Against such prestigious programs, it’s easy to overlook the #25 Coe Kohawks. While the Kohawks don’t have the historic success of some of the other top teams in the West, they make their fourth trip to Collegeville once again boasting an offensive star that would be the envy of any team in the tournament.

The Johnnies’ and Kohawks’ first meeting was a 1991 playoff matchup that was all Johnnies. Led by freshman running back Carey Bender, the Kohawks fell to the Johnnies by a 75-2 score. Two years later, Coe again headed north for a playoff appearance in Collegeville, and Bender led them to a much more respectable 35-14 defeat. A season later, Bender would be named the 1994 Gagliardi Trophy winner as the best D3 player in the nation. He still holds school career records in nearly every rushing category, as well as the NCAA record for yards-per-carry in a season. Still, two-time All-American Bender’s individual excellence wasn’t enough to top the Johnnies in two tries.

The next time Kohawks came to town, they were led by another All-American running back, senior running back Fred Jackson. NFL fans, especially fantasy football enthusiasts, certainly recognize the name—Jackson is currently starring as the starting running back for the Buffalo Bills. While Jackson would find the end zone twice against the Johnnies, it wouldn’t be enough as St. John’s pulled away for a 45-14 win.

As Coe takes their fourth shot at knocking off the Johnnies in the playoffs, they’ll once again have a record setting offensive star. Sophomore quarterback Brad Boyle set a D3 record for consecutive passes without an interception and set the Coe single-season record for total yardage in last week’s 56-7 win over Cornell. Though he finally threw his first interception on the season against Cornell, he sports an impressive 17-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Boyle is also the Kohawks’ 2nd leading rusher and his 14 rushing touchdowns and 280.7 total yards per game lead the IIAC.

While Coe’s offense may lack explosiveness (they ranked 4th in the IIAC in yards per game), they do a great job of holding on to the football. In addition to Boyle’s lone interception on the season, the Kohawks have only lost 4 fumbles. At the same time, they’ve forced 11 interceptions and recovered 11 fumbles on the season, and their +17 turnover margin easily paces the IIAC. It will be interesting to see who wins the ever-important turnover battle on Saturday—the Johnnies’ +13 margin leads the MIAC.

In addition to forcing turnovers, the Kohawk defense also excels in getting after the quarterback. Led by freshman defensive end Frank Weymiller’s conference-leading total of 11, the Kohawks top the IIAC with 34 sacks. Junior defensive end Nate Clear has tallied 7 sacks and sophomore defensive tackle Tyler Hemry has chipped in 5.5. Senior middle linebacker Tate Harrison paces the team with 92 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for a loss.

The Kohawks lead the IIAC in total defense, allowing an average of 300.2 yards and 14.2 points per game. They will likely try to keep St. John’s quarterback Joe Boyle, starting for the first time in four weeks, from settling into an offensive rhythm. While the Johnnies are running more—and more effectively—than they have in recent memory, you can be sure that they would like to get their fallen passing attack back on track this week.

Luckily for St. John’s, they seem to be getting healthy at the right time of the season. Joe Boyle injured the thumb on his passing early in the 6th game of the season and did not start either of the last two games, but is practicing and fully expects to start on Saturday. He likely won’t be joined by the Johnnies leading rusher, Jakob Reding, who is expected to miss at least one more game with a sprained knee.

On the defensive side of the ball, All-American tackle Nick Gunderson made his first start since tearing his ACL in Week 4 last week against Carleton. He’s expected to be joined in the starting lineup by All-MIAC linebacker Ryan Wimmer, who missed last week’s game dealing with a concussion suffered the week prior against Augsburg. Billy Lawrence started in Wimmer’s place last game and starred, intercepting two passes, having a third interception (which he returned for a touchdown) called back on a penalty, and breaking up numerous other passes. He’s been hobbled by a sprained ankle but expects to see some action on Saturday.

The Kohawks should present a bigger challenge for the Johnnies than they have in the past—any St. John’s fans expecting a 75-2 win on Saturday are very likely to go home disappointed. Still, Coe fell rather harmlessly to Central in their only loss on the year, 24-6, and a similar margin of victory for the Johnnies this week isn’t out of the question. While St. John’s won’t get the type of first round cupcake often enjoyed by top teams in the NCAA tournament, they should get a chance to work on getting their offense up to speed while nursing a second half lead this weekend. Which is good, because in a region as tough as this one, the Johnnies are going to need all the firepower they can get.

Still, they had played the Johnnies 24 times and lost 24 times. There was no reason to expect that to change when the Johnnies, 4-0 and ranked 3rd in the nation at the time, visited Northfield in 2007. As the fourth quarter dawned, the Knights found themselves leading St. John’s 7-0. On a rainy afternoon, the Johnnies managed a field goal and a 1-yard touchdown plunge with under a minute remaining to narrowly avoid defeat at the hands of the decided underdogs.

Fast forward the closing minutes of the 2008 MIAC season. With the conference title and a playoff berth at stake, this time it was Carleton scoring a last-minute touchdown to take a 10-7 lead. When Shane Henfling found Matt Frank on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 50 seconds to play, Carleton had achieved the most significant victory in school history—and the accompanying spoils: their first win over St. John’s, the MIAC title and their rightful place in the NCAA tournament field.

At least that’s what was going through the minds of the 6,000 in attendance the last time the Johnnies and Knights met. That was before Joe Boyle led the Johnnies on a 4-play, 62-drive, culminating in a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Schnobrich with 16 seconds left on the clock. And again, everything was right in the MIAC football universe.

After suffering deflating defeats at the hands of St. John’s the past two seasons, Carleton with have their chance to return the favor to the Johnnies this Saturday in Collegeville. The #4 Johnnies, at 9-0, have already clinched the MIAC championship and a berth in the playoffs, but need to beat the Knights to ensure a home game in the opening round of the playoffs—and potentially a #1 playoff seed, guaranteeing they would play in Collegeville until at least the national semifinals.

Wracked by the graduation of stars Henfling, Frank, Chris Gardner and Drew Ziller from last year’s team, the Knights are struggling at 3-6 this season. Luckily for Carleton their usual starting quarterback Vaughn Schmid, who is suffering through nagging injuries and subpar play, is expected to be able to start. Backup Jacob Anderson, who started last week, may also see some action. The two quarterbacks have combined to throw 15 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions, and the Knights average 237 passing yards per game (2nd in the MIAC). A week after holding Augsburg, the conference’s top passing attack, to only 100 yards through the air, the Johnnie pass defense should get another tough test this week.

