The folks at JohnnieFootball.com have been meeting nightly pouring over vital statistics in an effort to diagnose what’s ailing our football team.  The early results of our meta-analysis point not so much to the players but a drama playing out somewhere behind The Pine Curtain.   A greek tragedy of sorts with the football gods themselves entangled in a 4th quarter battle to control the line of scrimmage and the future of the Johnnie Football dynasty.

I invite all of you to take a peek into a private message board where the Johnnie Football discussion is raging and the reasons for the SJU Football demise is in post season drive.  Look for my ”DustySJU” post here on the D3Football.com message board under MIAC and begin reading for all the behind the scenes analysis and finger pointing.

After you’ve had a chance to scan the message board I’d like your opinion and explanation for the sudden SJU dive and Saturday ass-kicking by the Tommies.  Email me at DustySJU@JohnnieFootball.com, your privacy is always secure.

Until Saturday,

JohnnieUp Everybody!

 Dsju

Make no mistake, this was a statement game for the Tommies, who are currently ranked #3 in Division III, and deservedly so. I have been observing D3 football for many years and there are teams at the top and then there are teams that make you say “WOW”, this Tommie team is one of those teams. The 2011 Tommies have the tools to win the Division III title, and if they stay healthy and play the way they are capable of playing they just may be in the mix in December. This was also for the former Tommie players who had been dominated by the Johnnies over the years but this was especially for all the high school recruits that were in attendance at the game and making a campus visit. After touring the new facilities and watching a dominating performance on the field,the Tommies should have a significant number of commitments from these student athletes.

This is the part of the article where you must be thinking, I’m not reading this to hear about the Tommies, and I agree. This is where I would usually write about the highlights of the game, but at 63-7 I don’t find much to write about. The Johnnies gave up 446 yards of offense, 225 rushing yards and 221 passing yards. The Tommies blocked a punt and returned it for a TD. The Johnnies had 246 yards of total offense. Not much joy and happiness from a Johnnie perspective.

As a Johnnie fan, you may be asking yourself how or why this happens, what is wrong with the 2011 version of the Johnnies? I have had numerous discussions with Johnnie fans who have been following this team for decades and there are two frames of thought on this subject. First there is the thought that all things are cyclical and SJU is in a down swing,but things will rebound and the Johnnies will be on top again in the near future. The other thought is that the glory days of St. John’s are just a memory,so if you want to see them win again,just dust off your DVD copy of the 2003 National Championship Game. I, personally am of the first thought, that all things are cyclical and there are better days ahead.

Some of the pessimists say that SJU has fallen behind in the recruiting of “top tier” high school talent. I don’t know what other schools say to high school student athletes,heck I don’t pretend to know what SJU says to prospective student athletes so this theory may or may not be correct. Doing a comparison  of the starting line-ups from the game the Tommies offensive line does have size advantage over the Johnnies on the defensive front  by 68 pounds per man. As far as the starting 22 players from each school, UST has more players from “top tier” high schools, you know which schools I mean, the ones consistently in the Prep-Bowl each November, by a margin of 10 to 6. I have no idea if these kids were the best players on their high school teams, or they just happened to live in the respective school districts and decided not to open enroll elsewhere and it is all simply coincidence that these 10 kids played for these “top tier” high schools and these kids chose to attend UST and while they are at UST they would continue to participate in their football program. This,however doesn’t account for the leaping one-handed TD grabs by a certain UST wide receiver who was rumored to have had his choices narrowed down to SJU and UST, and he in now in his Sr. season at UST. The Tommies also have a number of out of state players in their starting line up, and your guess is as good as mine if the high schools these players came from are “top-tier” in their home states.

There are others who point to the huge sums of cash that UST is receiving from donors for improvements at their school,including, but not limited to their athletic facilities. A quick check of the members of the UST Board of Trustees and significant donations since 2000 reveals that in 2000 current Board member Richard M. Schulze,Chairman of Best Buy,gifted UST $50 million. 2007 current Board member Gerald A. Rauenhorst, founding Chairman of Opus, gifted UST $2 million. In 2007 current Board member, Lee R. Anderson, Chairman of APi Group, gifted UST $60 million. Does having a sparkling new locker room, training facility and student center have influence over an 18 year old high school kid who is considering UST and a couple other schools in the MIAC to get his education and perhaps participate in football at the same time? Perhaps for some student athletes,perhaps not for others.

