Football 10/23/04 -- St. John's 38, Augsburg 13

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (10/23/04) -- Freshman quarterback Alex Kofoed (Fr., Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori HS) threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns, leading a St. John's University from a second-quarter deficit with 31 unanswered points in a 38-13 victory over host Augsburg College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football game Saturday afternoon at Edor Nelson Field.

Running back Mike Lofboom (So., Stillwater, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns for the Johnnies, now 6-2 overall and 5-1 in MIAC play. St. John's is ranked No. 22 in the latest American Football Coaches Association Division III national poll and No. 17 in the latest D3football.com Division III national poll.

Augsburg, paced by a career-high 111 rushing yards and two long touchdowns from Jason Potts (Fr., Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS), drops to 2-5 overall, 2-3 in MIAC play.

St. John's took an early lead on its first drive, moving 59 yards in six plays, including a 40-yard pass from Kofoed to Justin Winkels (Sr., Canby, Minn.), to put the ball on the Augsburg 1-yard line. Lofboom plunged for a one-yard score to put the Johnnies up 7-0.

But Augsburg answered late in the second quarter to tie the game, as Potts scored his first touchdown on a 45-yard run down the sideline.

Augsburg took advantage of a miscue by the Johnnies to take its only lead of the game. A fumble on a punt return, recovered by Ricky Schreier (So., Maplewood, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS), put the ball on the Augsburg 44-yard line. On the next play, Potts got a last-second option pitch from quarterback Marcus LeVesseur (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS), and sprinted 56 yards to put Augsburg ahead 13-7.

But just before halftime, St. John's took the lead on a textbook possesion drive. After a short punt gave the Johnnies the ball at the Augsburg 48 with 1:56 left in the first half, Kofoed completed six straight passes to place the ball at the Augsburg 1, and Lofboom scored his second rushing touchdown of the day with 29 seconds left, giving the Johnnies a 14-13 advantage at intermission.

The turning point of the game came on two Augsburg drives in the third quarter. On the first drive of the second half, an Augsburg fumble gave the Johnnies the ball at the Augsburg 44. Nine plays later, Brandon Keller (Sr., Bismarck, N.D./St. Mary's Central HS) kicked a 32-yard field goal to put the Johnnies ahead 17-13.

Later in the quarter, Augsburg elected to go for it on a fourth-down-and-short play at its own 29. Quarterback LeVesseur was stopped short of the first down by defensive lineman Damien Dumonceaux (Jr., St. Joseph, Minn./St. John's Prep HS), giving the Johnnies the ball with a short field. Seven plays later, St. John's extended the lead to 24-13 on a Kofoed two-yard touchdown pass to Lee Clintsman (Sr., Maplewood, Minn./Hill-Murray HS).

An interception by Tony Stefensmeier (Jr., Mankato, Minn./East HS) set up another Johnnie score, as Kofoed threw a four-yard scoring strike to Kyle Gearman (So., Alexandria, Minn.) early in the fourth quarter.

A 64-yard run by James Lehner (Sr., Albany, Minn.) on the Johnnies' next drive put the ball at the Auggie 1, and Lehner punched it in on the next play to cap the scoring.

St. John's produced 442 yards of total offense on 87 plays, while limiting Augsburg to 287 yards on 58 plays.

The Johnnies had two 100-yard rushers; Lofboom carried the ball 26 times for 111 yards and Lehner had 109 yards on 10 carries. Clintsman caught seven passes for 54 yards, while Isaac Flenner (Sr., Breckenridge, Minn.) caught six passes for 49 yards.

LeVesseur threw for 104 yards, completing 8-of-15 passes, and rushed for 68 yards on 29 carries. Schreier caught three passes for 43 yards, while Ben Bothun (Sr., Dawson, Minn./Dawson-Boyd HS) caught two passes for 38 yards.

Defensively, Paul Gans (Sr., Rice, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS) had 13 tackles (three solo) and a half-sack, as the Johnnie defense combined for three sacks on the day. Michael Klobes (Sr., Scappoose, Ore.) had nine tackles (four solo), and Stefensmeier had eight tackles (five solo), an interception, half-sack and two forced fumbles.

Augsburg's defense was led by Andy Matzke (Jr., Faribault, Minn.), who had 16 tackles (seven solo). Jim Gunderson (Jr., Hastings, Minn.) had 4 tackles (four solo) and a sack, and Mike Matson (So., Cedar, Minn./St. Francis HS) had 11 tackles (two solo). Jordan Hastings (Jr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) had two interceptions and eight tackles (four solo).

