midwest Conference win over Beloit College.

The Green Knights closed out Minahan Stadium with a dominating performance to win for the 51st time in their last 56 home games. St. Norbert, which opened the stadium in 1938, finished with a 201-91-7 overall record at Minahan Stadium. St. Norbert is slated to move into the new Schneider Stadium in 2010.

St. Norbert forced Beloit into five turnovers and eight punts, and held the visitors to 127 yards of total offense with five first downs.

The Green Knights took a 7-0 first-quarter lead when Dustin Gresen blocked a Dillon Hess punt in the end zone and fell on the loose ball just 4 minutes 31 seconds into the game.

St. Norbert took a 13-0 lead when Todd Sheedy scored on a 1-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. Rob Berger's 17-yard scramble for a touchdown 5:26 before halftime gave St. Norbert a 20-0 lead at intermission.

The Green Knights (8-1, 7-1 MWC) received the opening kickoff and marched 58 yards in six plays and scored on a Berger 6-yard touchdown run. Following a Beloit three-and-out, St. Norbert moved 66 yards in 12 plays and settled for a 27-yard Roger Nault field goal.

Beloit (5-4, 4-4) fumbled on its next play from scrimmage and Berger's 5-yard touchdown pass to Mike Dickman put St. Norbert ahead 37-0 with 2:55 left in the third quarter. St. Norbert closed out the scoring on an Adam Gruett 5-yard touchdown run with 4:25 left. Sheedy's extra-point was the final point scored in Minahan Stadium.

St. Norbert rolled to 535 yards of total offense, and had 344 yards coming on the ground. St. Norbert, which ran a whopping 87 plays and had 28 first downs, had the ball for 39 minutes 28 seconds. Berger rushed 11 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns, and also completed 18 of 31 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown.

Beloit's no-huddle spread offense didn't generate much, getting just 74 yards in the first three quarters. Quarterback Brian Maughn completed 4 of 23 passes for 62 yards and two interceptions, and the Buccaneers were 5-for-28 passing for 74 yards with three interceptions as a team. The Buccaneers rushed 25 times for 53 yards.