FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[faunch]

Did anybody check the boxscore for the game on gojohnnies.com?  I got quite a chuckle out of the description of the weather!

Kickoff time: 1 p.m.    End of Game: 4:13 pm   Total elapsed time: 3:13
Officials: Referee: Pat Whalen; Umpire: Tom Tucker; Linesman: Judd Froemming;
Line judge: Dave Wittman; Back judge: Bill Merritt; Field judge: Bill Nelson;
Side judge: Dan Pelletier; Scorer: Marty Sundvall;
Temperature: 83 F      Wind: S 8-12    Weather: SuperDuperAwesome

[CC Backer]

ROR-
It's tough to say but I think that the coaches stick with Nelson right now.  He looked good until the cramping legs got to him on saturday.  Larson is a great athlete and needs to be on the field.  As he gets more confidence and learns the system I think the staff will have a much harder decision to make.  But I aslo expect Nelson to keep maturing and getting better so if he takes the job for good and Larson doesn't pan out on offense, look for him to appear again in the defensive backfield some where.

Pros of Nelson and Larson:
Nelson- Knows the offensive system better, Game experience, Better throwing the ball (against the Dragons anyway).
Larson- More athletic, Better runner in the option game, Big and strong

Cons:
Nelson- Small in size, doesn't have great speed for running or scrambling
Larson- New to the offensive system, Didn't show much in the passing game

As for Dickinson State, I know the team is going into that game with respect for DS, but also with a must win attitude.  I think it'll be a good game, with the Cobbs coming out on top.

[bcflyguy1]

Before we carve the gravestone for the '07 Royals' MIAC and playoff campaign, let's remember that last year's team lost a real head-scratcher to Carleton before playing some wonderful football down the stretch.  Obviously there is much to be improved upon (like 2 INT's, 2 fumbles that luckily weren't lost, and a short missed field goal among other things), but I'm sure there will be fixes made.  Dealing well with adversity has always been a pillar of BU's football program.  Congrats to SJU on a good opener.

I haven't checked the record books, but it seems like  Bethel has one of these games every year.

I am still expecting the SJU/BU game to be a battle royal.

ROR-
Yep, that's very true.  Every year I played we had a game where we just didn't execute but sometimes we were able to win those anyway.  In '00, by all rights we should have lost to Hamline but a kid dropped a touchdown pass as he walked over the goal line late in that game.  Why the trend mentioned exists is anybody's guess.  But you're right, SJU will still get BU's best shot in November.

Kilted-
Love the signature, absolutely classic.

[Mr.Shoes]

I didn't realize that Concordia was playing at Dickinson next week until just now. My folks live out there; maybe my father would go and do a little advanced scouting on the Cobbers for JohnnieFootball.com. Hmm.

All-in-all it was a killer trip to Collegeville yesterday. The tailgate was a great time and the game was as SuperDuperAwesome as the weather. I've got a couple photos of the festivities taken in ROR's stead (he declined to use my point-and-shoot Canon in place of his much nicer photo-taker. What a snob ) that I'll throw up on the site tomorrow.

[Kilted Rat]

Kilted-
Love the signature, absolutely classic.

Thought you might

I was trying to find the exact quote, but didn't have any luck.

[Veek]

SJU played a great game yesterday.  I was impressed to see them play so well in their opening game as we know how some other season openers have gone.

It was great seeing everyone at the tailgate.  JR and Nacho Libre (TDT) were the only two who beat me to our cherished spot behind the pine curtain.  

Frank - where the hell were you?  Nacho Libre and I became increasingly concerned as the day went on and you were still a no show.

Ritz - you have to tell the story of your neighbor across the street who was tree trimming.  You can't make that stuff up!  That was a great laugh for an early Saturday morning.

It was a tremendous day with great weather, great SJU football, and great friends.  What more could a SJU fan want?  Oh yeah, great burgers, brats, and beer.  I had those, too!

[Willy Wonka]

Veek - Frank never made it up to the game?? He promised that he'd kick TDT in the vahina for me! Disappointing...

[justadad]

It sounds like Saturday was a good day all around for the Johnnies.  I was not there but understand the team has made an investment in a kicking net.  Is this true?  Will the net make road trips?  Would a net in Whitwater last season have changed the outcome?  
Special teams + Johnnie Football = Salem?  

[57Johnnie]

It sounds like Saturday was a good day all around for the Johnnies.  I was not there but understand the team has made an investment in a kicking net.  Is this true?  Will the net make road trips?  Would a net in Whitwater last season have changed the outcome?  
Special teams + Johnnie Football = Salem?  