Augsburg takes to the road for two straight weeks, starting next Saturday (10/30) with a 1 p.m. game at league-leader Concordia-Moorhead. St. John's also is on the road again next Saturday, with a 1 p.m. game at St. Olaf.

Augsburg vs. St. John's Game Notes


THE GAME: The Augsburg College Auggies (2-4 overall, 2-2 MIAC) host the St. John's University Johnnies (5-2 overall, 4-1 MIAC) in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football game on Saturday, Oct. 23 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 14th and final season and has a 62-75 career mark. St. John's head coach John Gagliardi (Colorado College '49) is in his 56th season as a college head coach and has the most wins of any college football coach in history, 419-116-11. He has a 395-110-10 record in 52 years at St. John's.

RADIO: This week's Augsburg football game will be broadcast on WMIN-AM 740. The game will also be cybercast online on Augsburg's website, through an arrangement with the campus online radio station, KAUG. Tom Witschen will handle play-by-play with Russ Bohaty on analysis. To listen online, go to http://www.augsburg.edu/athletics/ and click on the "Live Audio" link on Saturday.

St. John's broadcast will be on KKJM-FM 92.9 in St. Cloud, Minn., and WLOL-AM 1330 in Minneapolis, with Mark Lewandowski, Bryan Backes and Tom Linneman. To listen to the SJU broadcast online, go to http://www.gojohnnies.com/metafiles/live.ram.

SERIES: This is the 66th game in the all-time series between Augsburg and St. John's, a series the Johnnies lead 56-7-2. St. John's has won the last six games in a row in the series, and Augsburg head coach Jack Osberg is 1-12 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 45-4-1 in his career against Augsburg.

LAST WEEK: Augsburg improved to 2-4 overall with a 40-6 victory at Hamline last Saturday, while St. John's dropped to 5-2 and saw its 28-game MIAC winning streak end with a 21-20 home loss to Concordia-Moorhead in a battle of conference leaders last Saturday.

MIAC OVERALL PER-GAME RANKINGS (6 GAMES): Total offense -- Augsburg 5th (366.7), St. John's 1st (422.6); Passing offense -- Augsburg 6th (174.0); St. John's 3rd (221.1); Rushing offense -- Augsburg 4th (192.7), St. John's 3rd (201.4); Scoring offense -- Augsburg 4th (28.7), St. John's 1st (38.7); Total defense -- Augsburg 6th (379.7), St. John's 1st (214.4); Passing defense -- Augsburg 7th (205.5), St. John's 1st (90.6); Rushing defense -- Augsburg 7th (174.2), St. John's 4th (123.9); Scoring defense -- Augsburg 5th (22.7), St. John's 1st (11.1); Turnover margin -- Augsburg 9th (minus-6), St. John's 5th (plus-1).

MIAC CONFERENCE-ONLY PER-GAME RANKINGS (4/5 GAMES): Total offense -- Augsburg 1st (416.2), St. John's 2nd (407.6); Passing offense -- Augsburg 6th (161.0); St. John's 2nd (200.2); Rushing offense -- Augsburg 1st (255.2), St. John's 4th (207.4); Scoring offense -- Augsburg 3rd (31.0), St. John's 1st (39.0); Total defense -- Augsburg 5th (317.5), St. John's 2nd (223.2); Passing defense -- Augsburg 8th (213.0), St. John's 1st (100.8); Rushing defense -- Augsburg 2nd (104.5), St. John's 3rd (122.4); Scoring defense -- Augsburg 4th (19.5), St. John's 1st (9.6); Turnover margin -- Augsburg 9th (minus-9), St. John's 5th (minus-1).

NATIONAL STATISTICS: Among NCAA Division III players, Augsburg's Yarzue Slowon (Sr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) ranks 23rd nationally in kickoff returns (25.9 yards per return), Andy Matzke (Jr., Faribault, Minn.) ranks 23rd-best nationally in punt returns (13.0 yards per return) and Marcus LeVesseur (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) ranks 35th-best nationally in total offense (241.8 yards per game). St. John's Alex Kofoed ranks 15th-best nationally in passing efficency (152.7 rating), Jason Good ranks 17th-best nationally in sacks (1.1 per game), Lee Clintsman ranks 24th-best nationally in kickoff returns (25.8 yards per return), Mike Zauhar ranks 32nd-best nationally in punt returns (11.7 yards per return), and Tony Steffensmeier ranks 32nd-best nationally in passes defended (1.6 per game).

