There was the distinct feeling of uncertainty in the pre-game air outside Clemens Stadium as the Johnnies prepared to take on Marietta last weekend. A presumably talented group of unknowns had made the trip from their Ohio power-conference, steeled by their annual match up with the Mount Union Machine, looking to build on their solid play the season prior, ready to brave the Pine Curtain. The running back position was added to the litany of holes the home team was looking to fill as late word of Mike Patnode’s broken hand made its way through the tailgating crowd. Would the attrition of talent finally catch up with the Johnnies? Would their season opening struggles continue?
Um, no. Following their biggest victory of the day—the coin toss—the Pioneers elected to kickoff to St. John’s. St. John’s elected to send the Pioneers packing with a 55-14 loss that wasn’t even as close as the score would indicate.
Was one drubbing enough to erase the doubt in Johnnie fans’ minds? Read on to see what our contributors expect as the team heads east to take on UW-River Falls…
DuffMan: UW-River Falls’ experienced defensive backfield keeps Alex Kofoed a little more bottled-up than last week, allowing the running game to open up a bit more. Russell Gliadon adds another field goal to his resume. Storm Harmon makes some good throws, but UW-River Falls’ hogs up front are no match for the Johnnie’s quickness. St. John’s 38, UW-River Falls 21.
DustySJU: The predictability between St. John’s and the WIAC continues this weekend and resigns this prognostication to a level of cliché matched only by the Johnnies’ winning ways. If Austin Murphy’s new book “Saturday Rules” firmly cements why college football is king then the Johnnies performance against UW-River Falls on Saturday will be another example of why “speed kills”. Saturday’s game can be billed as “freakish size” vs. “freakish speed“. DuffMan writes in his preview that SJU QB Alex Kofoed will be the key to this game. I say all Alex Kofoed needs to do in this one is stay out of the way! St. John’s 34, UW-River Falls 17.
RetiredOldRat: Let me apologize for first looking back a week. John Gagliardi may have used this Jim Bouton line after the Johnnies were twice flagged for 12 men on the field: “Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field?”
I do not expect a repeat of last year’s game in Collegeville. Based on the Falcons’ dominating performance against Hope last week UW-River Falls appears to be much improved. Alex Kofoed will have another big day. I have a hunch the Falcons will be focused on Kofoed and the Johnnies will have a surprisingly good day running the ball. The Johnnie D will bend but not break and confuse the Falcon’s inexperienced quarterback, causing several mistakes. St. John’s 31, UW-River Falls 14.
Sjusection105: I will admit I am a bit confused by what I have read about the offensive juggernaut that the UW-River Falls Falcons have become, or at least became last week when they visited Hope College and came away with a 54-24 victory.
I must admit that I am not familiar with a UW-River Falls team that throws the ball more than 6 times per game. I nearly fell off my chair when I read the game recap from last week and discovered that they threw for 336 yards. What the heck is that about? This offensive outburst came from starting QB sophomore Storm Harmon. Harmon was 17-24 for 306 yards and 4 TDs in his first collegiate start! Storm was allowed to get some well-needed rest in the 4th quarter when things were well in hand.
The Falcon defense had 4 sacks on the day and allowed Hope College just 116 yards on the ground.
What does all this mean when the Johnnies roll into town on Saturday, September 8th? Nothing, nada, zip—the Johnnies are not Hope College! I would venture to guess that the UWRF offensive line has not and will not see the type of speed the Johnnies defensive unit will bring. I would also venture to guess that the Falcon secondary will be turned around more than once when Alex Kofoed rolls out to find a wide-open receiver streaking down the sideline. The other X-factor will be SJU kickoffs sailing through the Falcons’ end zone; their starting filed position will be at their own 20-yard line giving them a long field every time they touch the ball. Russell Gliadon will kick another field goal bringing his season total to 3. The Falcons will play well, but will not be able to hang with the Johnnies. St. John’s 38, UW-River Falls 8.
TC: The best way for an overmatched football team to beat a more talented opponent is to try to shorten the game—run the ball, run the clock, minimize mistakes, keep the game close, and hope for a bounce or two to go your way. The Falcons ran this game plan to perfection last year in Collegeville. They outrushed the Johnnies (131 yards to 114). They won the turnover battle (2 to 1). They controlled the ball (33:00 time of possession to 27:00). And at the final horn, when the dust cleared? Well, they came up about a dozen lucky bounces short, falling 41-9.
This year the Falcons seem determined to try to outgun the Johnnies. Best of luck, fellas. St. John’s 49, UW-River Falls 7.
Touchdown Tommy: This week brings some interesting challenges. UW-River Falls is very big up front on the line of scrimmage which is customary for all teams in the WIAC. I look for the Johnnies to counter their size disadvantage by utilizing their extensive team speed. River Falls is no slouch after shellacking Hope College last weekend by 30 pts on the road. They will need to control the ball and the line of scrimmage to win. The best defense against the Johnnies is a good offense. If River Falls can win the time of possession battle and force 4th year starting QB Alex Kofoed into a few bad decisions this game could be very interesting. It is early in the season and each team is still solidifying their “Go-to” guys. That being said, I don’t see SJU struggling too bad with River Falls. They got their feet wet last weekend in front of a big crowd and the Johnnie faithful travels well. St. John’s 45, UW-River Falls 17.
Mr.Shoes: I think this game is going to be a lot closer than would generally make me feel comfortable. From what I’ve read about the Falcons, they’ve added a bit more speed and a passing game to go with a solid running game. As they are a WIAC team, I expect they’ll be large and take a very physical approach. As is usually the case, the Johnnies will be fast and athletic enough to overcome the size difference, but in the end it will be a close one. St. John’s 34, UW-River Falls 24.
