Football 10/19/02 -- St. John's 35, Augsburg 7

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (10/19/02) -- Kent Crowley (Sr., Iona, Minn./Fulda HS) rushed 27 times for 131 yards and three first-half touchdowns, leading St. John's University to a 35-7 win over Augsburg College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football game Saturday at Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field.

St. John's outgained Augsburg by a 423-194 margin in improving to 6-1 overall and 5-0 in MIAC play, claiming its fifth straight win. Augsburg, which was limited to just 35 rushing yards in the game, dropped to 2-5 overall and 1-4 in MIAC play.

Ross Denne (Sr., Avon, Minn./Albany HS) threw for 251 yards, completing 21-of-37 passes. Lee Clintsman (So., Maplewood, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) caught five passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Johnnies scored three touchdowns in the second period to take a 21-7 halftime lead. St. John's outgained Augsburg 151-58 in the deciding period, taking advantage of two interceptions to score on all three of its second-quarter possessions.

On the first play of the second quarter, Jason Pflipsen (Sr., Sartell, Minn.) intercepted Augsburg quarterback Dave Fransen (Sr., Farmington, Minn.) at the St. John's 48-yard line. Four plays later, Crowley scored his first touchdown on a 27-yard run.

Augsburg turned in its best drive of the day on the ensuing drive, going eight plays and 58 yards for its only score of the afternoon, a 12-yard pass from Fransen to Yarzue Slowon (So., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS).

A Blake Elliott (Jr., Melrose, Minn.) 24-yard kickoff return gave the Johnnies good field position at their own 38, and the Johnnies put on their longest drive of the afternoon, a 14-play, 62-yard drive to give Crowley his second TD of the game, a three-yard run with 3:48 left in the quarter.

Pflipsen claimed his second pickoff of the quarter with 2:42 left, giving the Johnnies the ball at the Augsburg 37. A fourth-down pass from Denne to Clintsman gave the ball at the Augsburg 17, and on the next play, Crowley rushed 17 yards for the touchown with 58 seconds left in the half.

The Auggies could not mount a comeback in the second half, as five of its seven second-half drives ended in punts, with the other two ending in an iterception and a turnover on downs.

Meanwhile, the Johnnies scored twice in the fourth quarter to put the game away. After an interception by Cole Deibele (Jr., Sleepy Eye, Minn.), the Johnnies marched 58 yards in seven plays, culminating in a Denne one-yard scoring run on the first play of the fourth quarter. Clintsman caught a 14-yard TD pass from Denne with 5:22 left to cap the Johnnie scoring.

Elliott, an All-American candidate at wide receiver, was limited to just 29 receiving yards on six catches, but had 90 return yards (41 on punts, 49 on kickoffs). Josh Nelson (Jr., Milaca, Minn.) caught three passes for 48 yards.

Augsburg's Fransen threw for 115 yards, completing 13-of-30 passes with a TD and three interceptions. Tony George (Fr., Blaine, Minn.) finished the game at quarterback, completing two passes for 44 yards. Luke Wright (Sr., Faribault, Minn.) caught four passes for 70 yards, while Slowon caught three passes for 25 yards and Sammy Gross (Sr., Springfield, Minn.) had two catches for 32 yards.

Cam McCambridge (Jr., Edina, Minn.) led the Johnnie defense with 14 tackles (six solo), while Jeremy Hood (Jr., Buffalo, Minn./Monticello HS) had 10 tackles (four solo), including two for loss. Josh Miller (Sr., Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) had a quarterback sack.

Augsburg's defense was led by Mitch Theisen (Sr., Waverly, Minn./Buffalo HS), who had 13 tackles (one solo). Brandon Fox (Jr., Springfield, Minn.) had 12 tackles (six solo), and Jordan Hastings (Fr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) had 11 tackles (four solo). Kyle Koch (Sr., Austin, Minn.) had a quarterback sack, and Major Williams (So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington HS) and Jim Gunderson (So., Hastings, Minn.) had interceptions, with Williams adding three pass deflections.

Both teams return to MIAC play next Saturday (10/26) at 1 p.m., with Augsburg playing at St. Thomas and St. John's playing at Concordia-Moorhead.

