No. 3/4 Johnnies Hold On for Homecoming Win
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – No. 3/4 Saint John’s University erased a nine-point deficit to defeat No. 14/18 St. Olaf 30-29 in front of over 12,000 on Homecoming Saturday in Collegeville.
The Johnnies started the game with a 13 play, 68-yard drive that ended with senior quarterback Alex Kofoed (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) connecting on an 8-yard touchdown pass with senior running back Mike Patnode (Princeton, Minn.).
St. Olaf answered with 9 points on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Matt Penz to Horace Gant and a 25-yard field goal by Paul Fortman. A botched snap on the PAT attempt later proved to be a critical play in the game’s result.
Down 9-7 late in the first quarter, senior safety John Cloeter (Sauk-Rapids, Minn.) intercepted Penz for just the second time this season. Senior wide receiver Chace Pollock (Marshall, Minn.) grabbed a 6-yard touchdown pass from Kofoed to give the Johnnies a 14-9 lead with 11:29 remaining in the second quarter.
St. Olaf answered, however, as Andrew Schmiesing returned a Gliadon punt 75-yards for a touchdown to give the Oles a 16-14 lead. SJU regained the lead with a 7 play, 55-yard drive capped off by a 32-yard field goal by junior place kicker/punter Russell Gliadon (Fridley, Minn.) as time expired in the second quarter.
St. Olaf began the second half with a 12 play, 57-yard drive resulting in another field goal by Fortman to give the Oles a 19-17 lead. Sophomore linebacker Josh Rose (Litchfield, Minn.) fumbled the ensuing kickoff, giving St. Olaf a first-and-10 from the Johnnies’ 34-yard line. Four plays later, the Oles’ Coty Watkins dashed in from 8 yards out to give St. Olaf a 26-17 lead. St. Olaf would later fail to convert on a field goal chance late in the third quarter due to another botched snap from center.
Down by 10 points and seeking a boost, the Johnnies received a pair of big plays from senior wide receiver Brian Weber (Glenwood, Minn./Minnewaska Area). On first-and-10 from the Oles’ 35-yard line, Kofoed fluttered a pass that seemed to be a jump ball intended for Pollock. At the last moment, Weber dashed in front of Pollock to make the catch and scooted down the sidelines for a Johnnie touchdown to cut the deficit to 26-24.
St. Olaf failed on a fourth-and-eight on the SJU 35-yard line to give the ball back to the rejuvenated Johnnies. Again, it was Weber. The 5-11 junior made a sensational diving catch for a 38-yard gain down to the Oles' three-yard line. Patnode scored on the very next play to give the Johnnies a 30-26 lead. The Johnnies went for a two-point conversion but were unable to convert, making the score 30-26 with 11:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.
St. Olaf answered with a 15 play, 50-yard drive but was held to three points thanks to a 35-yard field goal by Fortman with 5:29 remaining.
Kofoed and the SJU offense proceeded to burn the final 5:29 of the game to seal a 30-29 victory.
Kofoed finished the game 28 of 43 passing for 318 yards and three touchdowns to record his eighth career 300-yard passing game, tying Kurt Ramler (1993-96) for the school record. An evenly-matched game both on the field and on paper, the Johnnies gained 394 total offensive yards and tallied a possession time of 31:09, compared to 349 yards and a possession time of 28:51 for the Oles. St. Olaf entered the contest averaging 573.8 offensive yards and 51.2 points per game. SJU recorded 24 first downs to St. Olaf’s 22, and both teams were 50.0 percent on third downs (STO: 10 of 20, SJU: 9 of 18).
Patnode led the Johnnies in both rushing and receiving with 135 total yards (61 yards on 16 carries and 74 yards on 8 receptions) and two touchdowns, while Weber had 3 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. Senior safety Kevin Boegel (Mahtomedi, Minn.) led the Johnnies defensively with 14 tackles (5 solo), while sophomore linebacker Ryan Wimmer added 13 tackles (3 solo). Junior defensive lineman Joe Luke (Alexandria, Minn.) collected 6 tackles (5 solo), two tackles for loss and one sack for SJU.
St. Olaf’s Matt Penz was 17 of 43 passing for 216 yards. Horace Gant gained 101 yards receiving on six receptions for the Oles (5-1, 3-1 MIAC). Adam Concannon made 15 tackles (6 solo), including 1.5 tackles for loss to lead St. Olaf.
With the win, legendary head coach John Gagliardi recorded his 449 career coaching victory (59 seasons) and the 425th win of his career at SJU (55 seasons).
The Johnnies (6-0 overall, 4-0 MIAC) will travel to face Gustavus Adolphus next Saturday, Oct. 13. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the new Gustavus Stadium in St. Peter.
Notes: SJU is now 62-16-2 (.788) in 80 known Homecoming games going back to 1924…Kofoed’s 43 pass attempts tie his own record for 10th in school history…Kofoed is now five passing touchdowns shy of breaking the SJU school-record held by current Carleton head coach Kurt Ramler ’97...SJU was ranked No. 3 in the latest American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) poll released on Oct. 2 and No. 4 in the D3football.com poll released on Oct. 1...St. Olaf was ranked No. 14 in the AFCA poll and No. 18 in the D3football.com poll.
Athletic Department
Saint John’s University
PO Box 7277
Collegeville, MN 56321
320-363-2757
Fax 320-363-3130
E-Mail Marilyn Koltes