Carleton’s main receiving target is sophomore wideout Anthony Kemper, who leads the MIAC with 9 receiving touchdowns. Just a sophomore, Kemper leads a young receiving corps; the Knights will start two other underclassmen at wide receiver, sophomore Dylan Bothun and freshman C.J. Dale.

Sophomore running back Jon Lien plays a key role in both the rushing and passing attack of the Knights. He leads the team with 37 receptions and ranks 6th in the MIAC with 579 rushing yards. He does his work behind a slim offensive line—junior left tackle Ted Longabaugh is the heaviest Knight hog at just 260 pounds. The Knights could struggle against the stout Johnnie defensive line, coming off a game in which they limited the Auggies to no rushing yards.

Linebacker Mark Skoglund leads a young, underwhelming Knight defense. While the ballhawking defense has created 21 turnovers on the season, they have difficulty keeping the other team off the scoreboard. The Knights’ 27.6 points allowed per game is tied for second worst in the MIAC.

Skoglund’s 69 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, and 3 sacks all are team-leading totals. Strong safety Neil Kostad has recorded 3 of Carleton’s 11 interceptions and his 65 tackles places him 2nd on the team. The Knights start 4 freshmen and just 1 senior on the defensive side of the ball and their inexperience should provide plenty of opportunities for the struggling Johnnie offense to put some points on the board.

While the Knights have given the Johnnies all they could handle the past couple seasons, this year’s Carleton team is not nearly as talented as the past two vintages. Head coach Kurt Ramler—one of the best quarterbacks in St. John’s history and someone intimately familiar with the Johnnie playbook—is the Knights’ great equalizer, but Carleton likely doesn’t have the physical talent to keep up with St. John’s this year.

In news that is sure to narrow the talent gap, the Johnnies will be without the services of their leading passer and rusher and second-leading tackler. While quarterback Joe Boyle has had the cast removed from his throwing hand, he is expected to rest one more week before resuming practice. Freshman John Ries will start in his place for the second straight game. Running back Jakob Reding left last week’s game with a sprained MCL. Freshman Stephen Johnson is expected to be elevated to Reding’s starting role this week, while co-starter Kellen Blaser should see his role expanded. In what should be a busy backfield on Saturday, expect Harry Awe to also see playing time while fellow backup Jimmy Loonan sits out with a shoulder injury. Linebacker Ryan Wimmer suffered a concussion against Augsburg last week and will not play this week. He’s being replaced in the starting lineup by Billy Lawrence.

Enjoy Saturday’s game. While it may be the last time the Johnnies take the Clemens Stadium field this year, it is more likely to be the culmination of a perfect regular season and the start or a home path through the playoffs.

For a program as storied as St. John’s, though, the truly elite teams aren’t defined by regular season success or conference crowns. For the 2009 Johnnies to rank among the best teams in school history, they will need to buck recent trends and make a deep run in the playoffs.

As the team takes a week’s sabbatical of rest and remedy, let’s take a glass half full/glass half empty look at a few aspects of the 2009 Johnnies.

THE OFFENSE
Glass Half Full: The Johnnies’ 2008 offense never got on track. Much of the blame went to the “quarterback-by-committee” approach, as three different signal callers saw considerable action before Joe Boyle won sole possession of the starting job late in the season. While the quarterback carousel of a season ago didn’t do the offense any favors, the real culprit was a rushing “attack” that averaged just 2.7 yards per carry (9th in the MIAC, bettering only pass-first Augsburg’s 2.6 ypc).

With the quarterback situation settled entering 2009, the Johnnies turned their attention to finding a running back or five that could bolster the ground game. And they have been largely successful: not only have Jakob Reding and Kellen Blaser emerged as hard-running, workhorse backs, but youngsters Jimmy Loonan, Harry Awe, and Stephen Johnson have all shown flashes of brilliance in limited duty. Those five backs have combined to average 4.6 yards per carry and the Johnnies rank 2nd in the MIAC with nearly 190 rushing yards per game. The last time the Johnnies rushed for more than 190 yards per game was the national championship season of 2003.

And that is the hidden impact of an improved rushing game. Come playoff time, when cold weather, ice and snow threaten to ground even the most explosive passing offenses, teams need to be able to consistently run the ball, something recent Johnnie vintages simply haven’t been able to do. Since 2005, they have rushed for 59, 40, 34, and 29 yards in season-ending playoff losses.

If this year’s Johnnies find playoff success, there’s a good chance it will be due to a suddenly stout offensive line and their deep stable of running backs. Expect to see increased roles for Loonan, Awe and Johnson down the stretch and into the playoffs. They should be rested and healthy against increasingly beat up defenses.

Glass Half Empty: While the Johnnie running game has returned to relevance, the passing game has slid from intriguing to nearly non-existent. Joe Boyle started the season on fire, throwing 10 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions in the season’s first four games, while throwing for over 215 yards per outing. He followed the scorching start with a 3 interception game against Bethel and has been hampered by an injured throwing hand ever since.

When Boyle was forced out of the St. Olaf game after reinjuring his hand, backup quarterbacks John Ries and Sam Verschaetse were pressed into action with disappointing results. The three combined to complete just 5 of 11 passes for 40 yards.

With the playoffs on the horizon, Boyle sits with his throwing hand in a cast and his status—for next week’s game against Augsburg and possibly beyond—in considerable doubt. It will be interesting to see how the team uses the bye week. If the Johnnies aren’t able to muster a better passing attack the rest of the season than they managed against the Oles it won’t matter how well they are running the ball. They will be too one-dimensional to beat any of a handful of dangerous teams they could run into come playoff time.

THE DEFENSE:
Glass Half Full: The St. John’s defense started slowly, allowing points and yards in bunches in the first three games of the season, but has really rounded into shape over the past month. After allowing at least 370 yards and 19 points to UW-River Falls, UW-Eau Claire, and Concordia to open the year, the Johnnies haven’t allowed more than 295 yards or 14 (non-overtime) points since.

Most importantly, the defense has come up big in the biggest spots. The defense forced a key 4th quarter 3-and-out against Bethel to set up the miracle last-second, game-winning field goal. St. Thomas, the MIAC’s highest scoring offense by a healthy margin, was kept off the scoreboard for three quarters and scored both of their 4th quarter touchdowns on short fields created by special teams miscues. After starting quarterback Joe Boyle was knocked out of the St. Olaf game, essentially killing the Johnnies offense, the defense stepped up and held the Oles to a single field goal.

