The Carleton Knights are getting closer. From 1996 to 2006, the Knights were outscored by the Johnnies by a cumulative total of 481 to 47. They never held the Johnnies to fewer than 31 points and they never managed to score multiple times in any of the 10 games. They accomplished both of those feats in Collegeville in 2006, though, losing by a respectable 29-19 margin.
Still, they had played the Johnnies 24 times and lost 24 times. There was no reason to expect that to change when the Johnnies, 4-0 and ranked 3rd in the nation at the time, visited Northfield in 2007. As the fourth quarter dawned, the Knights found themselves leading St. John’s 7-0. On a rainy afternoon, the Johnnies managed a field goal and a 1-yard touchdown plunge with under a minute remaining to narrowly avoid defeat at the hands of the decided underdogs.
Fast forward the closing minutes of the 2008 MIAC season. With the conference title and a playoff berth at stake, this time it was Carleton scoring a last-minute touchdown to take a 10-7 lead. When Shane Henfling found Matt Frank on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 50 seconds to play, Carleton had achieved the most significant victory in school history—and the accompanying spoils: their first win over St. John’s, the MIAC title and their rightful place in the NCAA tournament field.
At least that’s what was going through the minds of the 6,000 in attendance the last time the Johnnies and Knights met. That was before Joe Boyle led the Johnnies on a 4-play, 62-drive, culminating in a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Schnobrich with 16 seconds left on the clock. And again, everything was right in the MIAC football universe.
After suffering deflating defeats at the hands of St. John’s the past two seasons, Carleton with have their chance to return the favor to the Johnnies this Saturday in Collegeville. The #4 Johnnies, at 9-0, have already clinched the MIAC championship and a berth in the playoffs, but need to beat the Knights to ensure a home game in the opening round of the playoffs—and potentially a #1 playoff seed, guaranteeing they would play in Collegeville until at least the national semifinals.
Wracked by the graduation of stars Henfling, Frank, Chris Gardner and Drew Ziller from last year’s team, the Knights are struggling at 3-6 this season. Luckily for Carleton their usual starting quarterback Vaughn Schmid, who is suffering through nagging injuries and subpar play, is expected to be able to start. Backup Jacob Anderson, who started last week, may also see some action. The two quarterbacks have combined to throw 15 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions, and the Knights average 237 passing yards per game (2nd in the MIAC). A week after holding Augsburg, the conference’s top passing attack, to only 100 yards through the air, the Johnnie pass defense should get another tough test this week.
Carleton’s main receiving target is sophomore wideout Anthony Kemper, who leads the MIAC with 9 receiving touchdowns. Just a sophomore, Kemper leads a young receiving corps; the Knights will start two other underclassmen at wide receiver, sophomore Dylan Bothun and freshman C.J. Dale.
Sophomore running back Jon Lien plays a key role in both the rushing and passing attack of the Knights. He leads the team with 37 receptions and ranks 6th in the MIAC with 579 rushing yards. He does his work behind a slim offensive line—junior left tackle Ted Longabaugh is the heaviest Knight hog at just 260 pounds. The Knights could struggle against the stout Johnnie defensive line, coming off a game in which they limited the Auggies to no rushing yards.
Linebacker Mark Skoglund leads a young, underwhelming Knight defense. While the ballhawking defense has created 21 turnovers on the season, they have difficulty keeping the other team off the scoreboard. The Knights’ 27.6 points allowed per game is tied for second worst in the MIAC.
Skoglund’s 69 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, and 3 sacks all are team-leading totals. Strong safety Neil Kostad has recorded 3 of Carleton’s 11 interceptions and his 65 tackles places him 2nd on the team. The Knights start 4 freshmen and just 1 senior on the defensive side of the ball and their inexperience should provide plenty of opportunities for the struggling Johnnie offense to put some points on the board.
While the Knights have given the Johnnies all they could handle the past couple seasons, this year’s Carleton team is not nearly as talented as the past two vintages. Head coach Kurt Ramler—one of the best quarterbacks in St. John’s history and someone intimately familiar with the Johnnie playbook—is the Knights’ great equalizer, but Carleton likely doesn’t have the physical talent to keep up with St. John’s this year.
In news that is sure to narrow the talent gap, the Johnnies will be without the services of their leading passer and rusher and second-leading tackler. While quarterback Joe Boyle has had the cast removed from his throwing hand, he is expected to rest one more week before resuming practice. Freshman John Ries will start in his place for the second straight game. Running back Jakob Reding left last week’s game with a sprained MCL. Freshman Stephen Johnson is expected to be elevated to Reding’s starting role this week, while co-starter Kellen Blaser should see his role expanded. In what should be a busy backfield on Saturday, expect Harry Awe to also see playing time while fellow backup Jimmy Loonan sits out with a shoulder injury. Linebacker Ryan Wimmer suffered a concussion against Augsburg last week and will not play this week. He’s being replaced in the starting lineup by Billy Lawrence.
Enjoy Saturday’s game. While it may be the last time the Johnnies take the Clemens Stadium field this year, it is more likely to be the culmination of a perfect regular season and the start or a home path through the playoffs.
