Johnnies Tip Tommies in 100th Anniversary of First Meeting
September 29, 2001 Johnnies Tip Tommies in 100th Anniversary of First Meeting
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John’s University held off a late Tommie rally and defeated the University of St. Thomas, 27-21, at Clemens Stadium in Collegeville, Minn. The game was played in front of nearly 9,000 fans and marked the 100th anniversary of the first meeting between the two Minnesota schools.
UST took the opening kickoff and jumped on the scoreboard first as junior quarterback Nick Ambrasas scored from one-yard out. SJU tied the game at 7-7 in the first quarter on a 12-yard pass from junior quarterback Ryan Keating to junior wide receiver Blake Elliott. Later in the first quarter, SJU used some trickery as Elliott threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Drew Gibson. The extra point failed and SJU led 13-7.
The only scoring of the second quarter was a six-yard pass from Keating to senior running back Jeff Radel and the Johnnies led 20-7 at intermission.
The Johnnies built their lead in the third quarter as Gibson caught a 24-yard pass from Keating for a touchdown and SJU was up 27-7.
The Tommie came back late in the third quarter as junior running back Jake Barkley scored on a 13-yard run to cut the SJU lead to 27-14. Early in the fourth quarter, UST struck again as Ambrasas connected with senior tight end Jon Learn for a 19-yard pass and the game was 27-21 in favor of the Johnnies.
The Tommies had two late drives in the fourth quarter that were stopped on fourth down and the Johnnies came away with a 27-21 win. The Johnnies were aided in the defensive effort by a 70-yard punt by Charlie Carr to pin the Tommies back deep on their final possession of the game.
UST out gained SJU 411 to 235 in total offense. Individually, Barkley was the star of the game as he rushed for 193 yards on 38 carries and one touchdown. Ambrasas was 19-for-39 passing for 247 yards, one touchdown ands two interceptions. Junior wide receiver Andrew Hilliard led the UST receiving corp with six catches for 79 yards. Andy Kaiser led the SJU defensive unit with 10 tackles.
For SJU, Keating was 9-for-16 passing for 107 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Radel led SJU’s rushing attack with 47 yards on 11 carries. Drew Gibson had two receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, SJU was led by senior defensive back Brad Beyer with 19 tackles and junior defensive back Jason Pflipsen with 16 tackles.
SJU has now won four straight meetings with the Tommies and eight of the last nine. The Johnnies lead the all-time series 41-28-1 in 70 meetings over the course of 100 years. SJU and UST have played every year since 1952.
SJU and UST are both now 2-2 overall and 2-1 in the MIAC. There is a five-way tie for second in the MIAC at 2-1, behind MIAC leading Bethel.
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Athletic Department
Saint John’s University
PO Box 7277
Collegeville, MN 56321
320-363-2757
Fax 320-363-3130
E-Mail Marilyn Koltes