All this idle speculation of what is wrong in Collegeville and what is right in St. Paul is just that, idle speculation. Currently the Johnnies are 1-2 in MIAC competition and have a big game upcoming against Bethel,who will not be in a good mood since they just lost on their home field against St. Olaf. The Johnnies need to find a way to salvage their season and turn this ship around and not finish below .500 for the first time in a long time.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.  The Johnnies are on the verge of their worst season since 1997 (6-4, coincidently the last year SJU lost to Augsburg) and could challenge the abysmal 1986 season (4-4-1) if they don’t find a way to beat St. Thomas and/or Bethel this week.  If not, I expect some really small crowds (by SJU standards, actual people in seats of 3000) in late October/early November in Collegeville.

The rumors out of Collegeville this week are that several personnel changes are on the way including a few offensive players moving to the defensive side of the ball.  The defense has been overmatched all season.  I’m not sure I’d pick the St. Thomas game to make wholesale changes, but clearly the Johnnies are backed into a corner (no pun intended).  The defense as a unit is undersized and slow.  The pass rush has been horrendous which has exposed a secondary that has consistently been 2-3 steps slow to the football.  The few times the Johnnies have gotten to the quarterback has been the result of a blitz and playing man to man coverage in the secondary. 

Along with all the defensive changes, the Johnnies quarterback carousel is expected to continue.  We’re in week 5 of the 2011 season.  This simply can’t happen.  All things being equal, play the kid who is younger (has the most eligibility left).  This continued indecision has certainly led to the up and down start to the season.  Unless you have one exceptional running quarterback and one exceptional throwing quarterback, you’ve got to pick one.

It is time to wake up in Collegeville.  Glenn Caruso and Steve Johnson are whooping the Johnnies in the recruiting game.  If the Johnnies aren’t careful on Saturday, the result could be downright embarrassing. 

———–

Prediction:

St. Thomas 38 – St. John’s 20

Raising ticket prices to gouge traveling Johnnie fans and doing what’s ever possible to make tailgating as foriegn as Glen Caruso’s sincerity, UST has gone to extremes in creating a hostile environment.  If I hear Coach Caruso use the word “stalwart” one more time I’ll march over to Summit myself and hand him my own personal Thesaurus.  Lots of coach speak from the little man on Summit.  Could you ever imagine Gagliardi speaking in that manner?  We are blessed.

Join us in Lot M beginning at 10:00am on the UST south campus for Johnnie pregaming and strategizing.  Bring a culinary delight to share, something red to wear and a Johnnie vibration to “raise the roof” and crush the Tommie facade.  Take a minute to read the UST campus rules here regarding having fun before football games.

“Johnnie Tattoo” will arrive at the tailgate site at approximatley 9:00am to plant his flag and reserve a spot for later arriving Johnnie fans.  “Johnnie Tats” will also be grilling “The Judge” about any rules violations… always prevelant in college football.

And for a moment, contemplate the power, the power of the red. The body and the mind of the Johnnie Nation connected, connected in a singular collective objective to defeat the immitators from Summit Avenue.

Bring your salted peanuts, softdrinks and megahorn and join us for another improbable outcome in St. Paul.

JohnnieUp Everybody!

It’s been an ugh start to the Johnnie Football season but no one, and I mean no one loves a party more than the tailgaters from Collegeville.  The Tommies are up to their usual tricks and have secured surface lot M just south of campus and are implementing rediculous rules ruining any attempt at fun.  You can check more here for all the boring details. 

The gang at JohnnieFootball.com however have their own plan for pregame fun with “Johnnie Tattoo” arriving at the tailgate site at approximatley 9:00am to plant his flag and grill “The Judge” about any rules violations… always prevelant in college football.