LAST YEAR: St. John's became the 15th team in NCAA Division III history to win 500 games in school history with a 63-9 win over Augsburg on Oct. 18, 2003 at Clemens Stadium in Collegeville, Minn.

SJU senior wide receiver Blake Elliott caught a 68-yard touchdown reception from senior quarterback Ryan Keating on the second offensive play of the game to go up 7-0. Nick Schlieman kicked a 25-yard field goal with 4:33 left in the first quarter and the Auggies cut the lead to 7-3. Before the end of the first quarter, junior wide receiver Matt Breen caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Keating and SJU increased its lead to 14-3.

In the second quarter, wide receiver Lee Clintsman caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Keating at 14:47 to make the score 21-3. In the last 5:35 of the half, running back Josh Nelson and running back Jake Theis scored touchdown runs of two and eight yards, respectively, to give SJU a 35-3 halftime lead.

Augsburg scored its only touchdown of the game at 11:15 of the third quarter as senior wide receiver Jamie Smith caught a three-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tony George. The extra-point failed and the score was 35-9. Theis scored his second touchdown of the game from seven yards out at the 9:01 mark. Elliott scored his second touchdown of the game at 6:02 of the third quarter on an eight-yard pass from senior quarterback RJ Welsh. The final scoring of the third quarter came on a 29-yard interception return by linebacker Paul Gans and SJU led 56-9.

The only scoring of the fourth quarter came at the 6:51 mark as tight end Justin Winkels caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Dana Schleicher.

SJU outgained Augsburg 426 to 260 in total offense. Augsburg had seven turnovers -- six interceptions and one fumble -- in the game. The Johnnies passed for 333 yards and rushed for 103 yards, while Augsburg had a balanced offensive attack with 133 yards rushing and 127 yards passing. The Auggies held an 11-minute advantage in time of possession. The Johnnies scored seven touchdowns in a span of eight possessions during the first, second and third quarters.

Individually, Gans tied a SJU school record with four interceptions and had 139 yards on interceptions returns. Elliott caught seven passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Breen had four catches for 88 yards and one touchdown. Keating was 14-of-23 passing for 266 yards and three touchdown passes. Keating's three touchdown passes moves him into third on SJU's all-time career list with 53 touchdown passes. Theis carried the ball eight times for 39 yards and two touchdowns. Senior end Jeremy Hood led the Johnnie defensive unit with 10 total tackles, and 2.5 tackles for loss. Besides the four interceptions, Gans also recorded nine total tackles.

For Augsburg, George was 9-of-19 passing for 115 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions. Tight end Andrew Neumann had five receptions for 41 yards and Smith collected four catches for 67 yards and one touchdown. Halfback Steve Houser had 15 carries for 46 yards and senior fullback Ben Paul had 12 carries for 38 yards. Defensively for the Auggies, senior linebacker Brandon Fox had 10 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Cornerback Ricky Schreier had seven total tackles and linebacker Jon Kozitza added six total tackles.

ANOTHER TD RECORD AS AUGGIES CLAIM 40-6 WIN AT HAMLINE: Ben Bothun (Sr., Dawson, Minn./Dawson-Boyd HS) caught nine passes for 157 yards and a school-record-tying four touchdowns, leading Augsburg to a 40-6 victory at Hamline last Saturday.

Bothun's four touchdown catches, on passes of 51, 30, three and six yards from quarterback Marcus LeVesseur (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS), tied a single-game school record for touchdowns in a game, set four times earlier -- by LeVessseur (rushing) in Augsburg's 42-10 win over Carleton on Oct. 2, by Karl Sneider (receiving) in a 1966 game against Macalester, by Scott Hvistendahl (receiving) in a 1998 game against Mayville State and by Mark Johnson (receiving) in a 2001 game against Carleton.

Augsburg put together a season-high 492 yards of total offense on 92 plays, while limiting Hamline to 222 yards of total offense and just 93 rushing yards. After allowing Hamline to score the first touchdown of the game, Augsburg quickly took control and scored the remaining points, claiming its second 40-point-plus effort of the season.

LeVesseur accounted for 321 of Augsburg's 492 yards in the game, rushing for a game-high 116 yards on 31 carries with a touchdown, while also accumulating 205 yards on 13-of-26 passing with four touchdowns and just one interception. In addition, he returned two kickoffs for 54 yards.

