Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Everything seemed to go right for the 10th-ranked Saint John's football team as it rolled to a 98-0 non-conference win over St. Scholastica in the 2017 season opener on Saturday, Sept. 2, in Clemens Stadium.

SJU out-gained St. Scholastica 560-52, including 337 yards rushing to -7 for the Saints. Thirteen different Johnnies scored a touchdown in the game. 

The Johnnies took advantage of a mishandled snap on a punt at the end of the Saints' first offensive possession and scored two defensive touchdowns, a 37-yard interception return by senior linebacker David Franta (Winnebago, Minn./Blue Earth Area) and a 73-yard fumble return by junior defensive back Max Jackson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall), in the first half to gain a 63-0 lead at the break.

Seven of the Johnnies' 12 offensive scoring drives covered 41 yards or less and the entire 180-man roster, outside of the injured, played in the game.

The 98 points scored set a new NCAA Division III record for a game played between two Division III opponents. The previous record was Concordia-Moorhead's 97-6 victory over Macalester on Sept. 24, 1977. The NCAA Division III record for points in a game is 105 (105-0), set by Rockford (Ill.) against then-NAIA Trinity Bible (N.D.) on Sept. 6, 2003. 

The Johnnies' 63 points scored in the first half set a new program record, surpassing the 62 points scored in the first half against Hamline on Oct. 9, 1993, in Collegeville.

Sophomore quarterback Jackson Erdmann (Rosemount, Minn.) finished 7 of 7 passing for 129 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 18 yards and a score on three carries. In total, SJU's quarterbacks ended the day a combined 14 of 17 passing for 223 yards and six touchdowns. The Johnnies' final pass attempt of the game occurred halfway through the third quarter.

Freshman running back Kendrick Hernandez (Waite Park, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral) led the Johnnies' ground game with 65 yards on two attempts. Fourteen different Johnnies recorded a carry in the game.

Seven Johnnies scored their first collegiate touchdowns: Franta, Jackson, junior tight end Tommy Auger (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral), sophomore running back Charlie Kaye (Inverness, Ill./William Fremd), sophomore running back Will Kleinschmidt (Avon, Minn./Albany), freshman running back Bryar Topo (Round Rock, Texas/St. Stephen's Episcopal) and freshman running back Kenneth Udoibok (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall).

Franta led SJU's defense with six tackles (four solo). Senior linebacker Josh Dutcher (Chisago City, Minn./Chisago Lakes) collected five tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and two sacks, while senior defensive lineman Mat Hobby (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak) posted three solo tackles, two of which were for a loss, one sack and a forced fumble.

The Johnnies plays host to NAIA Presentation (S.D.) for a 1 p.m. kickoff next Saturday, Sept. 9, in Collegeville.

Notes: The last time SJU scored two defensive touchdowns in a game occurred Nov. 14, 2009, against Carleton (Nate Anderson and Ethan Eid)…SJU is now 76-28-3 (.724) in its season opener (5-0 under the direction of head coach Gary Fasching), including a 44-16-3 (.722) record when the game is played in Collegeville...St. Scholastica was picked to win the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) in its preseason coaches' poll released Aug. 22.