Football 10/19/02 -- Augsburg vs. St. John's Game Notes

THE GAME: The Augsburg College Auggies (2-4 overall, 1-3 MIAC) host the St. John's University Johnnies (5-1 overall, 4-0 MIAC) in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football game on Saturday, October 19 at 1 p.m., at Edor Nelson Field (capacity 2,000) in Minneapolis, Minn.

COACHES: Augsburg head coach Jack Osberg (Augsburg '62) is in his 12th season and currently has a 55-62 career mark. St. John's coach John Gagliardi (Colorado College '49) is in his 54th season (50th at St. John's) and is 393-113-11 overall (368-106-10 at St. John's).

RADIO: Augsburg games are broadcast on KCCO-AM 950, with Tom Witschen on play-by-play and Russ Bohaty on analysis. Because of broadcast restrictions, Auggie football games will not able to be cybercast on the Internet this season. St. John's games are broadcast on KKJM-FM 92.9 in St. Cloud, Minn., with Mark Lewandowski on the call with Bryan Backes and Josh Fiedler on analysis. SJU games can be heard on the Internet by going to the following address: http://www.gojohnnies.com/football/ and clicking on the "Listen to the Game" link at the bottom of the page.

SERIES: This is the 64th game in the all-time series between Augsburg and St. John's, a series the Johnnies lead 54-7-2. St. John's has won the last four games in a row in the series, and Augsburg head coach Jack Osberg is 1-10 in his career against St. John's. Augsburg's lone win in the series under Osberg was a 20-10 triumph at Augsburg on Sept. 20, 1997, the only Augsburg win over St. John's since 1980. The teams began the series in Augsburg's first year of football, 1926, and have played every year since 1954. St. John's coach John Gagliardi is 44-4-1 in his career against Augsburg.

PREGAME AUGGIE UNVEILING: Augsburg's athletic teams have been known as the Auggies since the early days of Auggie sports (the mid-1920s), but does anyone really know what an Auggie is? Often, baby eagles are referred to as "Auggies", and Augsburg has had an eagle as its unofficial mascot for several decades. On Saturday, before the football game against St. John's, Augsburg will unveil its new Auggie mascot in a ceremony that will have to be seen to be believed. Which came first, the Auggie or the egg? Find out 15 minutes before game time on Saturday.

MIAC OVERALL PER-GAME RANKINGS (6 games): Total offense -- Augsburg 5th (357.2), St. John's 1st (455.7); Passing offense -- Augsburg 4th (229.3), St. John's 1st (302.2); Rushing offense -- Augsburg 6th (127.8), St. John's 4th (153.5); Scoring offense -- Augsburg 6th (25.7); St. John's 1st (41.2); Total defense -- Augsburg 5th (357.2); St. John's 2nd (244.2); Passing defense -- Augsburg 6th (223.0); St. John's 2nd (138.2); Rushing defense -- Augsburg 7th (146.0); St. John's 2nd (106.0); Scoring defense -- Augsburg 5th (26.5); St. John's 1st (13.3).

MIAC CONFERENCE-ONLY PER-GAME RANKINGS (4 games): Total offense -- Augsburg 6th (362.0); St. John's 2nd (472.0); Passing offense -- Augsburg 3rd (234.8); St. John's 1st (293.3); Rushing offense -- Augsburg 6th (127.3); St. John's 3rd (178.8); Scoring offense -- Augsburg 7th (24.3); St. John's 1st (46.0); Total defense -- Augsburg 6th (387.8); St. John's 2nd (218.5); Passing defense -- Augsburg 7th (247.0); St. John's 1st (141.0); Rushing defense -- Augsburg 6th (140.8); St. John's 2nd (77.5); Scoring defense -- Augsburg 5th (27.0); St. John's 1st (8.5).

LAST YEAR: Drew Gibson caught three touchdown passes and St. John's quarterbacks threw for five touchdowns, as the Johnnies gained their first victory of the season with a 48-14 triumph over host Augsburg on Sept. 22, 2001. The game marked the rededication of Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field, renamed in honor of the legendary former coach of the Auggies (1947-69), but the visitors from St. John's spoiled the Auggies' celebration. Playing in a thunderstorm and a strong wind from the east, the Johnnies put together 327 yards of total offense, compared to just 260 for Augsburg.

Gibson caught touchdown passes of 26, nine and 12 yards, two in the second quarter and one in the third, as the Johnnies built a halftime lead of 34-7 and a third-quarter advantage of 41-7. Augsburg turned the ball over three times, had two punts blocked -- both by St. John's Brad Beyer -- and were forced to punt nine times in the game. The Auggies had just 260 yards of total offense, though the hosts held the time-of-possession advantage by nearly four minutes.

