FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[chewey]

Earth to SJU Coaching Staff:  PULL HEADS OUT OF POSTERIORS AND RECRUIT PLEASE.......

[sfury]

What would a talented student athlete think if he had @JohnGagliardi tweet a positive comment about his performance in Friday night's game?

You're not allowed to talk publicly about recruits before they have paid their deposit, IIRC, so this would be a violation.

And here we thought all of the Johnnies' troubles could be solved in 140 characters. Back to the drawing board.

[faunch]

Word out of Collegeville is that they will be unveiling an updated slogan for the football program prior to next week's homcoming game.  The change is minor yet necessary...

Johnnie Football: A Tradition Unrivaled will heretofore be,
Johnnie Football: A Tradition Unraveled.

RECRUIT SOME TALENT PLEASE AND IF YOUR CURRENT STAFF CAN'T GET THE JOB DONE HIRE A FULL TIME RECRUITING COORDINATOR

Ok...I'm done yelling...for the time being at least.

[DuffMan]

Yish.  I start each season with optimism, but I should probably stop doing that.  Crap, crap, crap.  It's tough to watch something you worked so hard to contribute to and take pride in flounder like this.

[hazzben]

Solid win today for Bethel over Carleton.

Highlights:

- 516 yds of offense and balance. 250 rushing, 266 passing.
- Speed on D. They cover a ton of grass.
- Klitzke emerging at RB with 15 carries for 168 and 3 TD's
- Peterson at QB. 68% comp, 258 yds, 2 TD & surprisingly athletic. He's a better runner than I expected.
- Walbilig doing everything. 6 carries for 58, 3 rec. for 37, 3 TD's. And he's just a gritty player, making blocks, etc.
- Weapons in the receiving game. Ulstad scores a long TD, Hallstrom getting his 5 for 50, Hillbrands averaging about 30 a catch again, backs getting involved. No one guy a defense can key on.
- Pass Rush. 6 sacks for 60+ yds, multiple guys getting pressure from the line to the linebackers. They play well together as a unit and have a lot of confidence right now.
- Mathis. He's just a beast. Some huge hits, QB hurries, pass break ups. He's just everywhere. His range and instincts at ILB are incredible.

Needs Work:
- Run D. This is being picky. Most of the yds came very late with a lot of 2's and 3's in and on one big run. But the killer instinct didn't seem to be there. For 3 quarters they dominated, but you need to keep up the intensity for 60. They know this and I'm sure the coaches will stress it.
- Mental errors. The long TD pass was a totally blown coverage. Better than giving up a drive or just getting beat, but against better teams we won't be able to afford those kinds of lapses.
- Special Teams! Blocked kicks and muffed punts. The punt return mistakes in particular. I get trying to make a play, but both fumbles were just totally careless. Against a good team those are the kinds of mistakes that can turn the tide of a game. Needs to get cleaned up. And when points are at a premium, we'll need to hit all the PAT's.
- Offensive Line. They are improving, but they aren't dominant yet. Their pass pro is solid. But top to bottom they need to continue to improve their intensity and physicality. It's getting better, but it's not there yet. They struggled against Wartburg and would have struggled getting a push against UST.
- Health at RB. Phenow's still out with an MCL sprain. Maybe next week, more likely not until Concordia. Marquardt went down early. Thankfully Klitzke seems up to the task and Walbilig has plenty of experience.

[BU Faithful]

Hazzben, I agree with much of your analysis, but have to question the "for three quarters they dominated" comment.  I thought I saw a team that dominated for 8 or 10 minutes, then relaxed, lost focus and got sloppy.  Got away with it today, but that won't always be the case.

[corn horn]

Hazzben, I agree with much of your analysis, but have to question the "for three quarters they dominated" comment.  I thought I saw a team that dominated for 8 or 10 minutes, then relaxed, lost focus and got sloppy.  Got away with it today, but that won't always be the case.

October 6 should be an interesting showdown in light of the above. Concordia put together a solid attack today, but also went three quarters before giving up big numbers. Last week the same thing happened against St. Olaf. I recognize that it is difficult to keep the intensity up when you're up 28-0 (v. STO) and 31-7 (v. SJU) going into the final quarter, but the ability to finish will be needed to compete with BU and UST.

Congrats to all things maroon and gold today. The Gophers look awesome, especially on defense. When, oh when, was the last time I thought that??

[hazzben]

Hazzben, I agree with much of your analysis, but have to question the "for three quarters they dominated" comment.  I thought I saw a team that dominated for 8 or 10 minutes, then relaxed, lost focus and got sloppy.  Got away with it today, but that won't always be the case.

I agree on the mental lapses. The first TD was a silly communication breakdown. In man coverage you've simply got to know who has who. There's no excuse for a receiver streaking down field with no one anywhere near him. And there were definitely points where they seemed to let up.