Hamline scored first, driving 90 yards in 10 plays -- accounting for 41 percent of its total offensive yards in the game. Piper quarterback Andy Gagnon completed passes of 11, 32 and 23 yards in the drive, and also scrambled for a 17-yard carry to the Augsburg 6-yard line. On the next play, Ryan Rasmussen rushed six yards for the opening score, but the extra point was blocked by Augsburg's Chris Abbott (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./St. Thomas Academy HS).

After the Piper score, Augsburg drove to the Hamline 18-yard line, but a LeVesseur pass was intercepted by Hamline's Mike Van Loh (Sr., Oakdale, Minn.) at the Piper 7-yard line. Augsburg's defense forced Hamline to punt, and after a sack put Augsburg back nine yards to the Augsburg 49, LeVesseur completed his first touchdown pass to Bothun, a 51-yarder.

Augsburg extended the lead on its last drive of the half, a drive aided by a key Piper penalty. Starting at the Augsburg 23-yard line with 3:52 left in the second quarter, Augsburg was stalled on a holding penalty and three incomplete passes. But on the punt attempt, Hamline was flagged for a personal-foul, roughing-the-kicker penalty, giving the Auggies an automatic first down at the Auggie 29. Ten plays later, LeVesseur scored on a one-yard rush to put the Auggies ahead 13-6 at halftime.

Augsburg used special teams again to set up another touchdown early in the third quarter. Bothun blocked a punt by Hamline's Ryan Laube (Jr., Owen, Wis.), which Ty Closson (Sr., Northfield, Minn.) returned 13 yards to the Hamline 12-yard line. On the next play, Jason Potts (Fr., Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) scored his second touchdown of the season on a 12-yard rush.

Potts rushed for 78 yards on 13 carries for the Auggies, while Steve Houser (Jr., Zimmerman, Minn./Elk River HS) had 55 yards on 13 carries, eclipsing the 900-yard rushing mark for his career. He now has 932 career rushing yards on 238 carries (3.9 yards per carry).

Augsburg scored on three straight possessions in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory. LeVesseur found Bothun for a 30-yard scoring pass to complete a seven-play, 43-yard drive with 13:26 left.

After a Hamline three-and-out, the Pipers punted to give the Auggies the ball at the Hamline 46. A 14-yard end-around by Ricky Schreier (So., Maplewood, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) and a 20-yard reception by Schreier set up a three-yard touchdown pass from LeVesseur to Bothun with 10:07 left.

Schreier, who has played as both a defensive back and wide receiver for the Auggies this season, caught four passes for 48 yards in the game.

Augsburg's Taylor Kroger (Jr., Cottonwood, Minn./Lakeview HS) intercepted a Gagnon pass at the Hamline 41-yard line -- Augsburg's eighth interception of the season and its first since the second week of the season. Six plays later, including three rushes for 24 yards by Houser, LeVesseur found Bothun again for a six-yard scoring pass.

Augsburg had a balanced defensive attack, with 11 players with three or more tackles on the day. Jim Gunderson (Jr., Hastings, Minn.) led the Auggies with eight tackles (three solo), while Ross Peroutka (Jr., Faribault, Minn.) had seven tackles (four solo) and two pass breakups. Joe Cullen (Sr., Coon Rapids, Minn.) and Jake Koelln (Jr., Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) each had a sack for the Auggies.

HEAD COACH JACK OSBERG TO RETIRE AT END OF SEASON: Augsburg head coach Jack Osberg will retire from his coaching position at the end of the 2004 season, capping a 14-year career that has produced the most victories in school history, Augsburg athletic officials announced on Tuesday.

Osberg, 64, the 13th coach in the 73-season history of Augsburg football, has won a school-record 62 games as head coach (62-75), and enters Saturday's home game with St. John's with a 2-4 overall record, 2-2 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Osberg is also an instructor in Augsburg's Health and Physical Education department.

After completing the 2004 football season, Osberg will remain on the Augsburg staff, assisting in the school's Alumni and Parent Relations and Development areas, to develop connections with athletic alumni and parents.

Assistant Dean for Athletics and Recreation Jeff Swenson said that a national search for a new head coach will begin following the season, with the goal of having a new head coach hired by the winter months.

Osberg served as Augsburg's defensive coordinator from 1977-84, and was named the Auggies' head coach in 1991.

