Exhilaration filled Laird Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Carleton celebrated Homecoming with a decisive 63–14 win over Hamline University. The Knights scored touchdowns on their first four drives and combined an early aerial surge with a strong defensive effort to improve to 5–1 on the season.
Senior quarterback Jack Curtis ’26 threw five first-half touchdowns and helped engineer one of the Knights’ most efficient offensive halves of the year. Carleton opened the scoring midway through the first quarter when Curtis found senior receiver Rye Storrs ’26 in the right corner of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown. The two connected again late in the half—on the same route combination—to push the lead to 42–7 at the break.
“Hamline had a bold strategy of playing man coverage all day and we took advantage of that,” Curtis said. “Whether it was with man-beating concepts like that play or just getting our guys into favorable one on one matchups. They allowed us to play to our strengths.”
Storrs said the pair’s chemistry comes from years of repetition. “Jack and I have been playing together for four years and starting for three,” Storrs said. “It’s pretty easy to get on the same page because we see the game the same way and talk about it all the time off the field.”
Storrs credited the repeated scoring play to timing and leverage. “We were expecting man coverage,” said Storrs. “The defender has to choose to go over or under our inside guys, and Jack throws it to the spot that fits. We’ve run that route a lot.”
The Knights’ defense quickly matched the offense’s tempo. In the final minute of the first half, junior defensive back Rex Barrera ’27 intercepted a pass at the Hamline 38-yard line and returned it eight yards, setting up another Curtis touchdown.
“We were showing a six-man pressure and dropped two out of it,” Barrera said. “I got underneath the receiver and saw the quarterback throw short, so I just snatched it. It felt great.”
Barrera said the takeaway energized the sideline. “It creates such a nice shift going into halftime,” he said. “Being able to score two touchdowns in the last two minutes—it just felt electric.”
Even without senior receiver Tyler Dimond ’26, Carleton’s passing attack stayed balanced. Storrs said the wide receiver group focused on execution rather than replacing Dimond’s downfield threat.
“I told offensive coordinator Alex Balough that I’m just going to pull the rope tight wherever I can,” Storrs said. “I’m not going to run past a guy for 60 yards like Tyler will, but I’m going to catch every target thrown my way.”
“It hurts having Tyler sidelined for sure, he was my go to guy and on pace for an All American season,” Curtis said. “Now that he is out we have got to have guys step up and fill the void.”
“The offense is the same as it was with Tyler, my approach is the same too, the ball just ends up in different hands,” he added.
Barrera said the defense’s focus remained steady regardless of lineup changes. “Our hope is always to take away the ball and get off the field fast,” he said. “Of course it hurts not having Ty [Dimond] out there, but our mindset stays the same: bend, don’t break.”
The Knights continued to pile on points in the second half. Curtis led one final scoring drive early in the third quarter — capped by another short touchdown run from Nick Toole ’26 — before giving way to backup quarterback Tyler Mastronardi ’28, who added a 15-yard rushing score and a late touchdown pass to Lukas Foss ’29. Carleton’s defense forced two second-half turnovers and held Hamline to one late touchdown, sealing a 63–14 final before the Homecoming crowd.
The win extended Carleton’s unbeaten home record and gave the Knights confidence heading into one of their toughest matchups of the season: a road test against No. 11 St. John’s in Collegeville. “We just want to put our best foot forward,” Barrera said. “It would be huge for the program and show how much work we’ve put in.”
The team plans to keep its focus simple this week. “We’re just trying to be efficient, take care of the ball, and not let that big-game environment get the better of us,” Storrs said. “We’re confident going into this week.”