One of the keys to the defense’s improvement is young players gaining experience throughout the season. Numerous underclassmen have been thrust into starting roles this year: sophomores Evan Cobb and Mike Bonynge and freshmen cornerbacks Alex Powell, Kevin Wenner, and Ian Goldsmith have all started on defense for the Johnnies this year. Those players should only get better as they become more and more familiar with their roles. Inexperience certainly shouldn’t be a factor come playoff time.

Glass Half Empty: For the second year in a row, pre-season All-American Nick Gunderson suffered a serious knee injury. Last year, a torn ACL suffered in the season opener knocked him out for the year. This year, he plans to play through a similar injury. Understandably, Gunderson hasn’t shown the same explosiveness he exhibited prior to suffering the injuries and it’s impossible to expect much from him the rest of the season. There isn’t a single defense in the country that wouldn’t be significantly weakened by a serious injury to a player as good as Gunderson.

These aren’t the point-a-minute, quick-strike Johnnies of yesteryear. The 2009 Johnnies need to rely on their rushing offense to burn the clock and their defense to keep them in close games. The defense has played well against MIAC foes, but if Gunderson can’t be an explosive presence in the middle of the defensive line, drawing double teams and hurrying the quarterback, it creates a cascade effect throughout the defense. That could lead to significant issues against the elite offenses the Johnnies will see in the playoffs. And if the defense digs a hole for the offense against a playoff-caliber team, chances are the offense won’t be able to dig its way out.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Glass Half Full: Russell Gliadon has made field goals of 49 and 52 yards this season. For St. John’s. No, really. I’m as shocked as you are.

Glass Half Empty: As a loyal Johnnie fan, you shouldn’t be surprised that pretty much every other aspect of special teams has been an adventure for St. John’s this season.

Despite making the two longest field goals in school history, Gliadon is only 4-for-8 on field goal attempts this season—or, more precisely, 2-for-6 on non-historic field goal attempts. He has also missed two extra points, including one that would have tied the score in the final two minutes of the game against Bethel.

Speaking off iffy propositions, the Johnnies have developed a troubling habit of bouncing long snaps, including a missed audible that led to a St. Thomas game-tying touchdown.

The kick return game is also sorely lacking explosiveness. The Johnnies are averaging less than 20 yards per kick return and a MIAC-worst 3.6 yards per punt return.

As great as it is to see St. John’s converting a couple of really long field goal tries, if they aren’t able to eliminate the numerous special teams mistakes they are making it is difficult to take them seriously as a threat in the playoffs.

THE FIELD
Glass Half Full: The Johnnies have already passed their biggest conference tests, narrowly sneaking past Bethel and St. Thomas in Collegeville. With two weeks to go in the regular season, St. John’s knows right where they stand in regards to postseason play: Win one of two remaining games against Augsburg and Carleton and they make the NCAA field as an at-large selection and likely hit the road for a first round game. Win both of their remaining games and they make the field as the MIAC conference champion and gain a top seed—possibly the #1 seed and homefield advantage—in the West Region.

Once again, the West Region looks tough—UW-Whitewater, St. John’s, Linfield, and Central (IA) are all undefeated and ranked in the top 6 in the D3Football.com Top 25. However, with so many top teams clustered in the West Region, it’s very possible that Johnnie-nemesis UW-Whitewater is moved out of region like they were under similar circumstances in 2007. UW-Whitewater and Mount Union are widely considered to be the best two teams in the country this year. Outside those two teams, though, St. John’s shouldn’t be considered a substantial underdog to any other playoff team. If things break right for the Johnnies, a run to the national semifinals isn’t out of the question.

Glass Half Empty: Of course, they don’t give big, shiny trophies for winning a few playoff games and losing valiantly to UW-Whitewater or Mount Union. If they did, St. John’s might as well just build a new trophy case—5 of their past 9 seasons have ended with a playoff loss to one of the Purple Powers.
The story should be much the same this year. A run to the national championship—or even just a trip to Salem, VA—would almost assuredly require the Johnnies to pull off a stunning upset or two.

As a tremendously exciting regular season nears a close, it looks like there could be an equally intriguing postseason in store for Johnnie fans. A pessimist could easily argue that St. John’s has been rather fortunate to make it through October without a loss, and the team faces an early playoff exit if they aren’t able to rediscover their ability to pass the ball. At the same time, if the playoff bracket sets up favorably for St. John’s, they have the strong rushing game and defense that is required to win playoff football games. Stock up on Tums and enjoy what should be an exciting conclusion to the 2009 season.

The Tommies’ recent struggles against St. John’s are no secret. The Johnnies have won the last 11 meetings, 15 of the last 16, and haven’t lost to the Tommies in Collegeville since 1986. Included in those 11 straight wins are 48-14, 21-0, 27-7 and 18-0 trouncings. What was once the most compelling—and competitive—football rivalries in the MIAC has become an afterthought in recent years as new challengers like Concordia, Bethel and St. Olaf have usurped St. Thomas as the Johnnies’ top challenger for the conference title.

Under head coach Glenn Caruso, the Tommies hope to put themselves back on the MIAC map this Saturday. After taking over a winless Macalester program in 2006 and leading them to two and four wins the next two seasons, Caruso became the St. Thomas head coach in 2008. The 2007 Tommies were a disappointment, winning only two games and losing to St. John’s, St. Olaf and Concordia by at least 3 scores. A season later, the Tommies were 7-3 and their three losses were by 3 points, 2 points, and in a 6-overtime game.

Coming into 2009, expectations were high at St. Thomas and they have done nothing to disappoint. The Tommies are riding a 7-game winning streak, 3rd best in the nation (and, of course, the product of not making the NCAA playoffs last season—the Johnnies have an 11-game regular season winning streak). The Tommies opened the year as the MIAC coaches’ choice to finish 2nd in the conference and the #22-ranked team in the D3Football.com Top 25 poll. They have climbed to #15 nationally on the strength of five convincing wins to open the season. The Tommies have outscored opponents by an average margin of 44 to 14.

St. Thomas features the MIAC’s most prolific rushing attack, averaging 259 yards per game. Their leading rusher is junior running back Ben Wartman, who burst onto the scene in 2008. A converted wide receiver, Wartman led the MIAC with 1,311 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns a season ago. He’s off to a similarly impressive start in 2009, leading the conference with 134 rushing yards per game and 16.8 points per game (more than doubling the conference’s second leading scorer, Bethel running back Logan Flannery’s 8 points per game). Wartman’s backup, sophomore Colin Tobin, leads the MIAC with 7.7 yards per carry and is fourth in the conference in rushing yards per game. He has notched 6 rushing touchdowns this season.