Under Osberg's leadership, the football program grew in both numbers and victories, and in 1997, Osberg accomplished what no Augsburg football coach had ever done before -- winning the MIAC championship and qualifying for the NCAA Division III national playoffs, while engineering the best record (10-2) in school history. Osberg earned MIAC Coach of the Year honors in 1997.

Osberg surpassed his mentor, Edor Nelson (56-118-10 from 1947-69), as Augsburg's all-time victory leader last season. Osberg also has the most MIAC victories (50-68) of any Augsburg head coach. Osberg had the third-longest tenure of any current MIAC coach, behind Bethel's Steve Johnson (16 seasons) and St. John's John Gagliardi (52 seasons at St. John's, 56 overall).

A 1962 Augsburg graduate and Minneapolis native, Osberg has been involved with the Auggie football program for parts of four decades. A two-time All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection as a nose guard/offensive guard, Osberg was a standout football player at Augsburg from 1958-61, also earning team MVP, captain and Lutheran All-American honors. He was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979.

Outside of Augsburg, Osberg served as an assistant coach at Minneapolis Roosevelt High School from 1962-70, as a graduate assistant coach on Bob Devaney's staff at Nebraska in 1968-69, and as head coach at Wayzata High School from 1971-76. He taught biology in the Wayzata school district for 20 years and was recognized for his teaching excellence there.

Osberg lives in Plymouth, Minn., with his wife Nina, who recently retired from teaching at Wayzata High School. They have six children: Rich, Jennifer, Peter, Jeff, James and Anne, and five grandchildren: Grace, Johanna, Lydia, Zoe and Mason.

LEVESSEUR BECOMING A MULTIPLE THREAT: In his first season of college football, Augsburg quarterback Marcus LeVesseur (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS) has become a multiple threat in Augsburg's revamped offense.

Through six games, LeVesseur leads the Auggies in both rushing (653 yards on 130 carries) and passing (798 yards, 62-of-132, 11 TD, 8 INT) this season. Among MIAC players (all games), LeVesseur is one of only two players to average more than 100 rushing yards per game. Bethel's Phil Porta averages 161.2; LeVesseur averages 108.8. LeVesseur leads the MIAC (all games) in total offense (241.8 yards per game).

In MIAC games only, LeVesseur is second in the conference in rushing (154.0 yards per game in four games) and all-purpose yards (180.0 ypg), while leading the MIAC in total offense (315.0 ypg).

In addition, LeVesseur also has 214 kickoff return yards on seven attempts (30.6 yards per return) this season.

After setting a school record with four rushing touchdowns and throwing for two more in Augsburg's 42-10 win over Carleton on Oct. 2, LeVesseur was named MIAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette Division III Co-National Offensive Player of the Week. Against Gustavus on Oct. 9, LeVesseur rushed for 207 yards on 32 carries, just 10 yards shy of the school's single-game rushing record 217 yards by Marty Alger in a 1993 game.

LeVesseur is in his first season of college football after earning two NCAA Division III national championships at 157 pounds as an Auggie wrestler. He is 84-0 after two seasons at Augsburg, and has yet to lose a collegiate match. Augsburg's wrestling season begins on Oct. 30 with the annual Intrasquad Meet/Alumni Night/Parents Night at Si Melby Hall at 7 p.m.

MOVING UP THE SACK LADDER: Augsburg defensive end Joe Cullen (Sr., Coon Rapids, Minn.) currently has a team-high five sacks this season and 18.0 on his career. His career total puts him in fifth place in school history in career sacks; the school record is 28.5, set by Bob Anderson from 1992-95. Fourth on the record list is Matt Chappuis, who had 22.5 sacks from 1998-2001.

HOUSER CLOSING IN ON 1,000 CAREER RUSHING YARDS: Running back Steve Houser (Jr., Zimmerman, Minn./Elk River HS) moved past the 900-yard career rushing total on Saturday. He has the potential to eclipse the 1,000-yard career rushing milestone this season. A two-year starter, Houser now has 932 career rushing yards on 238 carries (3.9 yards per carry). Augsburg's school record for career rushing yards is 2,226, set by Marty Alger from 1991-95. Three running backs in school history have eclipsed the 2,000-yard barrier -- Alger, Wayne Graves (2,059 yards, 1970-73) and Dan Roff (2,042, 1978-81).