Welcome aboard. Hope you are right. +k

[stanbob]

It sounds like Saturday was a good day all around for the Johnnies.  I was not there but understand the team has made an investment in a kicking net.  Is this true?  Will the net make road trips?  Would a net in Whitwater last season have changed the outcome?  
Special teams + Johnnie Football = Salem?  

Justa, could very well mean that the missing link has been discovered.  Dang Holidays, sure slows down the board!  Not that I am complaining about a day off or anything.  Am hoping for a trip down to Minnesota this fall, definitely need for that to come to fruitation,

[kcreds]

One word describes St. John's, super. They have a super campus, stadium, team and fans. The campus is beautiful. The stadium has a Division I feel. The programs are top notch. They remind me of programs I have gotten at Division I or pro games. The crowd was electric, had to be around 8,000 people. The pregame show over the loud speakers was nice too. Their team was hitting on all cylinders. The only negative might be their running game, even though it was good enough to keep the defense on its heels. The QB is the real deal. His timing and scrambling abilities were definitely his strong points. Several times he looked like he was running for his life but then he would stop, find a wide open receiver downfield , and hit him almost effortlessly. Even the 2nd and 3rd teams had success. The fans were wonderful, Pat, you would have been proud. They met me as soon as I arrived. They were very hospitable, special thanks to Raiderguy and Johnnie Red. The jello-shots and hamburgers were great. I can definitely see why good players want to come there and play. A real top-notch and classy program. Their coach had their team well prepared and instead of running the score as high as he could, he substituted a lot. It really didn't matter until the 3rd or 4th strings got in there against most of our starters. I'm glad I made the trip and I'm happy that my son got to experience it.

The one word that describes Marietta at this time, UGLY. Offensively the only bright spot I saw was the ability of Ryan Dawson. He had his man burnt a few times deep early in the game but the QB at the time couldn't connect. Everyone else was pretty much a non-factor. Marietta's offense consisted of Dawson and STJ's penalties. Defensively our new DB's, which I knew was our weakness, were stuggling all day. I do give credit to STJ's receivers, they made some very nice catches. Even though it appeared we were bigger, STJ's was very much faster. Speed kills and STJ's had more speed on both sides of the ball. I am also a firm believer that games are won and lost in the trenches. Without any doubt, STJ's won that war. The real question, is STJ's that good or is Marietta that bad. I believe that STJ's is that good. They are legitimately a top 3 team. If they play MU this year, I will try and be there. I think Marietta's coaching staff has a lot of work to do, including personnel evaluations.

Prior to this game, several posters stated their opinions based on last year's team. I wanted to be optimistic and believe the Pios would be competitive based on this year's team. I was wrong. I, however, still believe the Pios will be in the middle of the OAC at the end. There is a big difference between STJ's and most of the teams in the OAC. As always, Goooooo Pios!

[stanbob]

After their respective debacles Saturday, does anyone think that Notre Dame may want to reconsider and be the Gophers opeing opponent at the new stadium?

[sjusection105]

It sounds like Saturday was a good day all around for the Johnnies.  I was not there but understand the team has made an investment in a kicking net.  Is this true?  Will the net make road trips?  Would a net in Whitwater last season have changed the outcome?  
Special teams + Johnnie Football = Salem?  

Welcome to the board justadad. I like what Russell brings to the table, the kid can kick!

It would make sense that you have been a long time reader of this board, as hardly anyone posts on the first day that they discover this site.

Do you have a son on the 2007 SJU squad?

For more Johnnie coverage, be sure to check out www.JohnnieFootball.com

Also, don't be shy, stop by the Stiftungfestivities prior to the Auggie game on Sept. 15.

['gro]

Can't leave the MIAC out...

Yahoo Pro Football Pick'em open to all post pattern-er-ers...  Games start Thursday!

League Name: Peanut Butter & Ladies
Group ID#:     13506
Group Password    mantastic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RUO-V9BSnc

[corn horn]

Aaah...football season is back.

How quickly we turn our attention away from crocs and microbreweries and back to what makes each fall sparkle.

Glad to see the Cobbers showing some kick again. MSUM's throwing late in the game rather than running down the clock has raised some eyebrows, but with -22 rushing yards on the day versus like 350 yards in the air, you can hardly blame them.

Not to overlook Dickinson State, but the Cobbs' showdown in Collegeville in a couple weeks seems to be shaping up nicely.