Wartman and company will do their work behind a young but talented St. Thomas offensive line. The Tommies plan to start a freshman at left guard and two sophomores on the right side of the line. Junior left tackle Justyn Helgeson returns as a starter from 2008, when he was named to the second team All-MIAC team. Junior center Josh Ostrue has both talent and experience—he is starting for his third season and was named to numerous All-America teams in 2008 in addition to winning the Rimington Award as the nation’s top center. Unfortunately for the rest of the MIAC, Ostrue gained an extra year of eligibility recently when the conference changed its rules regarding players who transferred from other schools. Ostrue redshirted at St. Cloud State in 2006, and that redshirt season will now be honored by the MIAC.

With all the mileage being piled up by the Tommies on the ground, it’s easy to forget about their passing game. Sophomore wide receiver Fritz Waldvogel was the only freshman named to the 2008 All-MIAC team when he recorded 58 receptions for 807 yards and 5 touchdowns a season ago. He’s on pace to top those numbers in 2009, with 38 catches for 518 yards (both MIAC-leading totals) and 3 touchdown catches halfway through the season. Waldvogel has caught 38 of the Tommies’ 79 completed passes this year; no other receiver has more than 8 receptions.

Waldvogel also leads the conference with an average of 21.5 yards per punt return and 2 punt return touchdowns. With all due respect to Wartman and Flannery, Waldvogel might be the most dynamic playmaker in the MIAC.

Two Tommies are expected to split time at quarterback against St. John’s. Primary quarterback Greg Morse, a sophomore, is more a thrower than a runner and has 7 touchdown passes on the season. He is somewhat mistake prone, though: he has thrown for 6 interceptions, tied for most in the MIAC. Sophomore quarterback Dakota Tracy is also expected to see some action in option situations. He has rushed 27 times while attempting only 25 passes on the season.

The Tommies use a base 3-4 defense and have defensive stars all over the field. The defensive line is led by junior defensive end Cyrus Allen, who had 3 sacks last week against Concordia. His 3.5 sacks on the season lead the Tommies and rank 4th in the MIAC on a per-game basis.

While junior linebackers Wyatt Delgado and Zach Sturm and sophomore linebacker Willy Baregi are among the team leaders in tackles, the real star of the St. Thomas linebacker corps is University of Minnesota transfer Tommy Becker. The junior (he also gained a year of eligibility with the recent MIAC rule changes) was the St. Thomas team MVP in 2008, when he also garnered All-West Region and 2nd team All-MIAC honors.
Junior safety Bryan Villar (another recipient of another year of eligibility) leads St. Thomas with 28 tackles on the season and is one of 7 Tommies with an interception this season. He is joined in the defensive backfield by junior safety Brady Ervin, an Iowa State transfer who led the MIAC with 6 interceptions last season, and senior cornerbacks Kris Kopp, a converted quarterback, and Jeffrey Hilliard.

The Tommies obviously bring a very talented team to Collegeville on Saturday—arguably the most talented team St. John’s will face in the regular season. There is still a mental hurdle the Tommies will need to overcome if they hope to beat the Johnnies. None of these Tommie players were alive the last time St. Thomas left Collegeville with a victory, and even last season, when the Tommies had the Johnnies beat in St. Paul, St. John’s still found a way to escape with a controversial, improbable win. As John Gagliardi said at the 2009 Kickoff Luncheon, perhaps the Johnnies will just need to keep the score close and wait for the Tommies to screw up. If St. Thomas can clear the mental hurdle of beating the Johnnies, they certainly have the physical talent to beat them.

In order to win this game, the Johnnies are going to have to find a way to slow the Tommies’ explosive offense, especially running back Ben Wartman. When the Johnnies faced another elite running back, Bethel’s Logan Flannery, they allowed him to reach 100 yards rushing and 4.8 yards per carry—both totals very close to his season averages. They are going to need a better effort against St. Thomas’s rushing attack this weekend. If the Tommies can get anywhere close to their season averages on the ground—259 yards per game, 6.4 yards per carry—they can kill the clock and keep the St. John’s offense off the field, making it a long day for the Johnnies.

You might remember that Flannery had his 100-yard day against a St. John’s defense that was missing All-American defensive tackle Nick Gunderson and starting linebacker Ethan Eid. The availability of those two players could go a long way towards deciding this weekend’s game. According to the St. Cloud Times, Gunderson may see some action but is not expected to start. Eid is expected to start for the first time in a month, but it is difficult to expect a player to play at his best against a strong opponent after than long of a layoff.

Undoubtedly, this is a very important game for both teams. While the Johnnie/Tommie rivalry might not be what it once was, it is still one of the finest rivalries in small college football. These are the proverbial two teams that don’t like each other all that much. Add in the considerable conference and postseason implications—two nationally ranked, undefeated teams meeting relatively late in the season, with the winner gaining the upper hand in the race for the conference title and, potentially, a top seed and home field advantage in the playoffs—play the game in the most picturesque setting in college football on what is forecasted to be a very nice fall Saturday and you have one of the most highly anticipated games in program history.

It’s Johnnie/Tommie Week—and for the first time in a long time, it feels important. Enjoy!

This week’s game at Hamline should be a perfect opportunity for fans’ finger nails to recuperate. The Johnnies are riding a 14-game winning streak over the Pipers and have outscored them 468 to 34 this decade (an average margin of victory of over 48 points). The Pipers have won 5 MIAC games since 2003, but the Johnnies catch them on a hot streak—Hamline beat Augsburg on the road 38-28 last week. The last time the Pipers won multiple conference games was 2002, when they went 2-6.

The Pipers knocked off the Auggies last week by jumping out to a 31-13 lead and holding on for the victory. The fast start was fueled by three touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Adam Meyer, including strikes of 75 and 80 yards. Hamline’s pass offense ranks second in the MIAC with an average of 272.8 yards per game. Meyer’s two top receiving targets are junior Alex House (25 receptions, 309 yards, 2 TDs) and Tim Queck (22 receptions, 364 yards, 2 TDs). Tight end Kyle Nitz is expected to be the only senior offensive starter for the Pipers.

While Hamline has experienced some success in the passing game, a standout running back has failed to emerge to lead the ground attack. Three different backs have more than 20 carries and 100 yards rushing; while freshman Sean Traynor leads the team with 197 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs, and 9.0 yards per carry, senior Larry Deeton, Jr. (114 rushing yards, 5.4 yards per carry), is expected to start.

