One of the best things about the Johnnies’ near-annual participation in the playoffs is the chance to see teams that we rarely play. While St. John’s won’t have the opportunity to see a third straight season come to an end in Whitewater, WI—the UW-Whitewater Warhawks wouldn’t cross paths with the Johnnies until the Stagg Bowl—we do get a visit from an old friend, The University of Redlands Bulldogs.
Seasoned veterans of St. John’s football will remember the Bulldogs from the opening round of the 2002 playoffs, when their trip to Collegeville ended with a hard-fought 31-24 loss. Read on to see if our fearless prognosticators expect the Johnnies to send the Bulldogs home disappointed yet again:
Duffman: Any prediction that you read regarding this game is going to be a complete guess. The fact is there is not a one of us that has seen Redlands play since 2002. In pouring over their stats, I noted that the Bulldogs have a balanced and powerful offensive attack and an aggressive, play-making defense. This scares me, but for all I know, they could be racking up these stats against a bunch of Macalasters and Crown Colleges. The SCIAC is traditionally a bit weaker than the MIAC, so getting a pulse on how they will match up is difficult if not impossible.
I’d like to think that the Johnnies will come out and dominate. After all, Redlands doesn’t have the advantage of playing Gagliardi-coached teams on a regular basis, and the Johnnies usually do pretty well with that advantage. Then again, the past several Johnnie game have not inspired a lot of confidence.
I think if Saint John’s can shut down the Bulldog running game, they will be in good shape. This was a big problem in the Bethel game, and it would have definitely tipped the scales in the Johnnie’s direction if they could have done it. Offensively, Kofoed will really need to step up. He’ll need eliminate, or at least reduce, the number of bad throws he makes. Turnovers are killers, especially in the play-offs. Lastly, special teams will need to shine. The kick return versus Bethel pointed out a weakness, but I am sure that has been straightened out.
I don’t think we’ll see a blow-out, but I think the Johnnies will win. St. John’s 28, Redlands 14.
DustySJU: As excited as I was last Saturday for the St. John’s/Bethel title match my morning was tainted by the BU security rebuking my attempts to enter the stadium prior to the gates opening at 10:30am. While I met BU opposition at the hands of a student security worker I looked up and noticed Bethel students reserving their seats well before Johnnie fans would ever be allowed in. That frustration found its way to the Johnnie sideline Saturday and resulted in a less than productive SJU offense. The malaise has lingered and I find myself wondering about the upcoming playoffs. No technicalities here, if Johnnie was on the road I’d have to figure differently. St. John’s 27, Redlands 20.
Mr.Shoes: I’d be lying if I said I was supremely confident for tomorrow. I’m as nervous about a playoff game as I have been in a long time. Typically, I feel as though a loss by the Johnnies will only happen with the perfect confluence of factors. This year, said confluence feels a lot closer than before. It’s easy to attribute that to the game I witnessed in my least favorite place in the MIAC last week. It’s not easy to watch us get pushed around like that. However, knowing John like we all do, the Johnnies will come out with a fresh attitude and with a mission to accomplish. Alex Kofoed is not going to let four years of starting at QB end on a first-round loss. The defense is too good and too prideful to get pushed around again. Redlands is a good team and will bring an excellent game tomorrow, but nervousness aside, I still think we win. St. John’s 24, Redlands 13
Sjusection105: I’m going to share a secret with everyone about the Redlands Bulldogs. Read this next sentence very carefully, because it is critical to my game prediction. Everything that I know about the 2007 Redlands Bulldogs football team, I learned from Duffman. That’s the secret, I read Duffman’s game preview. I didn’t spend hours breaking down game film looking for tendencies. I never do, but Duffman does. Wait until he gets married in the spring, that may all change!
What I do know is that this is the NCAA Division III play-off and everyone starts with a fresh slate. Any big wins over conference rivals are ancient history. The rules are very simple: the team that wins gets to extend their season another week.
The Johnnies will have their special teams “issues” on kick coverage taken careof, of this I am confident. The Big Uglies will give AK-11 time to throw and the Johnnie D will swarm like they do every week. St. John’s 24, Redlands 17.
TC: Obviously, the last two Johnnie performances have to be troubling for any St. John’s fans. Three weeks ago, a St. Thomas team that spent the season finding new depths of ineptitude spent the afternoon scorching the Clemens Stadium turf with their passing game. Last week, after the Johnnies had a bye week to prepare for the biggest game of the season, the offense looked as disjointed as it has in years in falling to Bethel.
While the problems brought into focus over the last couple games certainly call into question the team’s ability to make a deep playoff run, I don’t think the season ends this weekend. Alex Kofoed has been unstoppable at home this season as the Johnnies have lit up the Clemens Stadium scoreboard to the tune of 55, 62, 52, 30 and 51 points.
The SCIAC, Redlands’ home conference, has grown in stature since the last time the two teams met, but they still are not one of the nation’s power conferences. The SCIAC was 9-12 in non-conference play this year, while the MIAC went 15-3. Even if the current players don’t remember the 2002 game, the Johnnie coaches sure do so expect the team to come out ready to play this week.
When it comes down to it, the Bulldogs are trying to become the first team in to beat the Johnnies in a first round playoff game in 15 tries. While I don’t expect a repeat of 2005’s laugher of opening round game (the Johnnies beat Monmouth by a comfortable 62-3 margin), I do think this game will a relatively easy St. John’s win. St. John’s 35, Redlands 13.
Touchdown Tommy: Redlands played like a team with nothing to lose in 2002 and I see no reason to think they won’t give the Johnnies some trouble again on Saturday. The statistics show that after the Johnnies and QB Alex Kofoed have a poor game they respond with a big blowout win. I haven’t been able to get a good feel for the potential of this Johnnies team all season. They have been terribly inconsistent and that is not a good thing heading into the playoffs. St. John’s 27, Redlands 24.