ABBOTT OUT WITH ANKLE SPRAIN, SCHREIER IN AT CORNERBACK: Starting cornerback Chris Abbott (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./St. Thomas Academy HS) suffered a high ankle sprain in last week's win over Hamline and will likely miss Saturday's game with St. John's. Abbott, in his first Auggie campaign after transferring from South Dakota State, has 21 tackles this season (211 solo), including 2.0 for loss and two pass breakups. In addition, he also has blocked three extra point kicks this season, including one last week against Hamline.

Taking his starting spot will be Ricky Schreier (So., Maplewood, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS), who will continue to play both ways this season. Schreier, who started his Auggie career as a wide receiver but converted to defensive back midway through last season, currently has 13 catches for 129 receiving yards this year. On defense, Schreier has 19 tackles (12 solo), including 2.5 for loss, two interceptions and two pass breakups.

IN THE CAGE: Augsburg is in its first season utilizing the new Sprinturf surface at Edor Nelson Field, affectionally known as “The Cage” by Auggies. Work on the $400,000 turf replacement project began June 16 and was completed in early August. The existing Astroturf surface (installed in 1993) was removed and the new Sprinturf synthetic-grass surface was installed over the current asphalt base with an infill of a rubber-sand mix. With St. John's installing Sprinturf in 2002 and St. Thomas installing FieldTurf on its O'Shaughnessy Stadium surface this year, there are three MIAC schools now with artificial turf surfaces.

As the MIAC football team that has played the most on artificial-turf fields, Augsburg is 41-36 on turf since 1991 (when Jack Osberg was named head coach) and 44-67-1 since 1984. The turf totals include an 8-10 all-time record in games played on turf indoors (7-10 at the Metrodome, 1-0 at the Fargodome). Augsburg's all-time football record at Edor Nelson Field is 37-57-1; 34-29 under Osberg.

SCOUTING THE JOHNNIES: Defending NCAA Division III national champion St. John's enters today's game ranked No. 17 in the latest D3football.com national poll, No. 11 in the latest Don Hansen's Football Gazette national poll and No. 22 in the latest American Football Coaches Association national poll.

The Johnnies' hopes for returning to the Division III national playoffs took a major hit last Saturday, when Concordia-Moorhead claimed a 21-20 victory in a battle of MIAC leaders in Collegeville. The Johnnies lost their first MIAC game since Sept. 15, 2001, which was a conference-record 28 straight wins. Concordia defeated SJU for the first time since 1990 and for the first time in Collegeville since 1988. The Johnnies were 11-0-2 against the Cobbers since 1990 before today's game. SJU lost at Clemens Stadium for only the 11th time in 104 games since 1987.

Concordia converted a 30-yard field goal by kicker Brian Halverson with 24 seconds remaining to lift the Cobbers to the win. Both teams entered the game unbeaten in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

SJU got on the scoreboard with 3:52 left in the first quarter as sophomore wide receiver Kyle Gearman caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Alex Kofoed. Senior kicker Brandon Keller's extra point failed and SJU led 6-0. The touchdown capped a 99-yard drive that took six plays and consumed 2:54.

Concordia scored its first points of the game with 14:10 remaining in the second quarter as Halverson connected on a 40-yard field goal to cut SJU's lead to 6-3. With 8:51 remaining in the half, Concordia collected a safety to pull within one point at 6-5 as sophomore running back Mike Lofboom was tackled in the end zone after a loss of three yards. The Cobbers took their first lead of the game with 4:24 remaining in the half, as senior wide receiver Shawn Reile caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Brian Schumacher. The two-point conversion failed and Concordia led 11-6. The Johnnies came right back as senior Lee Clintsman took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown to make the halftime score 13-11 in favor of the Johnnies. The kickoff return by Clintsman was the third-longest in SJU history.

The only scoring of the third quarter came with 7:03 left as Clintsman caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Kofoed and SJU opened up a 20-11 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Concordia scored with 10:38 remaining as senior fullback Ed Oehlers had a one-yard touchdown run to make the score 20-18 in favor of SJU. The touchdown ended a 10-play, 84-yard drive that took 4:50 off the clock. The game-winning drive took 75 yards in 14 plays and erased 6:19 on the clock to set up Halverson's game-winning 30-yard field goal.