Senior linebacker Mike LaBore leads a porous Piper defense. LaBore and junior linebacker Josh Bain are Hamline’s leading returning tacklers from a year ago, and LaBore has already tallied a team-leading 2 sacks. Josh Bain leads the Pipers with 24 tackles; junior Justin Bain also starts at linebacker for Hamline. Senior cornerback Dante Guther has the team’s only interception on the season.

As the cliché goes, either team can win on any given Saturday, but this should be one of the weakest opponents the Johnnies face all season. That will give St. John’s a chance to rest many of its injured starters in hopes that they will be able to return for the big matchup with St. Thomas on October 17th.

The big injury news out of Collegeville this week is that, for the second straight season, All-American defensive tackle Nick Gunderson has suffered a torn ACL. While last season’s injury happened in the season opener and was followed by season-ending surgery and a medical redshirt to allow him to return this season, he hopes to play through this injury. He will definitely not play against the Pipers, but hopes to return for the next game against the Tommies.

Other starters that are expected to miss the trip to Hamline are tight end Josh Overman (ankle), wide receiver Sam Pederson (ankle), and linebacker Ethan Eid (groin). Ideally, all three will be back in action against St. Thomas. Hopefully, the Johnnies are able to use their absence as an opportunity to get a look at some of their backups before the stretch drive begins in earnest next weekend.

The past decade has seen much more parity in what is quickly becoming one of the conference’s most competitive rivalries: the Royals have won 5 of the 10 past ten meetings, including the last 3.

Bethel’s recent success has raised the school’s expectations for their football program. That made 2008’s 5-5 record that much more disappointing. The Royals were coming off the most successful season in team history, winning the 2007 NCAA West Region before falling to Mount Union in the national semifinals. While last season’s Royals didn’t return to the lofty heights of their predecessors, they continued their dominance over St. John’s (winning 14-9 in Arden Hills) and raised their hopes for 2009.

And, so far, they have looked strong. The Royals sit at 3-1 after playing a challenging September schedule. They blew out Concordia (WI), a 2006 and 2007 NCAA playoff team, by a score of 52-10 before taking current-#4 Wheaton (IL) to the wire, falling 29-26. Bethel traveled to Carleton, a surprise team in 2008, and won 42-7 to open MIAC play before beating conference darkhorse Concordia-Moorhead 29-10. A win this week in Collegeville would give the Royals a leg up in the MIAC race; the only other conference team who figures to challenge them is St. Thomas in the second-to-last week of the season.

Always a strong rushing team, the Royals feature a much more balanced offense in 2009. Their passing attack is led by sophomore quarterback Josh Aakre. Aakre gained valuable experience as the Royals’ primary quarterback last season, but his numbers were not impressive: he completed only 47 of 104 passes for a single touchdown while throwing 7 interceptions. He has already dwarfed those numbers in the first four games of 2009, going 53-for-91 with 7 touchdowns and only one interception. His main target is senior wide receiver Joel Quick, who recorded 6 catches for 149 yards and 4 touchdowns against Concordia-Moorhead a week ago.

The ground attack is headlined by two-time All-MIAC selection Logan Flannery, a junior running back. Flannery has topped 1,000 yards rushing in each of his two collegiate seasons and is well on his way to the century mark again with 448 yards and 4 touchdowns through 4 games. The Royals’ one weakness on offense may be a young offensive line; they start 4 sophomores and a junior on a line that lost two All-MIAC starters from a season ago.

Bethel’s clear defensive leader is First Team All-American Tim Cornish, a senior cornerback. After recording 5 interceptions in 2008, he already has 3 in 2009. Cornish returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown against St. John’s in 2007 and had an interception against the Johnnies in 2008.

The Royals also return All-MIAC performers at both outside linebacker positions, senior Nate Voronyak and senior Cory Svihla. Filling in at an inside linebacker position is leading tackler Ross Petterson, a junior transfer from St. Thomas. Petterson has already recorded 24 tackles this season.

Entering 2009 conference play, four schools were considered contenders for the MIAC championship: St. John’s was the defending champion, Bethel and St. Thomas were worthy challengers, and Concordia-Moorhead was seen as a potential dark horse. Both the Johnnies and Royals were able to beat the Cobbers, likely ending Concordia’s chances of making the postseason.

With one contender vanquished and another on the horizon, this week’s Johnnie/Royal matchup is a huge game for both teams. If the Johnnies hope to end their recent slump against Bethel, their best hope is for the resurgent offense to keep up their new high-scoring ways. St. John’s enters the contest averaging 33 points per game, but only managed a total of 36 points in their last three losses to Bethel. For the first time all year, the Johnnie defense will face an offense that can move the ball well through the air or on the ground. If they are able to slow the Royal attack enough for their offensive counterparts to keep up, the Johnnies should be able to record an important conference win.

And if the Johnnies lose to the Royals yet again? Suddenly the battle with St. Thomas in two weeks takes on even more importance.

But that’s nothing compared to the day the typically more aeronautically gifted Johnnies had on the ground last weekend. Against a stout UW-Eau Claire defense, the Johnnies piled up 296 rushing yards as five different St. John’s rushers found the end zone. After a season in which the Johnnies struggled to move the ball by land or air, the 2009 offense is starting to remind fans of point-per-minute teams of the past.

And most importantly, the beleaguered St. John’s secondary—torched for numerous big plays, including almost 500 passing yards and 5 touchdowns, through the air in their first two games—should get a much needed breather against the Cobbers’ antiquated, land-based offense.

That’s not to say the Concordia offense will be a walk in the park for St. John’s. The Cobbers opened the season with an eye-opening 24-17 win over then-#8 Willamette. Typical of a big game against a talented opponent, the Cobbers completed just 6 passes while attempting 54 rushes. After Willamette scored a defensive touchdown in the game’s first minute, the Cobbers tallied the game’s next 24 points to take a 24-7 halftime lead. From that point on, they shortened the game with a relentless rushing attack and withstood a late Willamette rally for the win. Expect more of the same this weekend against St. John’s.

The Cobbers used the same recipe last season to beat the Johnnies 9-6, rushing 53 times while completing only 5 passes. While the blueprint remains the same, the Cobbers that will be carrying the mail this Saturday will be quite different. Four-time All-MIAC running back Cory Johnson and quarterback Jesse Nelson, the teams two leading rushers in 2008, have both graduated. Sharing the backfield in 2009 are senior quarterback Andrew Larson, a converted defensive back and the team’s third leading tackler last season, and senior running back Justin Brantner. Brantner carried the ball just 37 times a season ago, but has already totaled 135 yards rushing and three touchdowns this season.

