2007 has been a season of change for the Gustavus Adolphus football team—there’s been a new stadium, new faces in the coaching staff, and an entirely new no huddle offense. Another thing the team is hoping to change is their recent history against St. John’s—the Golden Gusties have lost their last 9 meetings with the Johnnies and 19 of their last 20, taking the teeth out of what was once the most competitive rivalry in the MIAC.
One former Gustavus player who is no stranger to change is 2003 graduate Mike Miller. During his 4 years with the team, Miller saw action at right guard, center and left tackle. In fact, he spent his sophomore season switching between center and left tackle every series. Mike was kind enough to provide his perspective on whether Gustavus has changed for the better or if it will be the same old story this week against the Johnnies.
Mike Miller:
Come on you Gusties, fight on, fight on. Of the countless times I have sang the Gustie rouser, I don’t think those words have ever rang truer than they do this week. This season was supposed to start a brand new tradition at Gustavus Adolphus College. A beautiful new stadium was opened on September 8, 2007 against Willamette. In addition, this game marked the first game under new Offensive Coordinator Tom Brown. Brownie has been waiting patiently for his opportunity to run an offense and it showed as he broke out something that surprised everyone in attendance. A no-huddle, spread offense that needs to be seen to be believed was a huge shock and change from the offense that Coach Schoenebeck has run in the past. Everything was going great with convincing wins over Willamette, St. Thomas and Hamline, but (cue the Behind the Music guy) that’s when everything was about to change.
We were about to embark on a section of the schedule that could rival the 1927 Yankees murderer’s row. At St. Olaf, at Bethel and Homecoming against the Johnnies. Emotions were running high for the Gusties to challenge one of the top teams in the MIAC with St. Olaf on the schedule in Northfield. I don’t remember being so excited for a game that I didn’t play in. Well, needless to say, I ended up drinking a lot that Saturday night—not in celebratory fashion, either. The results of the St. Olaf and Bethel games were pretty similar. Too many penalties, too many turnovers, not winning the field position game, the offense not sustaining drives, which put the defense on the field too much, and offenses taking advantage of the lack of size in the secondary. I was encouraged by the team fighting back against Bethel, but it was all for naught. After these two rough road games, this brings me to this week…it’s Johnnie Week.
I’m not sure who does our scheduling for Homecoming, but after a 41-0 beat down courtesy of Bethel last season, I was hoping for Hamline or Macalester for Homecoming this season, but nope, the genius behind the scheduling give us St. John’s. During my four years at Gustavus, the only team I hated more than the Johnnies was Bethel. I guess the main reason for this was the fact that St. John’s was the only team that I went winless against in my four years at Gustavus. It was always the same old story for us when we played the Johnnies: come out flat, spot the Johnnies points, make a valiant comeback, and fall short in the end. Some of those teams, especially in 2001 with yours truly, Thorvig, Traetow, Hoag, Bergstrom, Boese, Diercks, etc, I thought we were actually more talented than the Johnnies. The problem is, we didn’t know how to win like they did and by the time we realized we could play with them, it was too late to come back. Whether it was because of Blake Elliott returning two punts for TD’s and having a third one called back for stepping out of bounds, or a certain right guard destroying Ryan Bielat on a trap play, we just couldn’t overcome the Johnnie mystique.
Over the years since I graduated from Gustavus, my hatred for the Johnnies has been quelled. I am now a proud member of the Stiftungsfest family and may have attended more Johnnie games than I have Gustie games. Most of the time it was due to proximity issues, but I have also road tripped it to Eau Claire and Whitewater to watch St. John’s. Great food, great beer and great friends have been thoroughly enjoyed the past 4 years. Even though I am and always will be a Gustie, I think it’s safe to say I will still make the venture to Collegeville to take in some food, beers, friends and quality football. Maybe we can even get Bielat in for a reenactment of that infamous Trap Play from 2002.
I guess here’s the part where I’m supposed to make some sort of prediction of the game this Saturday. I think it all depends on what Gustavus team we see and what St. John’s team we see. Do we get the Gustavus team that executed against Willamette, St. Thomas and Hamline, or do we get the Gustavus team that self-destructed against St. Olaf and Bethel? Do we get the St. John’s team that executed flawlessly against Marietta, Augsburg and Concordia, or do we get the St. Johns team that struggled against UW-River Falls, Carleton and St. Olaf? If the Gusties can execute and catch a Johnnie team that struggles, I think this can be a close game with a Gustie victory not out of the picture. If the Gusties struggle and the Johnnies execute, then this game will be over by halftime and I will probably sulk back down to Patrick’s and drown my sorrows in a pitcher of beer.
Pregame will be at Patrick’s on Third this Saturday at 11am. While Gustavus is a wet campus, there is a long drawn out process for getting approved to drink in a public location on campus, so it is just easier to meet at Patrick’s. I hope to see many of you there!