Concordia had 345 yards total offense, compared to 309 for SJU. Concordia had 271 yards rushing on 71 attempts and 74 yards passing, while SJU had 249 yards passing and only 60 yards rushing. Both teams were ranked in the top four nationally in total defense and both quarterbacks were ranked in the top 15 nationally in pass efficiency. The Cobbers ran 89 plays, while SJU only ran 48 plays in the game. The time of possession was a staggering 40:58 to 19:02 in favor of the Cobbers. Concordia also had the advantage in first downs at 24-13. SJU committed two turnovers, compared to zero for Concordia and the Cobbers converted on 13-of-23 third-down conversions.

Individually for SJU, Kofoed was 16-of-32 passing for 249 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Lofboom had eight carries for 23 yards, while senior running back James Lehner and junior running back Corey Weber had 22 and 21 yards rushing, respectively. Senior tight end Isaac Flenner had eight catches for 70 yards, Clintsman had four catches for 63 yards and one touchdown and Gearman had two catches for 91 yards and one touchdown. Clintsman also had three kick returns for 129 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, junior defensive tackle Jason Good had 19 total tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Sophomore linebacker Jamie Steffensmeier had 16 total tackles and senior linebacker Paul Gans had 13 total tackles.

Complete St. John's notes are online: http://www.gojohnnies.com/football/fballnotes.102304.doc

NEXT WEEK: Augsburg takes to the road for two straight weeks, starting next Saturday (10/30) with a 1 p.m. game at league-leader Concordia-Moorhead. St. John's also is on the road again next Saturday, with a 1 p.m. game at St. Olaf.

AUGSBURG TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- OFFENSE
RT -- 75-Matt Siems (So., 6-2, 285), 70-Jason Weber (Fr., 6-4, 230)
RG -- 51-Tony Madline (So., 5-8, 260), 64-Ryan Koelsch (Sr., 5-10, 250)
C -- 65-Adam Hoffmann (Sr., 6-1, 240), 50-Chris Howell (Fr., 6-3, 265)
LG -- 77-John Streefland (Jr., 6-1, 265), 67-Lowery Smith (Jr., 6-1, 255)
LT -- 78-Zak Jensen (Jr., 6-3, 285), 66-Ryan Shea (Jr., 6-7, 355)
TE -- 46-Ty Closson (Sr., 6-2, 205), 11-Erik Bohnhoff (So., 6-6, 190)
FL -- 19-Shawn Johnson (Sr., 6-3, 200), 5-Micah Young (So., 6-0, 170)
SE -- 14-Ben Bothun (Sr., 5-9, 200) *, 88-Josh Starr (Fr., 6-0, 189)
WR -- 10-Ricky Schreier (So., 5-6, 160), 85-De Hanuman (So., 5-5, 160)
HB -- 23-Steve Houser (Jr., 5-10, 190), 28-Jason Potts (Fr., 5-8, 165)
QB -- 7-Marcus LeVesseur (Jr., 5-8, 170), 9-Keith Hagen (So., 6-5, 210)

ST. JOHN'S TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- DEFENSE
DT -- 96-Steve Danielson (Sr., 6-2, 220), 70-Josh Pope (Jr., 6-3, 250)
NT -- 97-Damien Dumonceaux (Jr., 6-1, 250), 75-Jonathan Lockhart (Sr., 6-3, 240)
DT -- 16-Jason Good (Jr., 6-0, 240), 44-Steve LaVoir (So., 6-1, 240)
DE -- 34-Kevin McNamara (So., 5-11, 215), 92-Matthew Wachlarowicz (Jr., 6-1, 225)
OLB -- 8-Jamie Steffensmeier (So., 6-0, 219), 32-Joe Neznik (Jr., 6-0, 205)
LB -- 40-Matt Hawn (Jr., 6-2, 200), 9-Danno Wagner (Jr., 6-1, 195)
LB -- 33-Paul Gans (Sr., 6-1, 218), 45-Michael Scharenbroich (Jr., 6-0, 200)
CB -- 5-Mike Zauhar (Jr., 6-0, 175), 4-Mike Burtzel (So., 5-11, 170)
SS -- 30-Michael Klobes (Sr., 5-8, 170), 3-Mike Vigoren (Sr., 6-2, 195)
FS -- 20-Scott LaVoy (Jr., 6-1, 190), 17-Shawn Schoenberg (So., 6-0, 180)
CB -- 25-Tony Steffensmeier (Jr., 5-10, 176), 17-Shawn Schoenberg (So., 6-0, 180)