One thing for sure though is the post game party will be hosted by Johnnie supporters Tom and Carol Arth.  In true Benedictine hospitality fashion our loyal friends have invited all of us to join them at their home following the game.  Here’s the skinny -

 
Take Cretin north to I94 and exit right (east) onto to I94. Take I94 just thru St. Paul to Hwy 52 South (exit 242D). Go south on Hwy 52 for approx. 6 miles to the first exit past I494 which is Upper 55th St. E. Exit there to the top of the exit and go right two blocks to the 2nd stop light which is Blaine (Gerten’s Greenhouse on left). . Go left on Blaine into Layfayette Park approx 1.5 miles to Blaylock Way. Go right on Blaylock Way to the 6th townhouse on the right (4654 Blaylock Way).

Look forward to seeing everyone and feel free to bring any other Johnnies you meet at the tailgating or game. We will have plenty of food and drink. You can call either of us if you need more directions.

Tom:  612-743-5422

Carol:  612-730-6967

Yeah, it’s prolly gonna be one of those days Saturday but folks said the same thing in ‘00 and ‘03 versus some other team in purple in a place called Salem.  Hmmmmm….

As always,

JohnnieUp Everybody!

Jimmie Mattson Soph. Kicker

Many Johnnie fans also questioned an interception thrown by Joe Boyle with less than a minute to go in the game. “Why would you throw a sideline pattern when you  should be positioning in the center of the field to attempt a field goal in the closing seconds?”, this was the conversation that was going on between  thousands of Johnnie faithful in the stands and later in St. Joe at the La Playette and Sals as Johnnies and Bennies anguished over this loss to the Tommies. The answer that most Johnnie fans were not aware of is that the pass was tipped slightly by a defensive lineman at the line of scrimmage taking just enough velocity  off the ball to allow the UST defensive back to make a diving interception. If that pass wasn’t tipped at the line, there’s a pretty good likelihood that the Johnnies  either would have had a significant gain or perhaps a touchdown on that play as the Johnnie receiver  was open, had the pass gotten to him.

Joe Boyle Sr. QB

The Johnnies had beaten the Tommies the past 12 games, number 13 wasn’t so lucky for the Johnnies. St. Thomas hadn’t won in Collegeville since many of the players parents were in their late teens or early twenties. There is also the fact that the “Holy Grail”, a traveling trophy that had taken up permanent residency in the trophy case at the Donald McNeely Spectrum, now will rest in the multimillion dollar athletic training facility that was recently constructed on the campus of UST. Coach John Gagliardi was quoted  in the St. Cloud Times  as saying he knew the winning streak against St. Thomas wouldn’t last forever,but this loss in this fashion really hurts.

For now the Johnnies post season aspirations are out of their own control, having two losses to regional opponents makes the 2010 playoffs  a long shot. As odd as it may sound the Johnnies will need help from St. Thomas and Eau Claire, meaning besides SJU all Johnnie fans should be rooting for St. Thomas and Eau Claire as well as for the upset of other regional teams such as Whitewater, Coe College and Linfield College in games yet to be played in their season.

As for the players and coaches, their focus is on the next game against the always tough Bethel team in  Arden Hills on Saturday.

*Photos are courtesy of gojohnnies.com

It seems to me that many of those who consider themselves “experts” in the field of prognostication have already categorized this weekend’s game as a BIG game for the Johnnies and the Johnnie only! While far from being an expert I do think that it would be wise to consider the following.

The Johnnies are not the team who has not beaten this week’s opponent since 1997! That is right we are indeed looking for a Baker’s Dozen this year when the people of the purple roll into Collegeville.

The Johnnies were not the team that either qualified for or received the award for the biggest turnaround in a season. Why not you ask? Well let’s just say that we have not needed to have such a dramatic turnaround since Fr Don was giving God (who we all know is a Johnnie) a B in Theology Class! Seriously, biggest turnaround, much like comeback player of the year, it means that you had to really SUCK and now you only SUCK less!

The Johnnies are not the team that feels a need (to appease their never ending identity crisis down there at the corner of Cretin and Summit) to issue a press release touting and identifying incoming Freshman Football Players or the existence of a new locker room! At SJU no need to partake in the “look at me/us now generation”, just show up at the 53621, get your pads and you are on the team, really no BIG deal! The Johnnie Nation knows the roster and supports you 100%, even without the above mentioned press releases!

