JohnnieFootball

20 Responses

1. TC

   November 16th, 2008 at 2:03 pm

   Welcome, Johnnie fans!

2. TC

   November 16th, 2008 at 2:06 pm

   For the fourth straight season, the Johnnies have made the NCAA field of 32. We should have their matchup shortly.

3. TC

   November 16th, 2008 at 2:08 pm

   The Johnnies have won their past 15 first round playoff games, and 15 of 16 since the NCAA expanded the field to 16 teams in the early 1980s.

   2007: Redlands, W 41-13
   2006: @Central, W-21-13
   2005: Monmouth, W-62-3
   2003: St. Norbert, W-38-13
   2002: Redlands, W-31-24
   2001: St. Norbert, W-27-20
   2000: @UW-Stout, W-26-19
   1999: UW-Stevens Point, W-23-10
   1998: Pacific Lutheran, W-33-20
   1996: Simpson, W-21-18
   1994: La Verne, W-51-12
   1993: Coe, W-32-14
   1991: Coe, W-75-2
   1989: Simpson, W-42-35
   1987: @Gustavus, W-7-3
   1985: @Occidental, L-28-10

4. TC

   November 16th, 2008 at 2:11 pm

   As I mentioned, 32 teams will make this year’s field. 23 teams are in by winning a conference with an automatic bid, including St. John’s by virtue of winning the MIAC. 3 teams are selected at-large among independent schools and those playing in conferences without automatic bids. Of all the remaining schools, 8 chosen to complete the field.

5. TC

   November 16th, 2008 at 2:13 pm

   Time to hit the road: St. John’s will take on Wisconsin-Whitewater at noon on Saturday in Whitewater, WI.

6. TC

   November 16th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

   The Johnnies’ 2005 and 2006 seasons ended in Whitewater. St. John’s lost to the Warhawks 34-7 in the second round in 2005 and 17-14 in the West Region final in 2006.

7. sjusection105

   November 16th, 2008 at 2:18 pm

   This is a getting to be a familiar trip to Whitewater. The Johnnies will need to play a great game to advance to the second round.

8. Touchdown Tommy

   November 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pm

   Wow very tough draw for the Johnnies.

9. Touchdown Tommy

   November 16th, 2008 at 2:20 pm

   The Limo Bus is getting fired up for the trip…

10. sjusection105

    November 16th, 2008 at 2:21 pm

    The bright side of this draw is that both of these teams have had to replace standout players from last season. The coaching staff will have some ideas of how to game plan this match-up

11. TC

    November 16th, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    The Warhawks are 9-1 on the season, their only loss a 17-16 home defeat to WIAC champion UW-Stevens Point, who also made the field. It was Whitewater’s first conference loss since 2004, which may suggest the program is a little down this year, but they spent the majority of the 2008 season near the top of the D3Football.com Top 25 rankings. Whitewater currently ranks 5th, and are the highest ranked team with a loss.

12. Touchdown Tommy

    November 16th, 2008 at 2:27 pm

    Is the 3rd time a charm in Whitewater? No question the Johnnies are the decided underdog next Saturday.

13. sjusection105

    November 16th, 2008 at 2:29 pm

    The Warhawks will be playing with a chip on their should having not won the WIAC and being in the position of defending the National Championship without Justin Beaver and Danny Jones.
    Make no mistake, the Johnnies can win this game, they will however, need to play mistake free football and have some Johnnie Magic as far as fortunate bounces of the football.

14. Touchdown Tommy

    November 16th, 2008 at 2:32 pm

    Looks to me like the NCAA viewed the East as the #1 seeded bracket. The West #2, the South #3, and the North #4.

15. sjusection105

    November 16th, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    The Monmouth/Aroura game should be a barn-burner….. with the winner getting the winner of the Wartburg/Stevens Point game.

    If the Johnnies would beat Whitewater, they would have a flight to the west coast for their 2nd round match-up.

16. Touchdown Tommy

    November 16th, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    A quick note to Johnnie fans considering making the trip to Whitewater. Be sure to arrive early on Saturday morning for some excellent tailgating (no harassment from Rent-a-cops like you’ve come to know in Collegeville). They really know how to do it well and have been extremely accomodating in the past.

17. TC

    November 16th, 2008 at 2:42 pm

    Here’s a look at the entire West bracket:

    #2 Occidental @ #1 Willamette: The downside of the Division III playoff system is that matchups are often dictated by money rather than seeding. That’s why these top two seeds in the West region, both located out on the west coast, will meet in the first round. The winner of this game will face a stiff test in the second round, but will have homefield advantage through out the West Region and has a good chance of advancing to the national semifinals.

    #6 St. John’s @ #5 UW-Whitewater: Because of the rejiggering of the bracket explained above, #5 seed Whitewater is rewarded a home game. The Warhawks might be the most talented team in the West, but they aren’t unbeatable. If St. John’s can surprise them on the road, anything is possible. This is by far the best team the Johnnies have faced in 2008, though.

    #7 Wartburg @ #4 UW-Stevens Point: The 1-loss Pointers edge out the Warhawks for the 4th seed by virtue of beating them head-to-head. This is a down year for the IIAC (Augsburg beat IIAC champ Wartburg for the second straight season before finishing in middle of the MIAC pack).

    #8 Aurora @ #3 Monmouth: Johnnie fans will remember Monmouth from the 2005 playoffs when the undefeated Scots came to Collegeville for a first round matchup and lost 62-3. This year, an undefeated Monmouth team is rewarded with a #3 seed, a home playoff game, and a very favorable draw with arguably the 4 best teams in the West on the other half of the bracket. If they’re ever going to make noise in the playoffs, this is their year.

    It goes without saying that the Johnnies’ draw is not a favorable one, but that is what happens when you lose two games in the regular season. At least they have the opportunity to decide their fate on the field.

18. Touchdown Tommy

    November 16th, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    Curious to me that Wartburg was sent to UW-Stevens Point while the Johnnies are going to Whitewater. Seems like it should have been flip-flopped…

19. TC

    November 16th, 2008 at 2:53 pm

    A look at a few of the contenders for the national championship:

    Mount Union seems to play in the Stagg Bowl every year and no one will be surprised if they end up there again this year. They’re 10-0 again and, for the second year in a row, the’ve been awarded the #1 seed in the historically weak East Region, even though they a traditionally a North team. The odds-on favorite to win it all.

    With Mount Union out of the way, the North Region is wide open. #1 North Central will try to protect its homefield advantage in a bracket that includes #4 Otterbein, whose only loss was to conference for Mount Union, and #6 Wabash, which was ranked in the top 5 all season before suffering their first loss of the year to rival DePauw and tumbling to the middle of their bracket.

    In the South, #1 Millsaps is the only undefeated team in the bracket They can expect a challenge from the winner of the “Texas Sub-Regional”, #2 Mary Hardin-Baylor and #3 Hardin-Simmons. #7 Wesley has proven to be a tough team in the playoffs the past few seasons.

20. DustySJU

    November 16th, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    Hey everyone! Just checking in after a quick 6U practice with Nora…. OK, my quick reaction is, well…. if you catch me at the tailgate party I’ll tell you there!

    At the very least you can count on a tight fisted defensive battle from the Johnnies.

    I agree with TC that both the Johnnies and Warhawks have lost plenty of star players to make this perhaps an even more evenly matched rematch!

    A quick scan of the Warhawk schedule doesn’t reveal any of the domination they’ve shown in the recent past.

    A few precious tweaks of the offense and an innovative game plan will have the Johnnies primed for the their first round opponent.