While St. John’s has spent to John Gagliardi era holding court over the MIAC on the gridiron, their doppelganger to the south, the Dutch of Central College, have been compiling an impressive record of their own. Central has tallied 29 IIAC titles, including this year’s and 17 of the past 24. The Dutch are making their 17th NCAA national playoff appearance in the last 23 seasons, a run that included national runner-up finishes in 1984 and 1988 and a Stagg Bowl victory in 1974. While the Dutch come close to matching the Johnnies’ tradition, they have fallen short on the field against St. John’s. The two storied programs are preparing for their 4th playoff meeting since 1999. The Johnnies have come out on top in the three previous meetings. Read on to see if our contributors expect more of the same this season:
DuffMan: The Johnnies have their work cut out for them this weekend. Not only do they have to travel to Pella, but they are also up against an undefeated top-seed in the bracket. That being said, I think this has the makings of a great game. It is excellent that Central has a turf field, not only because of the weather, but the Johnnies have flat-out performed better on turf this season. I think that both teams will come out and play well. I honestly don’t know how to pick this game. I think it could go either way. I’m going to give the nod to the Johnnies, but it would not surprise me to see Central win. Either way, I think we’ll see a close game. St. John’s 21, Central 17.
DustySJU: A well placed tirade in last weekend’s win over the Redlands Bulldogs was enough to enrage an already fired up Johnnie Football team and help them roll to a decisive opening round victory. Just as it appeared this year’s second place finisher in the MIAC was ready to call it a day, “Johnnie Football” reappeared and with considerably more vigor than was witnessed throughout the regular season are now keenly positioned for more “victory swagger” this weekend. IIAC continues its struggles vs. the MIAC. St. John’s 28, Central 17.
Mr.Shoes: So I’m sitting in the Mountain Time Zone right now on dialup internet trying to get caught up on the game this weekend. I saw that D3football.com doesn’t think we’re going to win. Knowing John’s habits, he was equating Central with Mount Union by dinner time on Sunday. Central hasn’t lost since we beat them almost exactly a year ago. TC’s comparisons of Kofoed’s home and away splits paints a dire picture for this game. Add all that up and I’m more than sufficiently nervous about a contest that I am going to have to listen to over the internet—hopefully (remember, dialup). Not fun. Yet, my brother says we win by half a touchdown. St. John’s 17, Central 13
SjuSection105: The Johnnies and the Dutch are becoming a nice playoff pairing. The drive to Pella is not too far and many Johnnie fans take a road trip for this somewhat recurring match-up. The Dutch are a very good team, as their undefeated record and top seeding in the West Region indicates. They have won several close games this season, so the longer they keep the score close the greater the chances are that the Dutch win this game. The final 2 minutes of the 1st half last week against Redlands showcased a fireworks display missing from several Johnnie games this season, the Bethel game included. I hope the Johnnies remember what the spark was that ignited that scoring outburst and can recreate it again this weekend in Iowa. Both teams are capable of winning this game and earning a spot in the West Region final, it’s simply a matter of who can create turnovers and eliminate the big play from their opponent’s bag of tricks. St. John’s 24, Central 14.
TC: There has been a lot of talk about history this week. Looking back at the recent history of these two teams, there are 3 irrefutable truths: Win or lose, the Dutch find a way to keep things interesting; Central’s season comes to an end when the schedule reads “St. John’s”; and the same can be said of the Johnnies’ inability to get past the UW-Whitewater Warhawks. Taking the first truth to heart, I think this game will be a close one, decided by one score either way. Even though they have been denying it all week, the Dutch can’t help but have some doubt in the back of their mind about whether their chance will ever come to beat the Johnnies. Similarly, when the playoff brackets were released earlier this month, showing the Warhawks relocated to a bracket of their own, the Johnnies knew their path to the West Region title was a little easier. That smoother road means nothing if they can’t topple the Dutch this weekend.
I think the Johnnies come out playing conservative but effective football. The weather should be nice and the artificial track will be dry and fast, the perfect conditions for
St. John’s to play their kind of football. St. John’s 23, Central 16.
Touchdown Tommy: Amazing how history has a way of repeating itself. The Johnnies seem to make an annual trip to Pella, IA to face off with the undefeated Central Dutch. The Dutch have 3 of the last 4 IIAC MVP winners in QB Tim Connell and RB Vance Schuring, so they aren’t bringing knives to a gunfight. Both teams have played lots of close games all season and found ways to win. The game will be decided by the quarterback play and who controls the line of scrimmage. St. John’s 28, Central 17.
