While it’s likely no MIAC rivalry will ever top the one between St. John’s and St. Thomas, no team plays the Johnnies tougher on the gridiron than the Concordia Cobbers. Coming into this year’s game, St. John’s had mustered only a .562 all-time winning percentage against Concordia and their +127 point scoring margin was their narrowest against any MIAC team. Coupled with the recent competitive nature of the games—the Johnnies won 2 of the last 3 games, which were decided by a total of 7 points—many observers predicted another tightly contested match up when the Cobbers traveled to Collegeville on Saturday. What transpired was the Johnnies’ 3rd blowout victory on the year. Here are some of the more telling numbers from the game:
While the Johnnies performed on the field, the fans performed off of it. The announced attendance of 9,551 was the largest to ever witness a Cobber football game.
A Game to Remember—For a Lot of People: The Johnnies compiled the single-game record for points scored in the Concordia/St. John’s series, breaking the mark St. John’s established in a 49-0 home win in 1976. This season’s 52-21 final matches the largest margin of victory in the series since the Johnnies beat the Cobbers 31-0 in Moorhead in 1977. Not only is the announced game attendance of 9,951 the highest ever for a game between these two teams (topping 1994’s game at Concordia with 8,500 spectators), it’s the highest total EVER for a game featuring the Cobbers.
Air Cobber?: Coming into the game, much was made of the Cobbers’ improved passing attack. Concordia posted 271 yards through the air against Bethel in Week 3, their highest passing total in years. Once they hit the SprinTurf, however, it was more of the same for the Cobber Offense. In outrushing the Johnnies 211 yard to 176 yards, the Cobbers won the rushing battle for the 5th straight year. Their record in those games? A disappointing 1-4.
The real reason for Concordia’s reliance on the run likely had to do with their inability to pass effectively. Of starting QB Jesse Nelson’s 12 passes, as many found the awaiting arms of Johnnie defenders as were completed to Cobbers—3 completions and 3 interceptions. Backup QB Matt Green took Nelson’s strategy a step further. He didn’t let ANYONE catch a pass, going 0-for-3 on the afternoon.
Halftime Adjustments: It’s no secret the St. John’s coaching staff prides itself on the ability to make halftime adjustments. To wit, the Johnnies have been a terrific second half team this year, outscoring opponents 84-28 after the half. But they have been even better in the first half; they have held their opponents to only 24 first half points while running up 106 of their own.
This stat doesn’t tell the whole story—the Johnnies starters have only seen the 4th quarter once this year as they struggled to put away UW-River Falls. Discounting the 4th quarter (where the Johnnies are +/- 0 pts.), the Johnnies just get better as the game wears on. St. John’s has outscored its opponents by 33 in the 1st qtr., 49 in the 2nd qtr., and 56 points coming out of the break. Halftime adjustments, indeed.
Quick Hits: The Johnnies made a point of spreading the ball around–no individual had more than 65 yards rushing or receiving, but the Johnnies had 11 different ball carriers and 9 different receivers caught passes… Alex Kofoed recorded his 7th career 300+ yard passing game and 7th game with at least 4 touchdown passes… Nick Gunderson led the Johnnies in tackles for the 3rd consecutive game… Even the St. John’s punts were successful, as Russell Gliadon dropped both of his kicks inside the 20-yard line and still had a 45-yard average… The Johnnies forced 5 Cobber turnovers while only coughing up one of their own, pushing their season turnover margin to +9 (14 takeaways, 5 giveaways)…