St. John's scored on five of their nine first-half drives. Zach McBroom recovered a Jeff Radel fumble in the end zone for the Johnnies' first touchdown, but Augsburg tied the game at 7-7, after taking advantage of a Johnnie punt blocked by Augsburg's Mitch Theisen. Mark Johnson caught his sixth touchdown of the season from Dave Fransen on a five-yard pass play. But after that, the game was all Johnnies. Blake Elliott caught a nine-yard touchdown from SJU quarterback Ross Denne, and Gibson caught two of his scores from Johnnie thrower Ryan Keating in the second period. A Josh Nelson three-yard scoring run sealed the dominating half by the Johnnies. After Gibson caught a 12-yard pass from Denne in the third quarter, the Auggies closed the gap slightly, when Chris Boyer scored on a one-yard run midway through the fourth quarter. But R.J. Welsh, the third quarterback the Johnnies used in the game, tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Black to cap the scoring.

Kent Crowley led the Johnnies with 11 carries for 74 yards. St. John's, which had been limited to just 28 rushing yards in its first two games of the season, rushed for 111 yards in the game Saturday. Denne threw for 140 yards, completing 12 of 22 passes, while Keating threw for 63 yards on five completions. Gibson's 56 yuards on four catches led the Johnnies. Augsburg's Fransen completed just 15 of 35 passes for 181 yards. Johnson's 65 yards on four receptions led the Auggies. T.J. Bramwell rushed for 56 yards on 15 carries and caught four passes for 41 yards.

The Johnnie defense was paced by Jamie Jones, who had nine tackles (five solo). Cameron McCambridge had seven tackles (five solo) and an interception, and Ryan Bielat had two sacks. Augsburg's defense was led by Theisen's eight tackles (six solo), including two for loss and a blocked kick. Scott Archambault had 6.5 tackles (three solo) and Dave Sherry had two sacks. Matt Chappuis had a sack and a block of an extra-point attempt.

AUGSBURG LAST WEEK: The trend in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was one of upsets, with Gustavus shocking St. Thomas and Bethel clipping St. Olaf, but the Concordia-Moorhead Cobbers did what they were supposed to, getting another strong team effort on their way to a 38-13 win over Augsburg on Saturday afternoon at Concordia's Jake Christiansen Stadium. In improving to 5-1 overall and 5-0 in the MIAC, Concordia dominated on both sides of the ball, gathering 359 yards of total offense compared to 247 for Augsburg. Augsburg, now 2-4 overall and 1-3 in MIAC play, was limited to just 69 rushing yards, while Concordia put together 206 net rushing yards.

The first quarter went by scoreless, but the Cobbers jumped on the board on the first play of the second quarter, a two-yard plunge by Jeremy Hinderks (Jr., Renville, Minn.). Quarterback Ryan Hebrink (Jr., Sacred Heart, Minn.) put the Cobbers up 14-0 with 9:52 left in the half, finding a hole and running in from 49 yards out. Hebrink then went to work through the air, hooking up with Shawn Reile (So., Moorhead, Minn.) on a 26-yard touchdown pass with 2:32 to go in the half, giving the Cobbers a 21-0 halftime advantage. Augsburg cut the lead to 21-7 with 13:25 left in the third quarter on a 16-yard pass from Dave Fransen (Sr., Farmington, Minn.) to Yarzue Slowon (So., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS). The Cobbers had the answer however, as Bobby Clark (Jr., Seeley Lake, Mont.) broke loose for a 54-yard touchdown run on the first play of the following drive.

The Auggies returned the favor on another scoring strike from Fransen to Slowon, a 10-yard pass with 10:16 remaining in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 28-13. The Cobbers put the game away on a second touchdown pass from Hebrink to Reile, a 31-yard strike with 3:17 left in the third. Brian Halverson (Fr., Fargo, N. Dak) tacked on a 27-yard field goal, his third of the season, to give the Cobbers a 38-13 victory.

Fransen completed 17-of-33 passes for 169 yards, with Slowon catching eight balls for 78 yards. T.J. Bramwell (Sr., Tomah, Wis.) led the Auggies with 37 rushing yards on 17 carries. Brandon Fox (Jr., Springfield, Minn.) led the Auggie defenders with eight tackles (five solo), with Andy Stephenson (Sr., Red Wing, Minn.) and Joe Cullen (So., Coon Rapids, Minn.) collecting five tackles apiece.

