JohnnieFootball

With the Tigers of East Texas Baptist out of the way following a closer-than-anticipated season opening showdown, the Johnnies continue their quest with a more familiar foe this week, the UW-River Falls Falcons. This is the tenth straight season the Johnnies have played a WIAC team as a non-conference opponent, including games against UW-River Falls as the season’s second opponent the last two years.

Here’s a look at what the JohnnieFootball.com contributors see transpiring this weekend in Collegeville:

DuffMan: The Falcons have a lot of question marks in their lineup this year, more so than the Johnnies, even. They do have a talented quarterback and tight end and a young phenom at receiver. Defensively, only two players return with starting experience. With this being the Falcons’ first game, I think St. John’s hass got the edge in the experience department. The loss of Gundersonon the defensive line hurts, but there is incredible depth at that position so it’s not going to ruin the season. This is a tough game to predict. WIAC opponents are always tough, and St. John’s is still struggling to find its groove. I foresee a hard-nosed battle. St. John’s 28, UW-RF 13

DustySJU: Moments after last week’s win over ETBU, I was ready to suggest the possibility of a Falcons victory over the Johnnies today in Collegeville. UW-RF, however, appears to be a mid-finisher in the WIAC and not nearly as prepared as last year’s team that SJU barely nudged in River Falls. We regret Gundo won’t be the middle anchor for the Johnnies defense this weekend, but do predict Coaches Fasching and Haugen will adjust their players in typical fashion. Another merry-go-round at the SJU quarterback spot keeps the score down while DB Derek Stifter keeps down UW-RF All-American receiver Michael Zweifel. St. John’s 30, UW-RF 13

Finsleft: This week’s game provides some real challenges for the Johnnie squad as they once again take on the Falcons of River Falls in an early season tilt. A big match-up will be the UW-RF passing threat versus the somewhat inexperienced St. John’s defensive backfield, although Bobby Klint showed flashes of brilliance last week. UW-RF quarterback Storm Harmon is experienced and poised and star receiver Michael Zweifel was extremely impressive last year when he started as a freshman. Watch for Red #2 and how he contains Mr. Z.

For St. John’s, there are 3 big question marks. First, who will step up as QB? I know John G. says Crees, but Jim G. may have other plans. Crees engineered a nice drive and looked good toward the end of the game, but he also appeared to benefit from the O-line playing a little better than they did in the 1st 3 quarters. And how much will his shoulder take? Second, as mentioned, the offensive line is going to have to do a much better job of protecting the QB and of making holes so we can get a running game established. They did improve as the game went on last week, but they need to come out smokin’ and improve as a unit. Third, how big of an impact will the loss of Gunderson have on the defense? There are others waiting to step up. Look for Noel Meyer, the pride of Melrose, to have a big opportunity to show his stuff. Also, since Gundo won’t be there to draw the double-team, look for a little more blitzing by SJU. I look for a game similar to last week’s, relatively close and relatively low-scoring. St. John’s 31, UW-RF 21

Johnnie Tats: As the Johnnies seemed to have gotten their less-than-stellar game in the pre-season out of the way last week against ETBU, here is how I see this week’s contest. I see a more stable offensive attack with Michael Crees starting and putting up some points early and often by leveraging Jeff Schnobrich and Brett Saladin in the passing game. Even with the loss of the All-American Nick Gunderson, our defensive line is deep and very talented. This talent depth will allow for the Johnnie defense to put pressure on a Falcon line that only returns one starter and create a storm front for Storm Harmon. This pressure will allow our younger secondary (that performed admirably against ETBU) to break on the ball and create turnovers and other issues for Falcon all star wide out Michael Zweifel, who is pretty much the only Falcon Offensive weapon. St. John’s 49, UW-RF 3

Mr.Shoes: Man, I haven’t a clue what’s going to happen. I was unable to see the game last week, but listened to parts of it on the radio (An aside to the BEAR guys: when the opponent has a chance to drive down the field at the end and screw up the game, it helps to announce the score. After missing a chunk of the game, I tuned in again as ETBU got the ball late and didn’t find out the score until well after the pick-6). Reports from the guys indicate that the Johnnies didn’t play so well but that ETBU was bigger and faster than expected. Well, UW-RF is a familiar foe and there should be no surprises in what they bring to the stadium. Even then, I expect to see some sputtering from the good guys before putting it away late. St. John’s 34, UW-RF 20

sjusection105 The River Falls Falcons will visit Clemens Stadium with the memory of what could have been last September in River Falls. The Falcons had the Johnnies down at halftime only to surrender 21 unanswered second half points. The events of last year have little impact on today’s game as many players on both squads have entered the real world and are now productive members of society.

The Johnnies defense will have to come to grips with life after losing All-American DT Nick Gunderson. The Johnnie secondary will be tested many times by UWRF WR Mike Zweifel. The Johnnie offense will have to find a QB for the season. Which ever QB shows he is ready to lead will earn the job this week. I have a feeling that one of the QB will have a big day, I’m just not sure who that is.The Johnnies will pull away in the second half and win by 25. St. John’s 35, UW-RF 10

TC: As others have mentioned, this week’s game should come down to how well UW-RF’s Storm Harmon-to-Michael Zweifel connection is able to take advantage of the Johnnies’ inexperienced secondary and weakened defensive line. I don’t expect the injury to Nick Gunderson to cost the Johnnies a game quite yet (though it should have a considerable impact when St. John’s faces the Cobbers and Royals down the road), but I think the Falcons will be able to move the ball through the air and will find the end zone a few times. Offensively, I have a feeling this is the week that the Johnnies put it all together. The offensive line found their rhythm towards the end of the ETBU game and it showed in the play of Michael Crees down the stretch. Expect one or more the Johnnie quarterbacks to star as the points start piling up. St. John’s 49, UW-RF 21

Touchdown Tommy: This week presents another opportunity for extensive tryouts at several positions. It is always nice to play a WIAC team in Collegeville and the Falcons should be a nice way to prepare for Cobbers (what a treat to start the year with 4 consecutive home games). I trust there was much to learn from an extensive film study of the 2007 matchup at River Falls. The forecast calls for rain which could add an interesting dynamic to the afternoon (and obviously hurt both teams potent passing attacks). This may be a classic trap game before the big showdown next week. St. Johns’s 21, UW-RF 20