“You can throw the records out the window.” It’s the cliché that always springs to mind when a sports rivalry is mentioned. And, at least when the St. John’s Johnnies and Concoridia Cobbers meet on the football field, it often holds true.
Historically, the Cobbers have played the Johnnies as tough as any MIAC foe, compiling a very respectable 29-39-6 record against St. John’s. Recent games have included numerous close finishes, featuring Johnnie wins by 20-16 and 14-12 margins and a 21-20 Cobber victory.
That’s what made last season’s 52-21 blowout win for St. John’s so unique—and surprising. The Cobbers expect to make a push for an MIAC championship in 2008. They opened the season receiving consideration in the d3football.com Top 25 poll before being upset in a season-opening game at Willamette. Now they know their only chance to make the postseason will be to win a conference championship. That quest starts this weekend in Collegeville.
Here’s a look at what the JohnnieFootball.com contributors see transpiring when the Cobbers take on the Johnnies:
DuffMan: The Cobbers always represent a worthy MIAC foe. Games between the Johnnies and Cobbers are usually tight. To expect anything less would be foolish. The Johnnies seem to be coming together. Michael Crees put together a pretty solid game last week. The Johnnie ground game came to life, and the defense was able to take away a very good quarterback/receiver combo. I like the Johnnies this week. The Cobbers will put up a good fight, but I think the Johnnies will come out on top and send their foes on a long bus ride back to Moorhead. St. John’s 31, Concordia 22.
DustySJU: With near ideal conditions predicted for today, plan on the same party we all enjoyed last season as the Johnnies pummeled the Cobbers on a spectacular day in Collegeville. Concordia will be visiting for the second consecutive year with images of last year’s collapse fresh in their minds. The Cobbers still have multi-sport backfield star Cory Johnson and seasoned quarterback Jesse Nelson. Personally I don’t think any of this makes much difference to the Johnnies. In spectacular fall fashion the football sage John Gagliardi will establish the college record for the most games coached and the Johnnie Footballers win with Michael Crees leading the offense. St. John’s 31, Concordia 14.
Finsleft: After mildly chiding the St. John’s offensive line last week and questioning the experience of the defensive secondary against the potentially potent UW-River Falls passing game, this week my mind will be much more at ease – IF those 2 units perform as well as they did last week. It was nice to see decent ground gains with straight ahead rushing, particularly in the second half. So, if this trend continues, I see the Cobbers having difficulty with scoring and St. John’s will win. St. John’s 24, Concordia 10.
Johnnie Tats: I see the Johnnie Cobber matchup as a classic battle of the big boys up front. It’s the Cobber methodical offensive game plan and pounding O-line supporting its runningback against the very talented and deep Johnnie D-line. With the likes of Burns et al rotating in for the injured Gunderson and the ends held down by Jimmy Sharp and Mike Schumacher, I truly believe the Johnnies will control the line of scrimmage and keep any gains to a minimum. The Johnnie offensive will awaken from its slight scoring slumber and explode as the QB situaiton will finally iron itself out( don’t ask me which of the three want to step up and claim the job!), the weather will be great, and the Johnnie Nation will be in it’s glory. St. John’s 38, Concordia 12.
Mr.Shoes: If you’ve been paying attention to these predictions, you’ll notice a theme in what I’m about to write. Frankly, I haven’t a clue what’s going to happen tomorrow. This SJU team is so new in so many places and they feel so unfamiliar to me that it’s really hard to figure out what’s going to happen. Throw in the fact that it’s the always tough Cobbers on the east sideline today, and I’m stuck. I can’t possibly expect another blowout like last year, but these 2- and 3-point games can’t keep happening [almost] every year, can they? How about a nice 10 point cushion? St. John’s 23, Concordia 13.
sjusection105:The Cobbers came to Collegeville last year and played a very poorly as the Johnnies dominated the Cobbers in every aspect of the game. The Johnnies made the Division III play-offs last year while the Cobbers missed out. That was LAST YEAR! Don’t be fooled, the Cobbers know how bad they played last season and are coming into this game with the memory of the debacle of last year deep in the cranial area. This game could go either way, but what the heck, pass the butter and the salt! St. John’s 17, Concordia 14.
TC: After the Johnnies started the season with a lackluster victory over East Texas Baptist, a lot of the blame fell on the offensive and defensive lines. St. John’s was incapable of establishing a running game and didn’t do enough to disrupt the Tigers’ passing game. Last week against UW-River Falls, the Johnnies controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and dominated a game that wasn’t as close as the 22-6 final score would indicate.
If the Johnnies hope to have success this weekend, they are going to need to maintain a lot of the progress they showed on the lines between their first and second game. The Cobbers are by far the most talented team St. John’s has faced this year, but the Cobbers haven’t put up more than 21 points in a game against the Johnnies in over a decade and I doubt that streak ends this season. I see the offense having just enough success to pull out another close win. St. John’s 28, Concordia 20.
Touchdown Tommy: The Cobbers always have a terrific scheme that gives the Johnnies fits. Nobody else in the MIAC utilizes the Wing-T offense. They play smart, physical defense each year and are led by the best young coach in the MIAC. No question they aren’t intimidated by the Johnnie mystique of Clemens Stadium. This week’s game has me, always the eternal Johnnie football optimist, quite nervous. There are still numerous question marks to be sorted out and Concordia-Moorhead is NOT the team to be doing that with. Concordia 27, St. John’s 20.