ST. JOHN'S LAST WEEK: St. John's led 35-0 after one quarter and scored six touchdowns in its first seven possessions to defeat Carleton 49-7 last Saturday at Clemens Stadium in Collegeville, Minn. The Johnnies opened the scoring at 13:48 after a Carleton fumble as junior Blake Elliott caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from senior Ross Denne. Denne then connected with sophomore Lee Clintsman at the 8:08 mark on a 25-yard touchdown pass and the Johnnies went up 14-0. After another Knight fumble, senior Kent Crowley scored on a six-yard run. On the first play after a Carleton punt, Denne connected with junior Jed Riegelman on a 56-yard touchdown pass and SJU led 28-0 only 10 minutes into the game. The final score of the first quarter came with 35 seconds left as Crowley scored on a 24-yard run. SJU added one more touchdown in the second quarter as junior Josh Nelson scored on a three-yard run. SJU led 42-0 at halftime.

In the third quarter, SJU freshman Tyler Bartling caught a two-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Zach Vertin. Sophomore Brandon Keller was 7-of-7 an extra points for the Johnnies. The final scoring of the game came with 5:01 left in the fourth quarter as Carleton senior Erik Fisher scored on a five-yard run to make the final score 49-7 in favor of the Johnnies.

The Johnnies controlled the final statistics as they had 462 yards total offense, compared to 204 yards for the Knights. SJU rushed for 263 yards and passed for 199 yards. The 263 yards rushing was the most for the Johnnies since they had 469 yards rushing against Macalester on Sept. 18, 1999. Carleton had five turnovers in the game. The Johnnies did lose three fumbles. Total offense at halftime was 326 to 78 in favor of the Johnnies.

Individually for SJU, Crowley rushed five times for 55 yards and sophomore Jake Theis had nine carries for 53 yards and one touchdown. Denne was 7-of-12 passing for 146 yards and three touchdowns. Six SJU quarterbacks had statistics in the game. Crowley also had four catches for 63 yards. Juniors Ryan Weinandt and Paul Schreiner each had five tackles to lead the SJU defensive unit.

SJU 9TH, 6TH IN DIVISON III NATIONAL POLLS: St. John's moved up a spot in the American Football Coaches Association's NCAA Division III Top 25 national rankings to ninth in the latest poll, issued on Tuesday. Defending national champion Mount Union (Ohio) is still first in the national poll. The Johnnies were the lone MIAC team in the top 25; Concordia-Moorhead also received votes. In the other major Division III national poll, by Don Hansen's Football Gazette magazine, St. John's was ranked sixth, with Mount Union first.

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Augsburg quarterback Dave Fransen (Sr., Farmington, Minn.) had 34 completions for 405 yards against St. Olaf on Sept. 21. The 34 completions is the seventh-most in a single game in Division III this season; Scott Kello of Sul Ross State (La.) completed 51 passes in a game against Howard Payne last Saturday to lead the nation.

Augsburg defensive back Andy Matzke (So., Faribault, Minn.) is ranked 10th nationally in interceptions per game (0.8, five total) and 36th in passes defended (1.7 per game).

St. John's wide receiver Blake Elliott (Jr., Melrose, Minn.) is ranked seventh nationally in scoring average per game (12.0), 11th in receptions per game (8.2), 16th in receiving yardage per game (111.2), 24th in all-purpose yardage per game (169.5) and 37th in punt returns average (13.1). Quarterback Ross Denne (Sr., Avon, Minn./Albany HS) is ranked fifth nationally in passing efficiency (167.4 pass rating). Jason Pflipsen (Sr., Sartell, Minn.) is ranked 10th nationally in interceptions per game (0.8, five total) and 36th in passes defended (1.7 per game). Jeremy Hood (Jr., Buffalo, Minn./Monticello SH) is ranked 20th nationally in sacks per game (1.2) and 30th in tackles for loss per game (2.0).

Augsburg is ranked 25th nationally in turnover ratio with a plus-1.3 average (18 turnovers gained, 10 lost). St. John's is ranked 16th nationally in total offense (455.7), 22nd in total defense (244.2), 16th in passing offense (302.2), eighth in pass efficiency defense (76.2 opponent rating), 11th in scoring offense (41.2) and 25th in scoring defense (13.3).

