For a moment, Laird Stadium fell silent. Quarterback Jack Curtis ’26 had been knocked flat on a fourth-and-one keeper. Then he rose, clapping his hands, and the student section roared back to life. He sat out one play, then returned to the huddle and led Carleton to its opening touchdown.
“I didn’t know if I was going to play this year,” Curtis said afterward, referencing his Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis over the summer. “This is the game I circled on my schedule. This is why I came back.”
From there, Curtis threw for nearly 400 yards, broke Carleton’s career passing record before halftime and guided the Knights to a 35-28 win over St. Olaf College, reclaiming the Goat Trophy.
Carleton’s first breakthrough came late in the first quarter when running back Evan Olds ’29 finished a goal-line series. The fourth-down keeper on that drive which left Curtis on the turf drew a targeting flag; the call was later overturned at halftime.
“Our training staff was first on site,” head coach Tom Journell said. “They took total control of the situation and first and foremost, did what they needed to do for Jack’s health. He took a wicked, cheap shot and fortunately for him and us, he was ok.”
St. Olaf managed to tie it early in the second quarter on a 35-yard touchdown run by wide receiver Tory Pinkney, Jr.
Curtis and wide receiver Tyler Dimond ’26 answered immediately. First came a scramble-drill throw for about 37 yards; on the next snap, a fake screen set up a 40-yard haymaker strike down the left sideline for a 21-14 lead.
Before halftime, Curtis found tight end Rye Storrs ’26 from 13 yards with 27 seconds left to make it 28-14.
“We always strive to win the ‘middle 4,’ the two minutes before half and the two minutes after half,” Journell said. “We attacked them and scored and then came out and forced a punt in the third quarter, exactly what we planned.”
The Oles cut it to 28-21 on a short Gus Gartzke run in the third. Curtis and Storrs linked up again with 33 seconds left in the period to restore the cushion, 35-21. Early in the fourth, Will Skemp’s 42-yard touchdown made it 35-28.
The finish turned on situational plays. Carleton’s 35-yard field goal with 4:14 left was blocked. With 1:24 to go, defensive end Spencer Goetz ’26 recorded a sack; on the next snap, defensive back Jake Reinke ’27 intercepted at the Carleton 26.
“Spencer had the big sack to erase some of their momentum,” Reinke said. “On the next play I dropped into coverage, saw the ball sail, and made a play. Huge sigh of relief on the sideline.”
“We knew they were one dimensional, throwing the ball, at that time because they were down and time was running out for them,” Journell wrote. “We mixed in some pressures and coverage. In the end, players make plays; and that’s what happened. Great job by Spencer and Jake.”
The door cracked open once more. After Reinke’s interception, Carleton ran the ball and drained St. Olaf’s timeouts, then lined up to punt. The ball struck a Carleton blocker, and the Oles recovered at the Knights’ 23 with 18 seconds left. A quick completion moved the Oles to the 12, but three incompletions followed and the clock expired.
“Sometimes things don’t go as planned and you must adapt and learn,” Journell wrote, referring to the late swings. “Give St. Olaf credit for hanging around and for continuing the fight. We made a couple of mistakes and they took advantage of them. In the end, great teams find a way to win. We will be better the next time.”
Curtis’ day doubled as a milestone. He passed Jonathan Singleton ’23 to become Carleton’s all-time leader in career passing yards. Curtis said that the record didn’t register to him until it was announced at halftime. “If I have zero passing yards and we just hand the ball off and win the game, I’m cool with that,” he said. “People remember the wins, not the numbers.”
He spread credit quickly, especially to the offensive line led by center Isaac Mouacheupao ’26. “My line’s been great this year,” Curtis said. “He [Mouacheupao] knows the protection to get us into. It’s one less thing on my plate so I can worry about the secondary.”
Reinke said Curtis’ leadership and presence has been inspirational. “When he got here , it was such a fresh breath among the team and we were just re-energized… even when he wasn’t practicing and was getting treatment, he was coaching guys up. He’s a warrior.”
“Family and commitment,” Curtis said of the team’s identity. “I have to be cleared to play every week, so every game I do get to play — and every play — means a lot more.”
Up next: Carleton visits Gustavus Adolphus College on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 1 p.m. in St. Peter. “We’re gonna take it week by week,” Reinke said. “Our old offensive coordinator is there, so we’ve got to change some things up and lock in.”
“Win, win and win more… you’re gonna remember the trophies and the bus rides home,” Curtis said.