The Johnnies are not the team that is still touting their great 2009 campaign due to a whopping 11 wins! At SJU we do not consider any season successful by counting the number of wins, we prefer to count Conference and National Titles instead. But when you have only won 14 Conference titles (compared to our 31) in your History I guess 11 win is a BIG (and ever so sad) deal.

The Johnnies are not the team expected to win! Believe it or not the Johnnies are an actual underdog for Homecoming at the Natural Bowl; this is according to the “experts”. No BIG deal, Bone Crusher (13), Killer (97), the Big Grabowski (7), Csonka (34), Rain Man (11), Lacrosse Lightening (17), and JB (9) prefer to just go about their business on the Field; the results will speak for themselves.

Simply put every game is a BIG game for the Johnnies. Just because the Lane Kiffin of the MIAC and his band of purple clad Oakland Rider wanna be uniform boys are rolling into the “Ville” does not escalate this week over any other!

Tommie/Johnnie 2010, College Football at it’s best and purest! Let’s get it started in good fashion at the Tailgate and welcome our Tommie fans with warm greetings and ice cold beverages, served in RED cups!

Whoahh!

Operation Order No. 0001

Code Name: Operation Overrated

Time Zone: Central Standard Time

Forecast: High 57F, Low 44F; winds S at 9 mph; sunrise at 0717, sunset at 1856.

1. 1.       SITUATION
   1. a.      Enemy Forces
      1. Composition, disposition and strength:

Approximately 6,000 Tommies of the 18^th Tom Cat Brigade (18^th Tom Cat BDE) have a long established camp at the corner of Cretin Avenue South and Summit Avenue (code name: Camp UST) in St. Paul, Minnesota. At the heart of the 18^th Tom Cat BDE is a company-sized element, the 99^th Tommie Football Company (99^th Tommie Football CO) that fights neighbors as a recruiting tool.

1. Recent Activities:

99^th Tommie Football CO has been the current operational arm of Camp UST and has been amassing strength. Recent engagements include successful assaults at De Pere, Wisconsin; River Falls, Wisconsin; and a successfully defended combat out post (COP) at O’Shaughnessy Stadium on two separate occasions.

1. Known Locations:

Signal intelligence (SIGINT) has pinpointed 99^th Tommie Football CO current location to Camp UST.

1. Most likely/dangerous course of action:

Human intelligence (HUMINT) has confirmed that the 18^th Tom Cat BDE is planning an assault on COP Clemens Stadium; planned mission time is set for 1300 on 2 October 2010. Support elements within the 18^th Tom Cat BDE will begin to attempt to infiltrate enemy lines no later than (NLT) 1900 on 1 October 2010. HUMINT suggests that that the first phase of this operation will be made primarily by the 102^nd Drunk Tommie Student Support Battalion (102^nd DTSS BN) on St. Joseph, Minnesota. Past assaults on Fort Collegeville have used bars and numerous St. Joseph party houses as patrol bases and assembly areas for the operation. HUMINT has also discovered that at approximately 0730 on 2 October 99^th Tommie Football CO will embark from Camp UST in a convoy of 2-3 unarmored personnel carrier busses. By 0930 on 2 October, the 99^th Tommie Football CO will be preparing for the primary assault on COP Clemens Stadium by occupying a nearby objective rally point (ORP). By 1000 on 2 October, the 401^st Drunk Tommie Alumni Support Battalion (401^st DTAS BN) will have initiated its supporting operation on Fort Collegeville.

        Supporting operations are expected to begin at 1000 on 2 October with the 401^st DTAS BN and 102^nd DTSS BN drinking copious amounts of Zima, Hard Lemonade and cheap    beer and opening a support-by-trash-talking operation by painting each others faces          purple and spewing unintelligible insults and rhetoric at members of the 1^st Johnnie                Nation Division (1^st Johnnie Nation DIV).

        The 99^th Tommie Football CO will attempt to seize COP Clemens Stadium with the use of              ground and air offensive assets, deceptive defensive schemes, and sound special teams              support.

1. b.      Friendly Forces

        The 2^nd College of Saint Benedict Support Battalion (2^nd CSBS BN) will remain attached    and will assist with supporting operations.