OSBERG ONE AWAY FROM TYING SCHOOL WIN RECORD: Augsburg head coach Jack Osberg has been the architect of a rebirth of Augsburg College football since he was named head coach in 1991. In his 12th season with the Auggies, he now has a 55-62 career record, the second-most wins in school history, just one behind the school's all-time wins record, Edor Nelson's 56 victories (56-118-10) from 1947-69. He has the most MIAC wins (44-57-0) of any Augsburg coach, and his career winning percentage of .477 is second-best in school history. Bill Caris (1972-75) was 19-19, for the school's best winning percentage of .500. Osberg has the third-longest tenure among current MIAC football coaches, behind St. John's John Gagliardi (54th season, 50th at St. John's in 2002) and Bethel's Steve Johnson (14th season).

THE "MUDDLE HUDDLE": Augsburg assistant coach Ron Scott, who helps run the special teams, calls it the "Muddle Huddle." It's also been referred to as the "Daffy Duck" formation by other teams. It's the creative formation for extra-point conversion attempts that befuddled Dakota State in the season-opener. Lining up most of the squad -- the linemen and wings -- to the sideline, with just the snapper, quarterback Tony George (Fr., Blaine, Minn.) and running back/receiver Pat Lofboom (So., Stillwater, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) in the center of the field, the Auggies claimed three 2-point conversion passes, while kicker Mike Pontius (Sr., Champlin, Minn./Anoka HS) went 2-for-3 when the "Muddle Huddle" shifted to the more conventional PAT kick attempt.

In going 4-for-6 on 2-point conversions this season, the Auggies have already eclipsed their total for all of last year on conversions (1-of-1) and the total is already the most successful season for 2-point conversions for Augsburg since 1988 (5-for-9). Augsburg did not attempt a two-point conversion in games against Wisconsin-Eau Claire, St. Olaf, Gustavus or Concordia-Moorhead. In the Oct. 12 win over Carleton, the Auggies went for two twice, with a George pass intercepted and T.J. Bramwell (Sr., Tomas, Wis.) rushing for a conversion.

SCOUTING THE AUGGIES: Augsburg is in the midst of a stretch of four games in a row against the top teams in the MIAC -- dropping a 38-13 decision to Concordia-Moorhead last week, hosting St. John's this Saturday, playing at St. Thomas next Saturday and hosting Bethel on Nov. 2 -- this will truly be the make-or-break period for the men in maroon and gray.

The loss to Concordia was a disappointment, primarily because of the big plays that gave the Cobbers the large margin of victory. Concordia scored four of its five touchdowns on plays of 25 yards or more, including two TD runs of 45-plus yards (49 and 54).

And if any team has the ability to score often via the big play, it's St. John's, this week's Auggie opponent. That fact puts the burden squarely on the shoulders of an Auggie defense that has been impressive at times, but has also struggled at times. Augsburg is in the middle of the conference in total defense, giving up 369 yards per game. And facing a Johnnie offense that averages 455.7 yards per game will provide the biggest test of the season so far for the Auggie defenders.

As a team, Augsburg has 13 quarterback sacks this season, led by Joe Cullen's (So., Coon Rapids, Minn.) 2.5. Junior Sam Harmer (Jr., Silver Bay, Minn./William M. Kelley HS) is putting together a potentially all-conference season at defensive tackle, with a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Andy Matzke (So., Faribault, Minn.) has five of Augsburg's 10 interceptions this season, with Brandon Fox (Jr., Springfield, Minn.) accounting for two. Matzke has scored twice on defense, with a 60-yard pickoff for a touchdown against Dakota State and a 56-yard punt return for a score against Carleton. Fox currently leads the team with 40 tackles (20 solo), while defensive back Chad Scheitel (Sr., Worthington, Minn.) has 38 tackles (23 solo). Cullen and Harmer have 29 tackles each, while Mitch Theisen (Sr., Waverly, Minn./Buffalo HS) and Andy Stephenson (Sr., Red Wing, Minn.) have 27 tackles each. In all, 17 Auggie defenders have 10 or more tackles this season. Stephenson sprained his medial collateral ligament last week and will miss this week's game; Jon Golnitz (So., Green Bay, Wis./Preble HS) will take his place.

