If they came west looking for free land to homestead, the Pioneers from Marietta College did not find the opportunities they were seeking in Collegeville on Saturday afternoon.
On a sun drenched afternoon opening day for the 2007 version of the Johnnies football team did not disappoint the Johnnie Nation. The reported attendance of 7,764 inside Clemens Stadium saw plenty of offensive firepower as 12 Johnnies recorded rushing opportunities, 9 Johnnies caught passes and 3 Johnnie quarterbacks directed scoring drives. The end result was 484 yards of total offense.
The defense played well recording 9 tackles for loss as well as intercepting 3 passes. Sophomore linebacker Ethan Eid returned his interception 89 yards for a touchdown. The Johnnies allowed 187 yards to the Pioneers. The two scores for the Pioneers came late in the 4th quarter as many of the younger Johnnie players were seeing their first live game action.
The time of possession was not as one-sided as the score might indicate with the Johnnies holding the ball just under 3 minutes longer than the Pioneers.
The typical first game mental mistakes of penalties and fumbled snaps occurred for both squads and this is something I feel confident the Johnnie coaching staff will address and eliminate during film and practice sessions next week.
The ability of Alex Kofoed to feel pressure and roll out as he improvised on the fly was quite successful during the game. Brian Weber was the target on several of these improvised plays.
I want to reiterate a point made earlier in the week about the opening game being an audition of sorts for many players who are in competition for starting positions. Ben Vanderheyden stepped forward to make his presence known in the ranks of the receivers. Mike Patnode did not play as he was out with a hand injury; Aaron Blackmore took on the role of featured running back. Jeff Schnobrich and Nick Murray have also given notice that when given the opportunity they will make the most of it.
The kicking game that has for many years been an adventure, to say the least, seems to be in as stable of a condition as it has been since the 2003 National Championship season when Brandon Keller handled place kicking duties and Charlie Carr handled the punting.
The kickoff depth during that year was suspect as Keller was a very accurate field goal and point after touchdown kicker, but did not have the leg strength for booming kickoffs. Keller holds the school record for most field goals made in a season with 11 in 2003.
This season the Johnnies have one player handling kicking and punting duties and his name is Russell Gliadon. Russell kicked 2 field goals of 34 and 35 yards, was perfect 6 for 6 on point after touchdown that he attempted and had 5 kickoffs with a 64.6-yard average with 2 touchbacks. Russell also punted for the Johnnies, his long punt was 60 yards. Russell could become a very valuable piece of the puzzle when playoff time rolls around. John Gagliardi needs to feel comfortable with his kicker to continue giving him opportunities to attempt field goals. Russell Gliadon executed flawlessly doing everything a coach could ask on opening day to gain confidence and trust in his kicker. For the record, I predicted that Gliadon would set a school record for successful field goals at 15 prior to the start of the season. Having two attempts and two made field goals in the opening game I am feeling pretty good. Time will tell how the rest of the season unfolds.
Next stop for the Johnnies is River Falls, Wisconsin on September 8th. Until then, Go Johnnies!
