Box Score Kyle Johnson had a big offensive night. The entire Hamline defense had an outstanding effort.

As a result, The Paint Bucket is headed back to Hewitt Ave. Johnson passed for 301 yards and three touchdowns, ran for a score and boomed a 76-yard punt as Hamline shook off Macalester for a 27-10 victory on a crisp Saturday night in St. Paul.  Austin Duncan added to his school career rushing mark with 119 yards.

The Pipers worked around three turnovers and a blocked punt to improve to 2-0 with 473 yards of offense while holding the Scots to just 158 yards.

Johnson, a junior QB, was a big reason why. He hooked up twice with Nick Kampa for TD passes of nine and 50 yards. He also connected with Naji El-Araby for a 45 yard strike in the second quarter that gave HU the lead for good before 3,147 fans at Macalester Stadium.

Hamline survived a rough start. They were stalled on their initial drive and then found themselves on their own 15 yard line after Johnson's punt was blocked. But the defense went to work immediately and stopped Mac cold, forcing them to settle for a field goal.

It stayed at 3-0 until the first play of the second quarter. That is when Johnson found El-Araby streaking in the clear for the score. Late in the quarter, Johnson and Kampa hooked up for the first of two scores. Kampa would end up the night with seven catches for 100 yards. 

The Scots scored a TD with 18 seconds left in the half to cut the margin to 13-10 at intermission.

The Pipers made their first third quarter possession one to remember. On third and five at the Mac 13, Johnson surprised the Scots by sprinting free for the TD. He then passed to El-Araby for a two point conversion. In the fourth quarter, Johnson and Kampa connected again to finish the scoring. 

The HU defense, which has allowed the fewest yards of any MIAC team, took it from there. They sacked Mac qbs five times. Matt Wildes and Cody Vaughn led the assault with seven tackles and 1.5 sacks each. Johnson's long punt -- three yards shy of the school record -- was the last straw. It pinned Macalester inside the five yard line with seven minutes left in the game. Mac eventually punted the ball back to HU, which ran out the clock for the win. 

The Scots focused on Duncan all night. He carred the ball 30 times with a long gain of 19. He now has 3,624 career yards. The senior also hurt the Scots with a pair of pass receptions, one of which went for 39 yards. 

Hamline will go for three in a row when they host Gustavus Adolphus (also 2-0) in their MIAC opener next Saturday at Klas Field. Kickoff for the game is at 7:00 p.m.