Augsburg's passing offense has been steady all season long, averaging averaged 229.3 yards per game this season, 212.8 per game by quarterback Dave Fransen (Sr., Farmington, Minn.), who has shown more confidence in the signal-calling position this season. He has eight touchdowns and four interceptions this year, averaging 55.5 percent completions with an efficiency rating of 124.54, compared to last year's 98.69.

Augsburg has also cut down on its turnovers this year, with just 10 giveaways (five fumbles lost, five interceptions), compared to 40 last year (25 interceptions, 15 fumbles lost).

Newcomer Yarzue Slowon (So., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS), who returned to college this year after a three-year absence, has been a pleasant surprise at the wide receiver spot. He played the 1998-99 basketball season at North Dakota State, but was a prep all-stater in both football and basketball at Armstrong. So far this year, Slowon is leading the Auggies with 367 receiving yards on 28 catches, a 12.7 yards-per-catch and 73.5 yards-per-game average. He caught two touchdown passes last week against Concordia, en route to eight catches for 78 yards.

Luke Wright (Sr., Faribault, Minn.), a defensive back last year, has adjusted to his role on the offense this year, averaging 8.8 yards per catch. Sammy Gross (Sr., Springfield, Minn.) has battled injuries, but is still averaging 13.0 yards per reception.

The running back duo of T.J. Bramwell (Sr., Tomah, Wis.) and Ben Paul (Jr., St. Paul, Minn./Johnson HS) have had hot and cold weeks so far this season, averaging 60.0 and 38.0 yards per game, respectively. Both struggled against Concordia's top-ranked rushing defense, as bramwell gained 32 yards and Paul had 17. However, two weeks ago against Carleton, Bramwell broke out with a career-high 170 yards -- 139 in the first half -- and two touchdowns. Paul suffered an ankle sprain in the first quarter and left the game early, but returned and played the full Concordia contest. He is healthy this week. Paul is averaging 3.8 yards per carry, while Bramwell is averaging 4.6 yards a carry.

Punter Nick Schlieman (Fr., Burnsville, Minn.) is also putting together an all-conference season. He is currently second in the conference in punting, averaging 36.9 yards per punt. If he keeps up that pace, he could be the first Auggie punter to average over 35.0 yards per punt since Scott Hvistendahl, who averaged 36.7 yards per kick in 1998, 35.6 yards per punt in 1997 and 35.2 yards per punt in 1996. Schlieman has placed seven of his 33 punts inside the 20 and has had 13 punts of 40 yards or more, including three 50-plus-yard punts. Augsburg has yet to try a field goal this season, but kicker Mike Pontius (Sr., Champlin, Minn./Anoka HS) is 14-of-16 on extra points.

SCOUTING THE JOHNNIES: With a possible conference-title-deciding matchup with Concordia-Moorhead looming next week and the annual battle with St. Thomas two weeks away, it would be easy for St. John's to overlook its opponent this week, 2-4 Augsburg. But with a John Gagliardi-coached team, overlooking anyone is unlikely. After all, Gagliardi hasn't won 394 games in his 54-year career (an average of 7.4 wins per season) by overlooking opponents. Gagliardi, who is in his 50th season at St. John's, is currently the winningest active coach in college football, and is closing in on the all-time college football coaching record, 408 wins by Grambling (La.) legend Eddie Robinson (408-165-15 from 1941-42, 1945-97).

The Johnnies opened the season with a 28-21 overtime loss to Wisconsin-Eau Claire, but have since dominated in all five of their wins, averaging 45.2 points per game in the five wins while allowing just 10.4 opponent points per game in the same span.

The Johnnies have been led by Blake Elliott (Jr., Melrose, Minn.), a do-it-all wide receiver who is putting up legitimate All-America numbers. He enters Saturday's game averaging 111.2 receiving yards per game (13.6 yards per catch) and has scored 12 touchdowns -- 10 receiving, one rushing and one on a punt return. He averages 13.1 yards per punt return and 17.3 yards per kick return. Ross Denne (Sr., Avon, Minn./Albany HS), who started the season as a tight end, became St. John's starting quarterback when season-starter Ryan Keating (Sr., Minnetonka, Minn.) was lost to an arm injury in the third game of the season against Wisconsin-Whitewater. All Denne has done has completed 63 percent of his passes, built a 167.36 quarterback efficiency rating and thrown for 12 touchdowns. The Johnnies are averaging 153.5 rushing yards per game, led by Kent Crowley (Sr., Iona, Minn./Fulda HS), who is averaging 54.2 yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry.

