In a series that has been defined by Johnnie blowouts (sampling of recent scores: 70-7, 64-7, 55-6, 58-7, 44-0, etc.) Saturday’s 10-7 St. John’s win over Carleton was every bit as surprising as their 52-21 blowout of rival Concordia the week before. Here’s a look at some of the stats that defined the muddy slugfest:
Rush to Judgment: On a day when quarterback Alex Kofoed was uncharacteristically shaky, the running game and run defense were superlative. The Johnnies were able to pile up 232 yards on the ground while holding Carleton to +/- 0 yards on 28 carries. The yards gained, yards allowed and plus-232 yard difference were the Johnnies’ best total in each category since the November 19, 2005 playoff game against Monmouth. In that game the St. John’s defense held Monmouth to minus-3 yards rushing while the offense piled up 287 yards on the ground, a difference of 290 yards in the Johnnies’ favor.
When Mike Patnode missed the first two games of the season with a broken hand it was up to Aaron Blackmore to pick up the rushing slack. Now Blackmore is banged up—he missed his second consecutive game with a sprained left ACL—and Patnode more than made up for lost time. His 44 carries established a new St. John’s record, while his total of 237 yards rushing was good for 3rd in school history.
Seeing Red: On a day that featured play nearly as sloppy as the rain-soaked field, the Johnnie defense was forced to defend a short field on numerous occasions. The Knights started four drives at midfield or in St. John’s territory but were only able to convert on one of four trips inside the Red Zone. On the season, the St. John’s defense has only allowed their opponents to score on 38% (6 of 16) of trips inside the Red Zone. By comparison, the Johnnies have converted 71% (24 of 34) of their trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line into points.
So Close, Yet So Far Away: Much has been made of the fact that Carleton has never beaten St. John’s (this year’s win pushed the Johnnies’ series record to 25-0). While the result was the same as always, at least the Knights forced the Johnnies starters to play into the 2nd half. This year’s game marked the second time in school history that the Knights have kept the final margin of defeat in single digits (the Johnnies beat the Knights 36-35 in Collegeville in 1990).
Nearing the halfway point of the 4th quarter, Carleton was on the precipice of doing something even more amazing. The Johnnies didn’t score their first points until Russell Gliandon’s field goal with 8:17 left in the game and Mike Patnode didn’t hit paydirt for the Johnnies’ lone touchdown until there was less than a minute to play. The last time the Johnnies were shutout (and the last time they were held without a touchdown) was 1990, when they fell 21-0 at Hamline.
Homesick: As great as Alex Kofoed has been at home this year—where he has certainly earned his preseason All-American status—he has had some struggles on the road, turning in two sub-par performances. In home wins against Marietta, Augsburg and Concordia, Kofoed has completed 60 of 76 passes (79%) for 853 yards (254 yards per game) and 11 TDs, while throwing only 1 interception and being sacked only once.
His road numbers, in comeback wins over UW-River Falls and Carleton, pale in comparison: 27 of 51 passing (53%) for 236 yards (118 per game) and a lone touchdown with 4 interceptions and 4 sacks. Keep an eye on this trend—a win at home this week against St. Olaf would be a huge step towards potential home field advantage in the playoffs.
Quick Hits: For the first time since at least 2003, the Johnnies didn’t record a play from scrimmage of more than 20 yards. Mike Patnode’s 20-yard carry in the first quarter would prove to be the Johnnies’ longest play of the day… After throwing 2 interceptions in the first 4 games of the year, Alex Kofoed threw 3 against the Knights. For the first time on the year, Kofoed and the Johnnies failed to record a passing touchdown… The 6 sacks by St. John’s were the teams most since recording 9 at St. Thomas on October 8, 2006… The 1,027 announced attendance nearly matches the smallest crowd of last season, 1,026 at Augsburg on September 26… While I still haven’t figured out the St. John’s career record for blocked kicks, that hasn’t stopped Nick Gunderson from blocking them. He recorded the 6th of his career, and 2nd on the season, on a 27-yard first quarter field goal attempt by Tim Kane.