The Cobber defense is reminiscent of an early-evening trip to Denny’s—there are seniors everywhere. The Cobbers start 9 seniors and 2 juniors and return 7 starters from the MIAC’s second stingiest defense in 2008. While the Cobbers’ top 5 tacklers from last season either graduated, or in the case of Larson moved to the offensive side of the ball, 3 of their 4 defenders with 3 or more quarterback sacks last season return to anchor a stout front seven. Junior free safety Zach Debeltz leads the team with 14 tackles and 3 interceptions on the young season.

While St. John’s and St. Thomas will always be the MIAC’s marquee rivalry, and the Johnnies and Bethel have played numerous high-stakes games over the past decade, there is something timeless about the Johnnies and Cobbers matching up on the gridiron. Concordia’s 39-30-6 record against St. John’s is the best of any conference opponent and the two schools have combined for 48 conference titles over the league’s 88-year history (30 for St. John’s, 18 for Concordia). Like most seasons, this year’s Cobber/Johnnie game will go a long way towards deciding who earns the MIAC crown.

The Cobbers notched the MIAC’s most impressive non-conference win by beating Willamette in their season opener, answering many questions about their inexperienced offense in the process. Defending champion St. John’s entered the season as the conference favorites yet again, and their two non-conference wins over teams from the nation’s toughest conference, the WIAC, has done nothing to change their expectations for the year. In what should be a wide-open MIAC, one of these teams will have an important win on their ledger after this weekend.

UW-Eau Claire is coming off of a 6-4 season in which they finished in third place in the WIAC. The Blugolds lost to the first and second place teams in their conference by a combined 3 points, 16-14 to eventual national runner-up UW-Whitewater and 21-20 to national playoff participant UW-Stevens Point. (UW-Eau Claire actually played UW-Whitewater twice last season in order to fill their 10-game schedule, also falling to the Warhawks 40-10 in Whitewater.) The Blugolds made the NCAA tournament as recently as 2007, when they parlayed an 8-2 regular season record into an at-large bid and a playoff win at St. Norbert before they fell to eventual national semifinalist Bethel.

The Blugolds started the 2009 season off on the right foot, beating Bethel (TN, an NAIA program) 21-7 in Eau Claire in last week’s season opener for both schools. This weekend’s game marks the 11th time the Johnnies and Blugolds have met on the gridiron, with the Johnnies holding a 6-4 edge in the all-time series. The two schools met every year from 1998 to 2006, with the Johnnies winning 5 of the 9 games. The 1998 meeting, a 10-7 Blugold win, was a second round playoff matchup, while the other 8 recent meetings were non-conference games.

In their season opener, UW-Eau Claire jumped on Bethel (TN) early with a pair of first quarter touchdown passes. The second of those scores was a 44-yard pass from senior quarterback Kyle Paulson to All-WIAC senior running back Cory Sartorelli, the focal point of the Blugold offensive attack. Sartorelli rushed for 1,288 yards last season and lead UW-Eau Claire in both rushing (27 carries for 107 yards) and receiving (4 catches for 59 yards and a touchdown) against Bethel (TN). UW-Eau Claire also returns their 3 leading receivers from 2008, seniors Brett Schreiner (an All-WIAC pick in 2008) and Spencer Kahoe and sophomore David Goodman. All three are expected to start Saturday to lead one of the most experienced offenses the Johnnies will face this season.

The equally experienced, and arguably more talented, Johnnie defense is looking to rebound from a slow start a week ago against UW-River Falls. After digging themselves a 17-0 hole in the first half, the St. John’s defense allowed only 7 points and 95 yards in the second half. They will need to show that kind of effort for four quarters if they hope to beat UW-Eau Claire—and they’ll have to fight some significant injuries to do so. According to the St. Cloud Times, the Johnnies defense will be without 3 starters on Saturday: sophomore cornerback Adam Weber will miss the season with a knee injury and will be replaced by freshman Alex Powell, senior linebacker Ethan Eid has torn a labrum for the second straight season and will be replaced by experienced senior Stephen Foertsch on Saturday, while senior defensive end David Burns will be missing from the Johnnies’ defensive line rotation. Griffin Hayes and Jeff Bohlman are expected to see extra playing time in his absence.

While the Blugolds return an experienced offense, they are looking to fill some substantial holes on the defensive side of the ball. The team graduated their leaders in tackles, sacks, and interceptions from 2008. In fact, their returning starters accounted for only 2 interceptions all of last season. It will be interesting to see if the Johnnies can build on last week’s success in the passing game this week against UW-Eau Claire.

The Blugolds’ most notable returning defensive starter is senior outside linebacker Ryan Leis. He was second on the team with 48 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2008. UW-Eau Claire recorded only 1 sack and did not have an interception in their season-opening win over Bethel (TN).

The Blugolds’ inexperience also extends to their kicking game, where freshman Spencer Jacobson (3-for-3 on extra points last week, but a missed 33-yard field goal try) is expected to handle the kicking duties while sophomore Ryan Peterson (7 punts in 2008) handles the punting.

This game should serve as a good measuring stick for the Johnnies before they begin conference play. The Blugolds were picked by WIAC coaches to finish third in the conference and currently reside just outside of the D3Football.com Top 25. Still, there is reason for optimism on both sides of the ball for St. John’s. When the Johnnie defense is at the top of their game, they have the talent to play with anybody in the country. If their lackluster performance against UW-River Falls served as a wakeup call, they could be primed for a strong performance against the Blugolds. The surprisingly plucky St. John’s offense will try to maintain their momentum from last week against a relatively inexperienced defense.

A game this evenly matched could come down to the Johnnies’ home field advantage on Sunday. Regardless of an outcome, the game will serve as a good early season tune-up for two teams with playoff aspirations. Expect a close St. John’s win, but don’t be surprised if the Blugolds escape Collegeville with a W.

If the Falcons football team were a movie, they’d probably be Groundhog Day—the team is coming off its fifth straight 3-7 finish, including four straight 2-5 records in conference play. The then-#4 Johnnies welcomed the unranked Falcons to Collegeville in the second week of the 2006 season with a 41-9 drubbing, but the last two meetings between the teams have been much more competitive.

In the 2007 matchup in River Falls, the unranked Falcons held a 10-0 halftime lead over then-#3 St. John’s. The Johnnies rallied to score two offensive touchdowns and a defensive score in the third quarter to win 21-10, but they were outgained by UW-River Falls that day, 344 yards to 315 yards.

