What appeared to be a routine play for SJU QB Joe Boyle ended up seeing him leave the game in the 1st quarter and not returning. Boyle aggravated an already sprained right thumb (throwing hand) that was originally injured in the Hamline game October 10th. According to St. Cloud Times reporter,Frank Rajkowski, Boyle will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury. In the meantime, Freshman John Ries appears to be the replacement for Boyle, but with two weeks before the next MIAC game a lot can happen.
The Johnnies got on the board first as the defense created a short field when John Stanton forced a fumble which was recovered by Ryan Wimmer. From there the Johnnie offense with Boyle at the helm went on an 8 play 44-yard scoring drive capped off by a 1-yard scoring run from Jakob Reding. Followed by the sucessful PAT from Russell Gliadon making the score 7-0 in favor of the Johnnies.
The Oles would get on the board at the 4:16 mark of the 1st quarter with a 47 yard field goal. This would be the end of the scoring for the Oles as the Johnnie defense turned away a couple of scoring threats with big plays both at the end of the 1st half and at the end of the game.
The first serious threat of an Ole score was with 13 seconds remaining in the 1st half as Mike Bonynge stepped in front of a St. Olaf receiver at the goal line and returned the ball 66 yards to the St. Olaf 34-yard line with .9 second remaining on the clock . The Johnnie coaching staff sent out the field goal unit to attempt a 52-yarder as time expired. In a season fill with many dramatic plays and last second heroics the new school record 52-yard Russell Gliadon field goal ranks right near the top. The kick, not as dramatic or with as many “style points” as the game winner against Bethel, cleared the cross bar to end the first half and would close out the scoring for the game. Half time score SJU 10- St. Olaf 3.
Russell Gliadon record breaking field goal
The second half was a a series of stalled drives by both teams. An opportunity for Freshman QB John Ries to get adjusted to playing with the first unit at game speed and he played as well as can be expected under the circumstances. The Johnnie defense came up with big plays and took advantage of poor clock management by St. Olaf to end a late threat as the Oles had driven into the SJU red zone in the closing seconds of the game. SJU defensive end Jeff Bohlman sacked the Ole QB on the last play of the game to extinguish any upset bid the Oles may have had designs in the closing seconds of the game.
The Johnnie offensive line, affectionally known as The Collegeville Moving Company, consisting of Tim Juba, Blaine Anderson, Eric Dirkes, Jeff Gilbertson and Drew Percival were able to control the clock for 35 minutes 22 seconds allowing the Johnnie defense to remain fresh enough to hold off the late rally by the Oles. Coming into the bye week will be very valuable for Boyle’s replacement to work with the line and the running backs and receivers. The play of the offensive line has been the deciding factor in winning the close games this season as time of possession has proven to be a very important statistical category to be in control of.
The Johnnies again were led by the running tandem of Kellen Blaser who had 17 carries for 71 yards and Jakob Reding who had 18 carries for 44 yards and the lone touchdown on the day. John Ries was 5-9 passing for 40 yards.The leading receiver for the Johnnies was Josh Overman with 3 catches for 25 yards.
Defensively the Johnnies were led by Ryan Wimmer who had 7 tackles and a fumble recovery. Dominic Haik and Bobby Klink each had 6 tackles. John Stanton and Mike Bonynge each had 5 tackles. Stanton had a forced fumble and Bonynge had the 66 yard interception return that made the 52-yard field goal possible to end the 1st half. Jeff Bohlman had a fumble recovery and a QB sack. David Burns had a forced fumble and a QB sack. Nick Gunderson took more defensive series playing with a torn ACL in his right knee and also recorded a QB sack.
With two more MIAC games remaining, the Johnnies have their work cut out. In a season of injuries to key players, the injury to Joe Boyle is just another to add to the list, for now all the team and fans can do is to wait for the results of the MRI on Monday. The timing of bye week is a silver lining in a gray cloud as having two weeks to prepare for the next game at this stage of the season certainly is better than only having one week.
It’s time to Johnnie up everybody!