However, my comment that they 'dominated' was specifically in regard to the run game. And in that sense they did very well for 3 quarters.
1Q: 11 yds rushing
2Q: 35 yds rushing
3Q: 13 yds rushing

59 yds through 3 quarters is pretty solid. By the start of the 4th the 2nd and 3rd string were all over the field on D. However, in years past we'd have probably held them to 59 for the entire game, if not less. So yeah, while the starters did well, we've definitely seen better. There's room for them to improve. They've got the talent, it's just a matter of keeping the focus and intensity of 60.

[hazzben]

Hazzben, I agree with much of your analysis, but have to question the "for three quarters they dominated" comment.  I thought I saw a team that dominated for 8 or 10 minutes, then relaxed, lost focus and got sloppy.  Got away with it today, but that won't always be the case.

October 6 should be an interesting showdown in light of the above. Concordia put together a solid attack today, but also went three quarters before giving up big numbers. Last week the same thing happened against St. Olaf. I recognize that it is difficult to keep the intensity up when you're up 28-0 (v. STO) and 31-7 (v. SJU) going into the final quarter, but the ability to finish will be needed to compete with BU and UST.

It'll be a good test for both teams. And some of the silly errors Bethel made today won't do the trick.

That said, in some ways you're right, it's often easier to keep focused in a tight game. But you develop habits, even in the blowouts. 

[faunch]

Yish.  I start each season with optimism, but I should probably stop doing that.  Crap, crap, crap.  It's tough to watch something you worked so hard to contribute to and take pride in flounder like this.

As much as what is happening at SJU is difficult alums and fans to digest I can't imagine how tough it is on former players.  I feel for you and all those that played on the great Saint John's teams over the past 25 years.
The reality is that something is rotten in Collegeville and it's time for a change.  I and many other Johnnie fans would love to see John get 500 wins but doing so could leave the program terribly damaged.  I fear that if John (and  Jimmy) continue to captain the ship it's going to be nothing short of cruise into a sea called mediocrity.  As Kenny Rogers so wisely sang, "You gotta know when to hold'em, know when to fold'em."  I think it's time to fold'em and step away from the table.

Closed circuit to Tom Stock: "If this sh_t doesn't get better soon I don't think I want to watch a video webcast.   

Johnnie Football: A Tradition Unraveled

[cobbernation]

Another great win for the Cobbers this saturday as they beat SJU at concordia for the first time in 25 years.  It should be a great game in Arden Hills in 2 weeks to see where they really are at. 

4 weeks into the miac season and SJU having a 2-2 record and it's already time for Gags to step down? 

It's hard to imagine why a few seasons of mediocrity at SJU overshadows 6 decades of success and winning traditions.

[DuffMan]

What kind of alternate universe are we in???

[faunch]

Another great win for the Cobbers this saturday as they beat SJU at concordia for the first time in 25 years.  It should be a great game in Arden Hills in 2 weeks to see where they really are at. 

4 weeks into the miac season and SJU having a 2-2 record and it's already time for Gags to step down? 

It's hard to imagine why a few seasons of mediocrity at SJU overshadows 6 decades of success and winning traditions.

It's one thing to lose a couple of close games to league rivals, however if you look at the margin of victory in a number the losses the last two seasons the Jays are getting worked.  In my opinion that's an indication of a program lacking in talent.  The current staff at SJU has probably done more "recruiting" the last 5 years than in John's entire 60 year career.  You would think that with all the players they've brought in they would be competing for MIAC and even national championships. 
A few seasons of mediocrity does not overshadow the past 60 years.  However they don't give bonus points for what you accomplished 10, 20 or 30 years ago. 
To watch a program that 10 years ago was the best in D3 sitting at the bottom of the league with an 0-2 record is disheartening to say the least. 
Current high school seniors were about 7 or 8 years old when SJU won the 2003 National Championship.  Any recruiting bump they should have had from that is long gone.  Fielding a competitive team is one thing however versus the cream of the crop in 2011 and thus far in 2012 the Jays have been extremely overmatched.  26 net yards rushing yesterday??? C'mon man!

2011
UWEC 19-47
UST 7-63
BU 20-41

2012
UST 21-43
CC 21-31 (really wasn't even that close..were down 7-31 in 4th quarter)

Combined score total in those games
88-225

[sjusection105]

I traveled to Moorhead yesterday to witness the game with my own eyes.
I sum it up in my JFC blog entry

Oh yea, You can follow me on Twitter here

The long story made short is SJU is not controlling the line of scrimmage on either offense or defense. 50 net rushing yards in two weeks combined is just not going to cut it. When the rushing game is shut down, the opponent can bring the heat and the QB will throw interceptions, I don't care who he is.

[corn horn]

What kind of alternate universe are we in???

The same universe as the Big 10 "Legends" division, which has Minnesota and Northwestern on top.

I like this universe.