The 2007 St. John’s football team entered the offseason with a host of unanswered questions: Were they really 30 points worse than Central, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs by a stunning 37-7 margin? Who would step up to fill the void left by record-breaking quarterback Alex Kofoed? Had Bethel unseated the Johnnies as the unquestioned bully of the MIAC in winning their second straight MIAC title? And really, 37-7?!?
While those questions remain largely unanswered a week into the new season, it’s amazing what a fall afternoon in Collegeville can do to restore a feeling of normalcy. Even if the 29-15 win over the East Texas Baptist Tigers was much closer than most anticipated, there were still the constants that make St. John’s football so special: John Gagliardi roaming the sidelines, kids rehearsing their future Johnnie heroics behind each end zone, the scent of freshly grilled brats wafting from the concession stand and, if you looked closely enough, the hint of yellow and orange dotting the green leaves of the trees ringing the field, a sure sign that football season is here.
Yes, this is a team that still has more questions than answers. But Saturday was a great day to remember—even if the rain clouds were waiting to accompany fans to their cars postgame—that the sun always shines on Johnnie Football.
The More Things Change…: If you didn’t know any better, it would be easy to mistake the passing line for a vintage Kofoed performance: 19-of-25 passing for 247 yards, 3 touchdown passes without an interception, and a Johnnie victory. That’s an encouraging first step for the 4 St. John’s passers that compiled that line on Saturday, quarterbacks Jordan Hansel, Joe Boyle, and Michael Crees and wide receiver Bryan Busack.
Each quarterback played admirably in their limited time and piloted a touchdown-scoring drive. Junior Hansel got the starting nod and it took him and the first-string offense less than two and a half minutes to find the end zone—with a huge aerial assist from Busack. On the Johnnies first play from ETBU territory, Busack took a lateral from Hansel and heaved it down the sideline, finding receiver Ben Vanderheyden wide open for a 47-yard reception. With that play, Busack became the unlikely answer to the trivia question of the Johnnie with the first touchdown pass of the post-Kofoed era.
One (Yard) if by Land: The Johnnie pass offense was no stranger to the big play. In addition to the 47 yard Busack-to-Vanderheyden strike, each of the three quarterbacks completed a pass of at least 25 yards, including touchdown receptions of 25 yards by Busack and Jeff Schnobrich’s 29-yard game winning effort.
You’d think that all that passing would open up opportunities for big plays on the ground, but the Johnnies didn’t record a single running play of longer than 9 yards on the afternoon. It’s been at least 4 years—and very possibly much longer—since the Johnnies didn’t record a single run of double-digit yardage in a game. Even in the 2005 game at Concordia, where the Johnnies somehow managed to total (minus-)17 net rushing yards for the game, Mike Lofboom managed a single 10-yard run.
The play of the offensive line, expected to be a strength coming into the season, is something to keep an eye on. In addition to struggling to open up holes for the running game, the line managed to allow 4 quarterback sacks, matching the most allowed in 2007. As the Johnnies work in an inexperienced rotation at both the quarterback and running back positions, one of the keys to their offense will be how well the offensive line is able to protect. The season opener suggests that they have room to improve.
Schno’ Stopping Him: Even without any big plays, the running game wasn’t a total loss. After spending 2007 as the primary blocking back, Jeff Schnobrich came into this season with modest stats, having never run for more than 51 yards in a game or recorded more than 34 receiving yards in a game. He set new career highs for both rushing (19 carries for 52 yards) and receiving (7 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown).
His performance is reminiscent of last year’s season-ending loss to Central, when running back Mike Patnode not only led the team with a scant 34 rushing yards but also went over 100 yards receiving, leading the team with 13 catches for 115 yards.
Unfamiliar Territory: In 2007, Derek Stifter filled a variety of roles for the Johnnies, serving at the primary kick and punt returner as well as the third cornerback. He handled the ball 39 times last season (26 punt returns, 11 kick returns, and two interceptions) without finding the end zone a single time, a team high. It didn’t take him long to correct that in 2008. After returning a punt 12 yards and a kickoff 20 yards, Stifter took his first interception of the year 68 yards for a game-clinching score with only 20 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter. Safety Bobby Klint and linebacker Ryan Wimmer also recorded interceptions for the Johnnies. Wimmer was named MIAC Defensive Player of the Week for his 10-tackle performance.
Quick Hits: All 7 of Jordan Hansel’s passes were intended for running backs. Jeff Schnobrich caught 5 of the 6 passes intended for him, while Hansel and Jakob Reding failed to connect on their lone attempt. Hansel did attempt a pass to wide receiver Bryan Busack which was nullified by a defensive pass interference penalty… Michael Crees came out firing when he entered the game with under three minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter and the Johnnies trailing 15-14. Crees completed the first five passes he attempted, the final one being a go-ahead score on a completion to Schnobrich… 2007 marked the marked the seventh consecutive season that the Johnnies led NCAA Division III Football in average game attendance. They are off to a good start in making it eight straight seasons: Saturday’s announced of attendance of 7,963 exceeded last year’s season-opening crowd of 7,764 that witnessed the Johnnies triumph over Marietta (OH).
I value and welcome any comments you might have. I can be reached at tc@johnniefootball.com.