The two teams met in Week 2 of the 2008 season on a miserable afternoon in Collegeville. The cool, rainy weather grounded both teams’ passing attack, which proved to be a major problem for the Falcons, who typically relied on quarterback Storm Harmon and star receiver Michael Zweifel for much of their offense. Still, unranked UW-River Falls was able to score a touchdown with just over 13 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter to pull with 4 points of the then-#7 Johnnies at 10-6. St. John’s used two late rushing scores to make the final tally 22-6, but the score wasn’t indicative of how close the game had been.

Once again, the Johnnies come into their showdown with the unranked Falcons with a lofty spot in the polls, currently ranked #13 by D3Football.com. The Falcons were picked by the WIAC coaches to finish 7th in the 8-team conference. UW-River Falls returns 8 offensive starters and 6 defensive starters, including senior safety Ben Arata, a 2008 second-team All-WIAC selection.

On offense, the Falcons have two enormous holes to fill. They lost their leading passer, Storm Harmon, to graduation. In his place is junior signal caller Ryan Luessenheide, who attempted only 4 passes as Harmon’s backup next season. He will need to contend with an experienced, aggressive St. John’s defense featuring 9 senior starters. Also missing is the offense’s playmaker of a year ago, receiver Michael Zweifel, who left the program to transfer to the University of Dubuque. While the Johnnies were able to limit his production last season (he had just 2 catches for 38 yards), Zweifel totaled nearly 1,000 receiving yards on the season and his 79 catches were more than 3 times as many as any other Falcon. He had 4 of the team’s 9 receiving touchdowns. Senior Eric Brewster and freshman Wade Schlichting are expected to flank senior tight end Ryan Hanson on Saturday. The trio combined to contribute 10 catches and 110 receiving yards to the Falcons’ cause last season.

The Falcons are also expected to start a newcomer at running back, sophomore Taylor Edwards, though the second leader in all-purpose yards from 2008, sophomore running back/kick returner Greg Klingelhutz, is with the team and should see action as well. While the Falcons are starting a bevy of new offensive skill position players, and they certainly will miss Harmon and Zweifel, the team wasn’t an offensive juggernaut in the first place—they only scored 20.2 points per game in 2008 and were outscored in every quarter on the season.

As mentioned above, senior free safety Ben Arata keys a defense that returns its two leading tacklers from 2008. Arata lead the team with 4 interceptions and was tied for the team lead with 66 tackles. The other co-leader in tackles, senior Cole Lowell, returns to lead the linebacking corps. The Falcons had a lot of difficulty getting to the quarterback last season, only recording 13 sacks—and their projected starters on Saturday only recorded 4 sacks all of 2008. They shouldn’t prove to be much of a test for a Johnnie offensive line that had issues last year and needs to get off to a good start this year.

Last season, the UW-River Falls defense allowed 28.2 points per game and nearly 400 yards of total offense. This should be one of the softer defenses the Johnnies see this season.

While the Falcons have given the Johnnies a scare early in each of the last two seasons, they appear to be a team without an offensive identity and a pourous defense. No WIAC team should ever be taken lightly, but the UW-River Falls Falcons appear to be a manageable season-opening foe on what should be a beautiful, sunny afternoon in Western Wisconsin. If the Johnnies are able to get a big lead early and sort through some of their young unknowns at running back, wide receiver, and defensive back, it just might be a perfect start to the season.

The glass-half-full crowd is quick to point out that the Johnnies made the NCAA playoffs for the 4th straight season and won the MIAC title over some of the stiffest conference competition they have faced in recent memory. The regular season finale was capped by one of the most dramatic plays in program history, a last-minute touchdown pass from Joe Boyle to Jeff Schnobrich to beat Carleton in de facto MIAC title game. Dramatic wins over St. Olaf and St. Thomas compensated for a truncated playoff run that ended in a first round loss to eventual national runner-up UW-Whitewater.

Of course, the fact that the Johnnies’ playoff road ended in Whitewater, Wisconsin for the third time in four years is a source of pessimism for many fans. The Johnnies compiled an 8-3 record, only the second time in the last 11 seasons that they failed to garner at least 10 victories. The perennially strong defense was stout again, but not at the elite level of the 2000 or 2003 Stagg Bowl teams. More worrisome, the offense was inconsistent all season, averaging only 19.8 points per game after scoring 35.8 points per game in 2007. Last season’s highest point total was 40 points, against MIAC patsy Hamline, a total they matched or exceeded 7 times the season before.

When the Johnnies travel to UW-River Falls this Saturday to take on the Falcons, it will kick off what promises to be exciting season, filled with numerous questions: Is there reason to believe the offense can regain the potency it had shown in recent seasons? Will the defense be strong enough to win games if the offense does falter? If the Johnnies make the postseason, is there any chance they finally find their way past Whitewater? Here’s an educated guess at a few answers.

Offense

When four-year starter Alex Kofoed graduated following the 2007 season, he left his name all over the record books and a gaping hole at the quarterback position. The position remained one of uncertainty for the Johnnies for most of the 2008 season, but as they enter 2009 the quarterback position actually looks like one of relative stability.

Three quarterbacks, Jordan Hansel, Michael Crees, and Joe Boyle, split time pretty evenly early in the season before Boyle emerged as the starter over the final four games of the year. Boyle (Jr., Holy Angels) is the only one of the three back on the team for 2009 and enters the season as the unquestioned starting quarterback. He’s a mobile quarterback with a strong arm who should benefit from the experience he gained late in the 2008 season.

Among the notables competing for playing time at the position is John Ries (Fr., Wayzata), who led Wayzata to the 2008 Minnesota High School state championship. A couple of the storylines to follow early in the season are which backup quarterbacks travel River Falls for the season opener and who sees action if the Johnnies are fortunate enough to send out the second- (and, hopefully, third- and fourth-) strings in an early-season blowout.

The Johnnies’ passing attack may need to carry the offense early in the season as the team tries to sort out who will head a rushing attack long on options and short on experience. The Johnnies’ lose their leading rusher from 2008, Jeff Schnobrich, to graduation. Two part-time starters from last season return, Air Force transfer Jakob Reding (Jr., Eden Prairie) and bruising blocker Kellen Blaser (Sr., Pacelli), but the two backs combined for only 453 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs, and less than 4 yards per carry.

That doesn’t mean the Johnnies backfield is without talent. Mark Waring (Jr., Creighton Prep, Omaha, NE) may be the fastest player on the team, while Jimmy Loonan (So., Waseca) and Harry Awe (Fr., Minnehaha Academy) were highly touted recruits entering the 2008 season.

