To say that the Johnnies beat the Concordia Cobbers by 31 points last week would be correct, technically. But those of you who follow our gameday predictions will note that 4 of our 7 contributors predicted a Johnnie victory of at least 24 points for last week’s game. With one major hurdle cleared handily another awaiting next week when title contender St. Olaf visits for Homecoming, it is easy to overlook this week’s game at perennial doormat Carleton. Read on to see if our contributors predict another lopsided Johnnie win:
DustySJU: I would first like to begin by defending Laird field on the campus of Carleton College which fell to an unfair and miserable #9 in TDT’s Top 10 Stadiums of the MIAC. Laird Field sports a red brick grandstand which will seat both the Knights and the visiting Johnnies. For those of you fortunate to have visited the Catdome in 2002, Laird Field is very reminiscent of the home field for the Linfield Wildcats. The grandstand was originally constructed in the early 20th century and was the center point of an athletic renaisance aimed at persuading the Big 10 to add Carleton as a member.
From Big Ten almost to MIAC up and comer, former Johnnie record setting QB Kurt Ramler is ready to serve up his razzle dazzle offense in a home field match up vs. College Football Icon John Gagliardi. The only thing that might slow up the Johnnie Offense and defense will be a soft field. Any rain that may fall Saturday morning could provide the only resistance the Collegeville Crew will encounter in Northfield. The only O-ffense the Knights will produce Saturday is the breakfast they’re eating from the locally based Malt-O-Meal Corporation and the contribution they make to the score board. St. John’s 52, Carleton Knights 0
finsleft: The Johnnie football team has exceeded my expectations so far this year. Other than the hiccup in the 1st half of the UWRF game, this team is as balanced, talented and poised as any SJU team I’ve seen. Alex Kofoed has (BAM!) kicked it up a notch, and he appears confident at the helm, and obviously has the confidence of his teammates and coaches. That’s big! And the J’s defense has been outstanding. I don’t expect much to change this week. Coach Ramler is a good coach and it has to make you nervous when the other side is intimately familiar with our bag of tricks. But that will only get him so far, as he just doesn’t have the horses. St. John’s 42, Carleton 13.
Mr.Shoes I’ve got two things going through my head right now: 1) we played these guys for Homecoming last year and they nearly beat us, and 2) yeah, but even though Ramler is a good coach there’s no way Carleton beats us. When I’m feeling like John, the first wins out and I’m scared as hell. When I think about how well this Johnnie team has played this year (one half in Wisconsin excepted), the confidence of the second overrules the cautiousness of the first. So that said, my prediction wholly depends on which of my bipolar thought processes is foremost as I type a score. Let’s split the difference (Yes, I realize I’ve given no useful insight whatsoever). Johnnies by 17: St. John’s 31, Carleton 14.
sjusection105: The success of the Carleton football program is important to the MIAC. There is no need for the MIAC to have another football program withdraw from conference play in order to play an independent schedule. Do I think that Carleton College is in the same situation that Macalester College found itself a couple of years back? No, I do not. With that being said, I truly feel that Carleton needs to experience success on the football field for the good of the conference.
Do I feel that Carleton is making improvements on the football field? Yes, I do. On September 23, 2006 Carleton upset Bethel University by a score of 17-14 to the delight of thousands of Johnnie fans! Many said first year head coach Kurt Ramler let his Johnnie colors show on that day. I disagree with those thoughts. Kurt graduated from St. John’s, but he bleeds the blue and maize of the Carleton Knights. Kurt will do great things with the young men who come to Carleton for an education and also happen to be football players. I can see Carleton with a .500 record this season in the MIAC. I can see Carleton as a top three team in MIAC during the next five years.
Where is all this babbling leading? Well, it’s leading to a game prediction. The Knights are ready to play and win competitive games in the MIAC this season. Today is not one of those days. The speed the Johnnies have on both sides of the ball will be too much for the Knight today. St. John’s 42, Carleton 10.
TC: In 3 of 4 games this season, the Johnnies have looked virtually unstoppable—wins over Marietta, Augsburg and Concordia were never in doubt. Don’t make your reservations for a December trip to Salem just yet. One team, UW-River Falls, managed to make the Johnnies look quite beatable, and I’m afraid there are many parallels between that game and this week’s against Carleton. Both games feature the Johnnies hitting the road, playing on grass fields, in (expected) less-than-ideal weather, against a team that has shown uncharacteristic signs of life in recent seasons. Add in the fact that Kurt Ramler knows the Johnnies intimately and last year’s competitive score and I think the Knights play some meaningful football in the second half. St. John’s 32, Carleton 20.
Touchdown Tommy: I expect this game to be over by halftime. Alex Kofoed is firing on all cylinders and some long-time Johnnie football followers are saying this team may be special (See: potential to head to Salem). The Johnnies have been executing flawlessly and when they do this very few MIAC teams can beat them. The Knights are led by a John Gagliardi disciple, but as Kurt Ramler’s mentor always says “You win with good players”. Carleton still has a long ways to go to competing on a regular basis with the MIAC elite. They don’t have the athletes to stick with the Johnnies for 4 quarters. Ramler has the Knights’ program headed in the right direction, but he faces an uphill battle. Recruiting good football players who are also elite academics qualified for acceptance into the MIAC’s most selective college is a daunting task. St. John’s 55, Carleton 10.
