For the Gustavus Gusties, this weekend’s match-up with the Johnnies was much anticipated. It was a chance to show off their brand new stadium to a Homecoming crowd of over 5,000 and a chance to knock off highly-ranked St. John’s to salvage a season that was slipping away after a strong start. Alas, like most teams who bring high hopes into a gridiron showdown with the Johnnies, the final score was not in their favor as St. John’s prevailed 40-0. Here’s a look inside the numbers that shaped the game:
Road Woes to Road Warriors: The Johnnies had struggled mightily in their two previous road games this season, outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of just 31-17 (+7 points per game) compared to 199-71 at Clemens Stadium (+32 points per game). The 40-0 win represented the Johnnies’ most lopsided road victory since they destroyed Augsburg 60-0 to kick off last season’s road schedule.
No player personified the shift in the team’s road fortunes more than quarterback Alex Kofoed. Kofoed’s struggles away from Collegeville have been well documented in this column—on the season, he has passed for 118 yards per game on the road versus 293 per game at Clemens Stadium. Versus Gustavus, he tied a career high with 5 touchdown passes (2005 vs. St. Olaf) and his 337 yards passing represented his second highest total ever (375, also vs. St. Olaf in 2005).
Mitch Anderson entered the game as the MIAC’s leading rusher but he was no match for Nick Gunderson and the Johnnie defense.
More Milestones for Student, Master: In addition to extending some prestigious school marks which he already holds—like pass completions, passing yards, and wins as a starting quarterback—Alex Kofoed wrested a couple more records away from St. John’s legend Kurt Ramler. Kofoed’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Blackmore early in the 3rd quarter was the 88th of his career, while his 337 yard passing performance marked the 9th time he has topped 300 yards in a game. Both totals exceed Ramler’s standard by one.
For the 42nd straight Johnnie win, coach John Gagliardi has extended his record for most wins in any division of college football. This one was extra special, as Gagliardi became the first coach to reach the 450 win plateau.
Don’t Forget the D: With all the fireworks created by Kofoed and the offense this season, it can be easy to forget about the defense sometimes. The Johnnies allowed the Gusties only 133 yards of total offense (the lowest total St. John’s has allowed since St. Thomas also racked up 133 last season) in their first shutout of the season. Not only did the Johnnies keep the Gusties from crossing the goal line, they very nearly kept them from crossing midfield.
Gustavus didn’t run a play from St. John’s territory until more than halfway through the 3rd quarter. All told, the Gusties ran only 15 of 54 plays in Johnnie territory and never advanced past the SJU 30-yard line.
Start With a Bang: The Johnnies’ first play from scrimmage doubled as their longest play on the season. Alex Kofoed found Ben Vanderheyden for a 54-yard catch-and-run, eclipsing the previous long, a 51-yard Kofoed-to-Brian Weber strike against Augsburg.
That long pass play led to the first Johnnie score, an 11-yard Aaron Blackmore TD reception only 1:53 into the game. It marked the second time this season that the Johnnies have scored in the first two minutes of play—it took Alex Kofoed only 62 seconds to find Brian Weber on the afformentioned 51-yard bomb against Augsburg.
Quarterback Jordan Stolp found himself in a familiar situation: deep in his own territory and under heavy duress.
Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One: Gustavus running back Mitch Anderson led the MIAC in rushing yards (99.8 per game) coming into the game, but rushed for only 42 yards against the Johnnies.
Gustavus wide receiver Chad Arlt led the MIAC in catches (9.6 per game) and receiving yardage (125.2 per game) coming into the game, but caught only 4 passes for 32 yards.
Gustavus quarterback Jordan Stolp led the MIAC in passing yards (291.8 per game) coming into the game, but passed for only 69 yards.
Quick Hits: The Johnnies stretched their winning streak against the once-formidable Gusties to 10 games, and have won 20 of the last 21 meetings between the two teams… St. John’s outgained Gustavus 508 yards to 133. The 375 yard margin is the most for the Johnnies since they outgained the Hamline Pipers by 387 yards (449 to 62) last season… St. John’s quarterbacks Alex Kofoed and Jordan Hansel were sacked twice while attempting 41 passes. Third quarterback Joe Boyle was sacked twice without attempting a single pass…