Speaking of highly touted newcomers, two of the season’s most anticipated incoming freshmen are halfbacks: stout, power runner Nick Schneider (Fr., Rocori) and Steve Johnson (Fr., Mahtomedi), who rushed for over 2,000 yards in leading the Zephyrs to the high school state tournament last season. All four of the untested newcomers from the last two seasons have the talent to star at St. John’s—if the more experienced players on the depth chart don’t beat them to it.

At the wide receiver position, the focal point will be returning leading receiver Ben Vanderheyden (Sr., Wayzata). Another talented pass catcher, Josh Overman (Sr., Albany), is expected to be the primary tight end after splitting time at wide receiver and tight end last season. Beyond the top two targets, the roster is full of relatively unknown underclassmen at the wide receiver position, led by Sam Pederson (So., Lacrosse, WI, Aquinas). With an emerging quarterback in Joe Boyle, it will be interesting to see which receivers step into supporting roles alongside Vanderheyden.

Despite being known for their smaller, more agile lines in the past, the Johnnies’ five anticipated starters average nearly 300 pounds. The behemoths, from left to right along the line, are tackle Jeff Gilbertson (Jr., Winona Cotter), guard Blaine Anderson (Sr., Bertha-Hewitt), center Tim Juba (Jr., Park of Cottage Grove), guard Eric Dirkes (So., Albany), and tackle Drew Pecival (Sr., Blake). While Gilbertson, Anderson, Juba, and Percival all saw substantial time last season, Dirkes was one of the top recruits of the 2008 class.

The offensive line took a hit when Erik Kottom, who was expected to start at one of the guard spots, injured a knee in preseason practice and will be lost for the year. Greg Sowden (Sr., Park Center), who saw substantial playing time last season, should be a key reserve.

Defense

Entering the 2008 season, the Johnnies’ defensive star was expected to be senior tackle Nick Gunderson. Entering the 2009 season, the Johnnies’ defensive star is expected to be… senior tackle Nick Gunderson (Sr., Woodbury). A D3Football.com First-Team All-American prior to the 2007 and 2008 campaigns, Gunderson’s first senior year ended in the fourth quarter of the first game when he suffered a serious knee injury against East Texas Baptist. He enters 2009 as a D3Football.com Second-Team All-American and expects to anchor an experienced defensive line.

He’ll be joined on the defensive line by three Division I transfers, former North Dakota State Bison David Burns (Senior, Fargo, ND) and Jimmy Sharpe (Sr., Wayzata) and former Air Force Falcon Jeff Bohlman (Sr., Sartell-St. Stephen). Also expected to see time on the defensive line are a trio of seniors, Noel Meyer (Sr., Melrose), Andrew Pierskalla (Sr., Farmington), and Kyle Schroeder (Sr., Rocori).

Linebacker Ryan Wimmer (Sr., St. Cloud Cathedral) did his best to fill the hole left by Gunderson’s injury. Wimmer recorded an MIAC-leading 110 tackles last season and was named to the D3Football.com All-West Region third team. After seeing substantial playing time in the his freshman season, he has started at middle linebacker for the past two years.

Joining Wimmer in the linebacking corps are fellow 2008 starter Ethan Eid (Sr., Cretin-Derham Hall) and hard-hitting John Stanton (Jr., Marin Catholic, San Rafael, CA), who saw time at linebacker, defensive end and safety last season. Also keep an eye on Stephen Foertsch (Sr., Eagan), who missed all of 2008 with a foot injury, and Billy Lawrence (Jr., St. Thomas Academy). If John Gans (Fr., Sauk Rapids-Rice) is anything like his brother Paul, who was the Johnnies’ leading tackler in the 2003 national championship game win over Mount Union, he will move up the depth chart in a hurry.

The defensive backfield is an intriguing mix of returning starters and promising youngsters—one with a familiar name to Johnnie fans. Free safety Bobby Klint (Sr., Totino-Grace) and strong safety Nate Anderson (Sr., Wayzata) return as starters from last season. Anderson took the scenic route to route to his starting spot, transferring from Texas State to Concordia-St. Paul to St. John’s, then converting from running back to the defensive side of the ball. Starting at one cornerback spot will be Klint’s high school teammate, Dominic Haik (Sr., Totino-Grace), who will be starting for the third straight season. Headlining the list of underclassmen that will be fighting for playing time in 2009 are Adam Weber (So., Minnewaska Area), whose brothers receiver Brian and running back Corey starred in Collegeville earlier this decade, and two highly touted newcomers, Ian Goldsmith (Fr., Mounds View) and Brandon Meath (Fr., Totino-Grace).

Special Teams

Russell Gliadon (Sr., Fridley) will be back for his third season as the Johnnies starting kicker and punter. He was named to the All-MIAC first team following the 2008 season after making 3 of 4 field goals and 21 or 23 extra points.

The Johnnies anticipate relying a pair of speedy sophomore receivers in the return game, Sam Pederson and Mike Bonynge (So., New London-Spicer). While since-graduated Derek Stifter handled the majority of kicks for the Johnnies last season, running backs Bryan Virnig and Jakob Reding also have some returning experience.

Outlook

Since the Johnnies followed the 2003 National Championship with a disappointing 2004 season, they have assembled a string of teams that were strong enough to make the playoffs but too flawed to do much damage when they got there. I predict that this team, too, will likely have to be content with whatever they are able to accomplish in the MIAC—the West Region, top to bottom, remains the toughest in Division III football, and UW-Whitewater (rated #2 nationally by D3Football.com) remains a daunting in-region obstacle.

In fact, winning the MIAC could be seen as quite an accomplishment in 2009. While the Johnnies are the conference’s highest ranked team, checking in at #13 in the D3Football.com preseason poll, they can expect stiff competition from archrival St. Thomas (ranked #22, and coming off a pair of impressive recruiting classes), always tough Concordia and Bethel, and non-conference foe UW-Eau Claire. Even historical also-rans Augsburg and Carleton are coming off of wildly successful seasons and could give the Johnnies a tough game if they are able to build off of their success from 2008.

The biggest thing holding the Johnnies back the past few seasons has been the lack of an elite playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. With the talented offensive recruits that they have brought in over the past couple seasons, it’s possible that that player is on the 2009 roster. If the offense regains the explosiveness of the great Johnnies’ teams of the past, the defense—especially if Nick Gunderson returns to his pre-injury level of play—is good enough to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Regardless, it should be an exciting season at, with all due respect to our Golden friends, the best place in the state to watch college football.