        Elements of the 3^rd MIAC Corps will be performing independent shaping operations at various locations across Zone Minnesota to prevent further generations from being captured and indoctrinated by the 18^th Tom Cat BDE and becoming subjects thereof.

        A referee squad from Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) of 3^rd MIAC        Corps will also be present at COP Clemens Stadium to ensure that all rules of battle are             followed pursuant to NCAA rules and, at times, function as a scapegoat to cover up poor         tactical decisions made by the 10^th Johnnie Football BN Commander or the 99^th Tommie                Football CO Commander.

1. 2.       MISSION

Elements of the 1^st Johnnie Nation DIV will defend and defeat the 2 October 2010 planned attack on Fort Collegeville by 18^th Tom Cat BDE in order to (IOT) secure freedom of movement (FOM) for planned future operations by the 10^th Johnnie Football Battalion (10^th Johnnie Football BN) to secure its 32^nd Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship, and to send all elements of the 18^th Tom Cat BDE away from Fort Collegeville with an unshakable feeling of disappointment.

1. 3.       EXECUTION
   1. a.      Concept of the Operation

The 1^st Johnnie Nation DIV will accomplish this mission by amassing its combat power at Fort Collegeville. The 2^nd CSBS BN, 3^rd Johnnie Student Nation Support Battalion (3^rd JSNS BN), and 4^th Saint John’s University Alumni Support Brigade (4^th SJUAS BDE) will occupy various critical points within Fort Collegeville, suppress enemy support operations by hosting the best tailgate gathering and fill COP Clemens Stadium with thunderous noise to disrupt the signal calling capabilities of the 99^th Tommie Football CO.

The 10^th Johnnie Football BN will conduct the primary defensive effort, using advanced tactics to exploit communication disruption provided by the supporting units.

1. b.      Tasks to Maneuver Units

10^th Johnnie Football BN will occupy COP Clemens Stadium no later than (NLT) 1200 on 2 October 2010 and conduct a successful defense through the use of ground and air offensive assets, deceptive defensive schemes, and supportive special teams, IOT defeat the primary assault by 99^th Tommie Football CO.

After victory, 10^th Johnnie Football BN will exfiltrate to the assembly area at Warner Palestra, report status of personnel and equipment to media outlets and wait for follow-on mission.

1. c.       Tasks to Combat Support Units

The supporting operation will be conducted in three (3) phases: 1) Occupation, 2) Tailgating and 3) Assault Operations.

1. Phase I—Occupation Ops, 2 October 2010:

3^rd JSNS BN will continue its occupation of Fort Collegeville and link up with the remaining support elements as they move to occupy Fort Collegeville.

        4^th SJUAS BDE will move to occupy Fort Collegeville between 0800 and 1100.

        2^nd CSBS BN will use LINK Bus service to move to occupy Fort Collegeville between 0800                and 1100.

1. Phase II—Tailgating Ops:

Supporting elements will link up at Stiftungsfestivities, located in Science Lot #1 south of COP Clemens Stadium, for food, beverage, and small-unit tactics rehearsals between 0800 and 1230.

1. Phase III—Assault Ops:

Supporting elements will conduct a mass movement into COP Clemens Stadium in preparation for the primary assault at 1300.

3^rd JSNS BN and 2^nd CSBS BN will occupy the student section in the north end zone as early as possible to prevent seizure by the enemy. Upon occupation, student support units will establish noise superiority over the enemy. Specific cheer and chant tactics will be the decision of the unit commander of Rat Pak Platoon (Rat Pak PLT).

4^th SJUAS BDE will occupy COP Clemens Stadium, sections 100-110 and the surrounding hillsides, then follow and support Rat Pak PLT cheer and chant orders.

1^st Men’s Chorus Platoon (1^st Men’s Chorus PLT) will initiate primary assault operations NLT 1255 and enhance Esprit de Johnnies with renditions of the Johnnie Fight Song and Star Spangled Banner.

After victory, support elements will secure the perimeter of COP Clemens Stadium, conduct a sweep of the interior for any drunk, crying, slobbering belligerents of the 18^th Tom Cat BDE and escort them out of the perimeter to wallow in shame for the 13^th consecutive year. Once clear, support elements will wait for follow-on celebratory mission.