Defensively, the Johnnies have forced 20 turnovers (11 interceptions, nine fumbles), while limiting opponents to just 244.2 yards of total offense per game and a 26-percent third-down conversion rating. Paul Schreiner (Jr., Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori HS) leads the Johnnies with 43 tackles (22 solo), while Cameron McCambridge (Jr., Edina, Minn.) has 42 tackles (21 solo). Jeremy Hood (Jr., Buffalo, Minn./Monticello HS) leads the team with seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss. Jason Pflipsen (Sr., Sartell, Minn.) has a team-high five interceptions, while Jeremy Goltz (Jr., Tracy, Minn./Tracy-Milroy-Balaton HS) has four.

NEXT WEEK: Both teams are in action next Saturday (10/26) at 1 p.m. Augsburg plays at St. Thomas, while St. John's plays at Concordia-Moorhead.

AUGSBURG TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- OFFENSE
LT -- 77-Jesse Naughton (Sr., 6-4, 230), 78-James Brue (Sr., 6-3, 265)
LG -- 72-Nate Savola (Jr., 5-11, 225), 56-Brad Motl (Sr., 5-11, 230)
C -- 65-Adam Hoffmann (So., 6-1, 225), 59-Rich Nelson (Sr., 6-3, 225)
RG -- 63-Bob Eckstrom (Sr., 6-0, 295), 57-Lincoln Langhorst (Sr., 5-10, 255)
RT -- 79-Nate Anderson (Jr., 6-5, 240), 60-Andy Johnson (So., 6-4, 335)
TE -- 82-Tony Warren (Sr., 6-3, 225), 84-Matt Quale (So., 6-3, 220)
WR -- 2-Yarzue Slowon (So., 6-0, 190), 4-Sammy Gross (Sr., 5-10, 170)
WR -- 1-Luke Wright (Sr., 6-3, 200), 19-Shawn Johnson (So., 6-3, 190)
RB -- 27-Ben Paul (Jr., 6-2, 210), 6-Pat Lofboom (So., 6-0, 190)
RB -- 44-T.J. Bramwell (Sr., 5-10, 190), 33-Joe Starks (So., 5-8, 200)
QB -- 14-Dave Fransen (Sr., 6-4, 190), 12-Tony George (Fr., 6-2, 175), 7-John Tieben (Sr., 6-1, 185)

ST. JOHN'S TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- DEFENSE
DE -- 47-Paul Schreiner (Jr., 6-2, 200), 23-Jeff Kaczrowski (Jr., 6-2, 215)
OLB -- 37-Cam McCambridge (Jr., 6-2, 215), 36-Nathan Brever (Jr., 6-3, 220)
DT -- 88-Kyle Imholte (So., 6-4, 235), 8-Steve Danielson (So., 6-3, 225)
NT -- 77-Ryan Weinandt (Jr., 6-0, 235), 72-Ryan Bielat (Sr., 6-2, 235)
DT -- 59-Josh Miller (Sr., 6-4, 240), 75-Jonathan Lockhart (So., 6-3, 240)
OLB -- 33-Paul Gans (So., 6-0, 205), 34-Danno Wagner (Fr., 6-1, 185)
DE -- 19-Jeremy Hood (Jr., 6-2, 230), 23-Jeff Kaczrowski (Jr., 6-2, 215)
CB -- 3-Ross Spanier (Sr., 5-9, 175), 21-Nick Thielman (Jr., 5-11, 175)
SS -- 6-Cole Deibele (Jr., 6-0, 175), 26-Travis Dove (Sr., 6-1, 205)
FS -- 15-Jeremy Goltz (Jr., 6-2, 200), 14-Mark Hawn (So., 6-2, 200)
CB -- 25-Jason Pflipsen (Sr., 6-0, 190), 5-Mike Zauhar (Fr., 6-0, 170)

