FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

What a jerk! I never said 49 was a problem. I said throwing up 49 is the problem.
Were these kids on the team a long time ago-no. Sportsmanship has no time boundaries. You just show your ignorance-which is not unexpected!

I don't think up 49 in the third is a problem. If they kept the starters in and throwing, up 63 in the fourth, I'd have felt differently. But what you describe actually happens all the time.

[WashedUp]

What a jerk! I never said 49 was a problem. I said throwing up 49 is the problem.
Were these kids on the team a long time ago-no. Sportsmanship has no time boundaries. You just show your ignorance-which is not unexpected!

You've got to be kidding me, like SJU has never done this.  It took me all of 1 old boxscore to find SJU throwing 6 passes up 53-0 on Augsburg, and that's not even a rival.

I was on the wrong end of a game like this my junior year against Olaf.  It doesn't feel good, but it makes the win that much more sweet.

[sju56321]

Please, Pat-up 49-0 and passing that is ok-no way. If SJU did that-I would not condone that. Doesn't matter what was done in the past. If you are talking #1 v. #2 and up 35 or 42 and passing, ok.
Also, please remember that in the past SJU QB called their own plays-if they threw up 49-0 in the third against an inferior team-that is bush league. So, if the UST QB called the pass, without the coache's knowledge, the I apologize to the coach.

[SagatagSam]

The rest of the season ought to be open tryouts for every position at SJU.

This is where we find some diamonds in the rough (i.e., that one freshman that no one was talking about that finally gets a look and makes the most of it.)

[DoubleO]

Well, kinda bush league, then.
Some coaches win with class, some don't.

Talk about bush league...how about the hecklers directly behind the SJU bench.  I'm told that the one leading the jeering was none other than Ben Wartman.
I've got plenty of photographic evidence...which I will share soon...this guy was acting like a grade A a$$hole...probably the worst behavior I've ever witnessed. 
Bud Grant used to tell his players "Act like you've been there before."  I guess Coach Caruso doesn't teach and instill that in his players. 
And yes SJU is a very bad team.  I've been saying it for weeks.  Slow, small and not athletic.

Seriously? Come on. I guess you've got to find something to piss & moan about other than your teams play, huh? Cue the ticket price complaints or the lack of attendance now. Spare me.

I should be able to walk down a sideline without the kind of crap going on that was going on behind the SJU bench today.  Incredibly classless.  If it was former UST players its makes it even worse.

Again, you're grasping at straws here, faunch.

[SJU60TX]

SJU just plain sucks.  No more toughness in that program---no more we're gone line up and stick it to you, no more we know we are going to beat you, no more, qbs calling plays, no more grass in Natural Bowl, no more non sponsored stuff, things have to change, fast in Collegeville.

Hey if Tommies pound SJU, so be it, we deserve it, we've become way too complacent, not hungry enough any more.....

[SagatagSam]

SJU just plain sucks.  No more toughness in that program---no more we're gone line up and stick it to you, no more we know we are going to beat you, no more, qbs calling plays, no more grass in Natural Bowl, no more non sponsored stuff, things have to change, fast in Collegeville.

Hey if Tommies pound SJU, so be it, we deserve it, we've become way too complacent, not hungry enough any more.....

That's what I've been saying for a while. There is no fire in our belly anymore. We are perfectly satisfied to walk away every season with our non-existent trophy for the attendance championship. If we make the NCAA playoffs, great, but if not, everything is peachy-keen.

[AlmostEx]

Bruns should be the starter.  A year and a half ago I was told by someone who is a very good judge of taalent that he would be the starter, but sadly this isn't their decision.  Eveen more sad is that the party to which this decision falls, appears clueless on so many fronts, not the least of which is how to judge talent.

[SagatagSam]

Bruns should be the starter.  A year and a half ago I was told by someone who is a very good judge of taalent that he would be the starter, but sadly this isn't their decision.  Eveen more sad is that the party to which this decision falls, appears clueless on so many fronts, not the least of which is how to judge talent.

Yeah. I have a friend who is a former player that is Jimmy's biggest critic. I've always thought Jimmy was a nice guy--friendly to me when I stopped by the athletic department.

This may be a case of: "He is a nice guy BUT..."

I'm afraid that is the case on several fronts at SJU.

[sju56321]

Bethel lost? What happened? And UWW tied at half-interesting Saturday.

[BleacherBum]

Today's performance by the Johnnies was terrible. No excuses. A sad day for the Johnnie faithful.

I'll probably be crucified for saying this, but realistically the score was appropriate. How many times have the J's put up a similar number? Yes, the Johnnie fans (and I am most definitely one of them) are going to say "we did it with our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th teams" but the fact remains, St. John's is known for hanging some rather large numbers on teams that have been outmatched. St. Thomas was making a statement with this game. A below average St. John's team was still receiving votes in the D3 poll until after the loss to Augsburg. That statement is "We beat 7 different kinds of dogs*** out of the fabled St. John's!"

St. John's still has the target on their back. Unless they have a streak of futility that resembles the Gophers as of late, they will continue to have a target until they're no longer relevant. When you're the team that lays the lumber for so many years, you have to expect anyone who gets the lead to try to return the favor.

All I can do is say "Well played, Tommies. Don't forget to bring the Grail next year because we expect it to come home."

[chewey]

63 to 7?  Uh, Houston, we have a problem........ This team will be lucky to get to 4-4-1 like the 1986 team.  With the 1986 team, there were some reasons 1.) Rick Dougherty - a 4-year starter at QB - got hurt early on; 2.) 2 players (I believe it was two among the three involved) were run over by a train in St. Joseph; 3.) A couple good linemen got hurt early on so Vince Reiter did  not have the best up front blocking; 4.) QB Alex Schleper was not Rick Dougherty so people keyed on the run. 

If this isn't a wake up call for the coaches, I don't know what will be.  Any one of them have forgotten way more about FB than I'll ever know but it should be obvious that they need to step up the recruiting NOW.  There is a paucity of talent on this teams, at least among the present starters, and SJU should really use the rest of the year to see which under-classmen have some talent and develop it.  With 180 kids out for FB, how can the cupboard be this bare?  One wants to remain positive but even the most optimistic would have to agree that SJU is not getting the best kids like in years past.  You are not going to get the best kids, or at least as many of them, by just sitting in Collegeville making a phone call or two.  Time to wake up guys. 

[DuffMan]

I'll probably be crucified for saying this, but realistically the score was appropriate. How many times have the J's put up a similar number?

I'm with you.  Play solid defense and they won't score.  Anyone hear Jimmy speak in the pregame show about how the offense performed well vs. Augsburg?  Not today, huh?  -10 yards rushing in the first half?  The Auggies don't look as good now, eh?   

[SJU60TX]

Chewey-you are partially correct about 86-no players were run over by the train in 86-but friends of guys on the team and it probably had an effect.

2.-I think John held on to Dougherty too long---there were other more talented QBs on that team
3.  No linemen were hurt that year that I can recall...

[chewey]

Thanks SJU60TX.  That was my freshman year up there - 25 years ago - so it's pretty fuzzy.  I thought that Mark Mooney's brother was one of those killed but probably wrong about that.  I think that team's best offensive asset was kicker Don Pribyl.