The St. John’s Johnnies are making a habit of beating up on the Tommies of UST; yesterday’s victory is the tenth consecutive for the Johnnies in this series. Any victory over the Tommies in any competition is sweet for a Johnnie or a Johnnie’s fan. This game left several Johnnie fans asking “how good is the 2007 version of the Johnnies and are they able to beat Bethel in two weeks?”
In a game that began with typical Tommie miscues and two relatively quick scores which allowed the Johnnies to take a 21-7 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. Scoring 1st quarter touchdowns for the Johnnies were Mike Patnode, Brian Weber and Aaron Blackmore. The ease in which the Tommies scored their first TD could have been contributed to several things, yet the Tommies continued to accumulate large chunks of yardage through out the game at times when it appeared that the Johnnie-D was ready to shut the door on the Tommies. These surges in the UST offensive production are what have many Johnnie fans concerned leading into the bye week prior to playing Bethel in Arden Hills. The match up against Bethel on November 10th could be the game that decides the MIAC championship, assuming that Bethel takes care of business next week vs. Augsburg, along with the automatic spot in the play-offs.
The second quarter had Johnnie QB Alex Kofoed finding TE Josh Overman in the end zone for another Johnnie TD. The Tommies answered with a score before halftime, making the score at the break 28-14 in favor of the Johnnies. The general consensus in the crowd was that the lead should have been larger and the Johnnies were still looking for some answers. The Johnnies had an arm injury to inside linebacker Ryan Wimmer, who did not return to action. Ethan Eid replaced Wimmer for the remaining portion of the game. At this point the status for Wimmer for the rest of the season and any possible play-off appearance is unknown. I know one thing about the Johnnie coaching staff and it is this; the coaches will make adjustments based on what personnel they have available to them and put those players in a scheme that gives the team the best opportunity to win.
The 3rd quarter had the teams trading touchdowns with Blackmore notching his second score of the game. The 4th quarter had Chace Pollack scoring another TD for the Johnnies and Aaron Blackmore racking up his third score of the day to wrap up the scoring for the Johnnies. The Tommies also added to the SJU scoring total as the long snapper sailed the ball over the head of the UST punter and out the back of the end zone leading to a 2-point safety for the Johnnies. SJU kicker Russell Gliadon was perfect on his PAT and did not attempt any FG during the game.
Alex Kofoed continued to re-write the Johnnie as well as MIAC record books. Kofoed was 27 of 39 for 321 passing yards while throwing 4 more TD passes along with an interception. Kofoed is the 18th player in NCAA history to throw for more than 10,000 yards in his collegiate career.
The Johnnie defense was led in tackles by Kevin Boegel, Nick Gunderson, James Shockman, Sam Gervais, and Mike Schumacher. Gunderson and Mitch Eversman each had two QB sacks. Gervais added another interception to his season total.
With a bye week coming up the team has some injured players, which will get some needed time to heal. The bye week will also give the coaching staff time to determine whom to plug in if one or more of the injured players are physically not able to perform for the Bethel game or potentially into the play-offs. As a Johnnie fan I have seen unlikely events happen time and time again over the years as players make miraculous recoveries from an illness or injury to excel in the big game. I have also witnessed reserve players getting their opportunity, because of an injury to another player, and turn in tremendous performances. The question is, who will shine for this Johnnie team? Realistically the play-offs begin November 10th in Arden Hills. Will the Johnnies roll or will the Royals make it two consecutive wins over the Johnnies? We, as fans, can speculate all we want but the games are played on Saturday afternoons on the field. It is up to this Johnnie team to decide how good they are, who will shine and how long the ride will last in the 2007 season.