AUGSBURG TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- DEFENSE
DE -- 37-Craig Pike (Sr., 6-2, 255), 94-Derick Kelly (Fr., 6-4, 215)
DT -- 99-Chike Ochiagha (Jr., 5-10, 270), 95-Kasey Yoder (Jr., 6-0, 210)
DT -- 42-Jake Koelln (Jr., 6-0, 255), 95-Kasey Yoder (Jr., 6-0, 210)
DE -- 47-Joe Cullen (Sr., 6-0, 215), 94-Derick Kelly (Fr., 6-4, 215)
SLB -- 34-Jim Gunderson (Jr., 5-11, 195), 45-Kyle Voelz (Sr., 5-10, 210) *
MLB -- 80-Andrew Neumann (So., 6-4, 225), 41-John Golnitz (Sr., 6-3, 220)
WLB -- 44-Mike Matson (So., 6-1, 210), 25-Tim Stowe (Sr., 5-8, 196)
CB -- 10-Ricky Schreier (So., 5-6, 160), 56-Steven Wright (Jr., 6-1, 210)
SS -- 4-Jordan Hastings (Jr., 6-4, 195), 29-Jason Jenkins (So., 6-0, 210)
FS -- 21-Ross Peroutka (Jr., 6-0, 190), 17-Troy Deden (So., 5-11, 210)
CB -- 22-Andy Matzke (Jr., 6-1, 190), 48-Ryan Stockhaus (So., 5-8, 150)

ST. JOHN'S TWO-DEEP ROSTER -- OFFENSE
RT -- 52-Brian Smith (Sr., 6-3, 240), 73-Chris Tift (So., 6-2, 235)
RG -- 71-Luke Schumacher (Jr., 6-2, 275), 50-Jeff Soukup (Sr., 6-2, 235)
C -- 55-Jim Diley (Sr., 6-2, 240), 56-Gary Auer (Sr., 5-10, 210)
LG -- 64-Brian Mathiasen (Jr., 6-1, 264), 66-John Kaczorek (Sr., 6-3, 250)
LT -- 57-Matt Nelson (Jr., 6-4, 245), 75-Ryan Petz (Sr., 6-5, 275)
TE -- 4-Isaac Flenner (Sr., 6-2, 220), 31-Justin Winkels (Sr., 6-2, 185)
WR -- 18-Lee Clintsman (Sr., 5-11, 190), 3-Casey Haugen (So., 5-9, 180)
WR -- 19-Kyle Gearman (So., 6-4, 205), 22-Matt Breen (Sr., 5-8, 178)
RB -- 43-James Lehner (Sr., 5-9, 185), 23-Jordan Wolf (So., 6-1, 193)
RB -- 32-Mike Lofboom (So., 6-0, 190), 10-Chase Beaudry (Jr., 5-8, 185)
QB -- 7-Alex Kofoed (Fr., 6-2, 192), 11-Jordy Ruff (Sr., 6-1, 190)

AUGSBURG SPECIALISTS
K -- 1-Nick Schlieman (Jr., 6-4, 250), 96-Kyle Danner (So., 6-0, 180)
P -- 1-Nick Schlieman (Jr., 6-4, 250), 9-Keith Hagen (So., 6-5, 210)
LS -- 25-Tim Stowe (Sr., 5-8, 196), 80-Andrew Neumann (So., 6-4, 225)
SS -- 80-Andrew Neumann (So., 6-4, 225), 25-Tim Stowe (Sr., 5-8, 196)
H -- 11-Erik Bohnhoff (So., 6-6, 190)
KR -- 7-Marcus LeVesseur (Jr., 5-8, 170), 28-Jason Potts (Fr., 5-8, 165)
PR -- 22-Andy Matzke (Jr., 6-1, 190), 2-Yarzue Slowon (Sr., 6-0, 180)

ST. JOHN'S SPECIALISTS
K -- 1-Brandon Keller (Sr., 5-7, 175)
P -- 23-Martin Morud (Jr., 5-11, 170)
KR -- 18-Lee Clintsman (Sr., 5-11, 190), 32-Mike Lofboom (So., 6-0, 190)
PR -- 5-Mike Zauhar (Jr., 6-0, 175), 30-Michael Klobes (Sr., 5-8, 170)
H -- 5-Mike Zauhar (Jr., 6-0, 175)
LS -- 44-Steve LaVoir (So., 6-1, 240)

* ROSTER NOTES -- Ben Bothun wears 14 in home maroon jersey, 87 in road white jersey;
Kyle Voelz has changed his jersey from 58 to 45 in both home and road uniforms.