AUGSBURG TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- DEFENSE
DE -- 98-Derek Kuhlman (Sr., 6-2, 225), 90-Jacob Koelln (Fr., 6-0, 235)
DT -- 52-Kyle Koch (Sr., 6-0, 245), 89-Tom Stefanacci (Jr., 6-0, 245)
DT -- 96-Sam Harmer (Jr., 6-2, 230), 94-Chike Ochiagha (So., 5-10, 255)
DE -- 47-Joe Cullen (So., 6-0, 215), 90-Jacob Koelln (Fr., 6-0, 235)
SLB -- 29-Brandon Fox (Jr., 6-2, 205), 49-Jon Kozitza (Jr., 6-0, 190)
MLB -- 41-John Golnitz (So., 6-3, 200), 35-Jake Schmiesing (Jr., 6-1, 200)
WLB -- 40-Mitch Theisen (Sr., 6-2, 215), 35-Jake Schmiesing (Jr., 6-1, 200)
CB -- 22-Andy Matzke (So., 6-2, 190), 24-Joe Holman (Sr., 5-11, 160)
SS -- 21-Ross Peroutka (Fr., 6-1, 185), 3-Chad Scheitel (Sr., 5-10, 175)
FS -- 34-Jim Gunderson (So., 5-11, 190), 48-Jordan Hastings (Fr., 6-4, 190)
CB -- 28-Luke Carlson (Jr., 5-10, 180), 32-Taylor Kroger (Fr., 6-0, 190)

ST. JOHN'S TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- OFFENSE
WR -- 2-Blake Elliott (Jr., 6-1, 210), 22-Matt Breen (So., 5-8, 175)
RT -- 71-Brent Vogt (Sr., 6-0, 230), 50-Ted Griffin (Sr., 6-4, 275)
RG -- 70 Josh Pantzke (Sr., 6-7, 305), 73-Jim Mulrooney (Sr., 6-4, 345)
C -- 53-Josh Dirlam (Sr., 6-1, 250), 54-Rich Carlbom (Jr., 6-0, 230)
LG -- 64-Dan Kosel (Sr., 6-0, 250), 74-Eric Hanson (Jr., 6-3, 320)
LT -- 78-Tom Engwall (Sr., 6-6, 275), 79-Justin Cass (Jr., 6-1, 255)
TE -- 4-Isaac Flenner (So., 6-2, 210), 45-Tom Kettleson (Sr., 6-2, 230)
WR -- 39-Jed Riegelman (Jr., 6-4, 215), 18-Lee Clintsman (So., 5-11, 180)
RB -- 32-Josh Nelson (Jr., 6-0, 200), 27-Jake Theis (Fr., 6-0, 185)
QB -- 17-Ross Denne (Sr., 6-3, 205), 12-R.J. Welsh (Jr., 6-2, 180)
RB -- 28-Kent Crowley (Sr., 6-0, 210), 35-Scott Schmitz (Sr., 5-10, 180)

AUGSBURG SPECIALISTS
K -- 85-Mike Pontius (Sr., 5-9, 175), 87-Kim Jaktund (So., 6-0, 210)
KO -- 91-Nick Schlieman (Fr., 6-4, 220), 85-Mike Pontius (Sr., 5-9, 175)
P -- 91-Nick Schlieman (Fr., 6-4, 220), 81-Andrew Powell (So., 6-5, 195)
LS -- 25-Tim Stowe (Jr., 5-8, 190), 59-Rich Nelson (Sr., 6-3, 225)
SS -- 73-Eric Olson * (So., 6-2, 315), 59-Rich Nelson (Sr., 6-3, 225)
H -- 12-Tony George (Fr., 6-2, 175), 14-Dave Fransen (Sr., 6-4, 190)
KR -- 44-T.J. Bramwell (Sr., 5-10, 190), 2-Yarzue Slowon (So., 6-0, 190)
PR -- 22-Andy Matzke (So., 6-2, 190), 44-T.J. Bramwell (Sr., 5-10, 190)

ST. JOHN'S SPECIALISTS
K -- 1-Brandon Keller (So., 5-7, 165)
P -- 9-Charlie Carr (Jr., 6-1, 180)
KR -- 2-Blake Elliott (Jr., 6-1, 210), 10-Chase Beaudry (Fr., 5-8, 180)
PR -- 2-Blake Elliott (Jr., 6-1, 210), 25-Jason Pflipsen (Sr., 6-0, 190)
H -- 5-Mike Zauhar (Fr., 6-0, 170)
LS (punts) -- 54-Rich Carlbom (Jr., 6-0, 230)
LS (xp/fg) -- 14 Luke Schumer (So., 6-4, 210)