Zach Tvedten

It would take more than the rainy weather and an early New Ulm Eagles touchdown to dampen the spirit of the Blue Earth Area Buccaneers on Friday. Homecoming week came to an end with a 33-8 victory for the Bucs football team.

The Eagles got half of their 128 total rushing yards for the game on one play of their second possession of the game. Quarterback Adam Loose ran an option play to the right side and broke loose for a 64-yard touchdown run. The 2-point conversion was good and with 6:26 left in the opening quarter, the Eagles held an 8-0 lead.

A stifling defense allowed no further scoring for New Ulm, and the Buc offense put 33 points on the board. The maroon and gold improved their record to 3-0 in the South Central Conference.

A five play, 45-yard drive by the Bucs on their ensuing possession got the Bucs on the board.

Quarterback Garrett Anderson’s run for 10 yards moved the ball to the Eagle 35. Runs of 10 and 16 yards by Zach Tvedten further moved the ball down to the nine.

Following a 4-yard gain by Nick Lee, Tvedten crossed the goal line for a 5-yard touchdown. Anderson’s kick was good and New Ulm held an 8-7 lead with 4:05 left in the quarter.

The Bucs’ next score came with 1:58 left in the first half. Faced with a third down and four at the Eagles’ 8-yard line, Anderson dropped back to pass. Finding his receivers covered, he tucked the ball in and ran for the go-ahead touchdown. The kick failed, but Blue Earth Area had taken a 13-8 lead.

New Ulm’s drive following the kick off stalled. After their punt, the Bucs took over at their own 46 with 1:01 left in the half.

Anderson handed off to Tvedten, who ran through a gaping hole on the right side of the line. He cut back across the field, sprinting down the left sideline for a 56-yard gain to the eight.

Joe Franta spelled Tvedten and was promptly grabbed by the face mask. The resulting penalty put the ball on the 4-yard line. Anderson’s pass to a wide open Lee with 12 seconds left in the half increased the Bucs’ lead to 19-8. The two point conversion failed.

A 58 yard scoring strike to receiver Jared Smith on the Bucs’ third drive of the second half – plus Anderson’s extra point kick – gave the hosts a 26-8 lead with 3:17 remaining in the third quarter.

The Bucs’ final score of the evening came after Taylor Andrews forced a fumble by the New Ulm runner. Cody Eckhardt recovered the ball on the Eagles’ 32-yard line. Following a 9-yard run, Anderson fired his third TD pass of the game, hooking up with Nate Carr for 23 yards. Anderson’s kick was good and the scoreboard read Bucs 33, Eagles 8, with 1:22 left in the third quarter.

“This was our best performance of the year,” says Buc Head Coach Randy Kuechenmeister. “Other than their one big play, we were able to control their option game and the line of scrimmage.”

The Bucs finished with 178 rushing yards and 114 passing yards, while collecting 12 first downs.

Tvedten was the leading rusher with 119 yards on 16 carries.

Anderson was 6 of 14 passing with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Nick Lee caught four passes for 23 yards and one TD. Smith and Carr each had one reception and one TD, Smith for 58 yards and Carr for 23 yards.

Daniel Eckhardt led the defense with 14 tackles followed by Joe Franta with 10, Andrews with nine and Tvedten with eight. The Buc defense held New Ulm to 33 yards passing for the game.