1. d.      Coordinating Instructions

Support element commanders are to instruct individual units to enter COP Clemens Stadium as soon as gates open at 1000 to save general admission seats with blankets.

Support element commanders are instructed to exhaust all cheer and chant resources to defeat the Tommie threat.

Standing rules of engagement (ROE): All personnel will engage hostile Tommie threats immediately with reminders of “Tommies Suck.” All passed out drunk Tommie Students and/or crying Tommie fans are not considered threats and Johnnie personnel are not authorized to engage these targets under ROE and the Geneva Convention.

The referee squad from HHC/3^rd MIAC Corps is a non-belligerent party in this conflict and is not authorized to be engaged under current ROE.

All support elements will withhold chants of “O-VER-RA-TED” until the 10^th Johnnie Football CO has confirmed a victory by activating the fifth-string reserve quarterback in the assault.

1. 4.       SERVICE AND SUPPORT

Class I (Rations): JohnnieRed will be cooking burgers at Stiftungsfestivities in Science Lot #1, other personnel are encouraged to bring their own culinary delights to share NLT 1000 on 2 October 2010.

Class II (Clothing, Uniforms): Clothing and Uniforms will be distributed by the SJU Bookstore at Sexton Commons and inside COP Clemens Stadium.

Class VI (Alcohol, tobacco): Any alcohol and tobacco will need to be purchased prior to execution of mission by individual personnel. Open consumption of alcohol on Fort Collegeville is prohibited; however, discrete, responsible consumption is highly encouraged.

1. 5.       COMMAND AND SIGNAL
   1. a.      Command

Commander of 10^th Johnnie Football BN, legendary coach John Gagliardi, will be located on the west sideline or, if weather dictates, in the press box.

1. b.      Signal

Primary instruction, description and orders will come from Fr. Tim Backous via the public address channel.

Secondary instruction and description of the battle will come from Johnnie Football Network host Mark Lewandowski on AM-600 WBHR (Local).

What’s up Johnny fans, great to see all of you in full force in Minneapolis last week at the Augsburg game, I think we might have had more fans than they did.  Both the offense and defense played great in our big win.  I think we achieved our goal of playing the complete game, now we just have to continue on that path for the rest of the season. 

Obviously this week doesn’t need any more hype than has already been placed upon it.  We play St. Thomas in which is sure to be the biggest game I’ve seen at Clemens field in my four years.  The feeling of excitement within the locker room and out at practice is undeniable as well as at class and talking with friends that aren’t on the team.  The team is responding with the best and most intense week of practice yet this year, and I’m sure it will show during the game.  The key for us is to play our game and not pay attention to all of the extracurriculars that may distract us from our goal.

I expect to see the largest crowd in St. Johns history and am getting goosebumps just thinking about the game.  Go Johnnies!

Billy Lawrence, SJU Starting Middle Linebacker

Up the hill and up the street, the Tommie football team is making its own preparations for a similar day of reckoning. As they prepare to head upstream to the placid shores of Lake Sagatagan, they are but 2 days away from facing the Johnnies, the team that has repeatedly washed them away. They have known for some time the high water is coming.

Always a game to look forward to, this year’s tilt is no exception, as a loss will most certainly throw cold water on a team’s playoff hopes. For the Johnnies to win, a few things must occur.

First, the offense must continue to click as it has started to of late. Boyle has started to look more poised and confident in his execution, specifically running the ball when he must, and in passing to open receivers under pressure. The offensive line has been remarkable, especially considering the number of injuries and substitutions. A nice mix of plays, establish the run, execute the pass, control the clock. Stay solid!

Second, the defense needs to be able to realize it can bend but not break. The Toms are too good to stop completely, but putting pressure on the QB and avoiding the big plays will be key. Tighten up the seams to avoid the vulnerability to the short pass.

Finally, avoid penalties and mistakes. Games like this one can make a player lose his concentration more easily. Relax and trust your skills and preparation and have fun out there.  Visualize your presence on the field doing your job the best way possible, then execute.

See? Nothing to this game.

Having seen all 4 games so far pretty much makes me an expert.

Red: 31

Purple: 17

See y’all Saturday!

finsleft@johnniefootball.com