Saint John's University junior quarterback Connor Bruns (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) ended the day 16 of 22 passing for 251 yards and two touchdowns, and added 43 yards on six carries in the Johnnies’ 31-28 win at UW-Eau Claire last Saturday. Whether it was with his arm or with his legs, he had a hand in an 8-for-13 showing on third down and 2-for-2 performance on fourth down (the team was nine of 16 on third down overall).
Bruns started, and ended, his big day with his legs. Faced with a third-and-six, one in each of the Johnnies’ first two touchdown drives, Bruns carried the ball for 10 and 15 yards, respectively, to keep the drives alive. On the second touchdown drive, Bruns later completed a 32-yard pass on fourth-and-6 before throwing a four-yard touchdown pass three plays later. Two drives later, he completed a 56-yard pass on third-and-11 to set up SJU’s go-ahead score and threw for his other touchdown, from 13 yards out on third-and-goal, on the ensuing drive.
He saved his best for the Johnnies’ final drive. Ahead by a 28-21 margin, Bruns orchestrated a 17-play, 63-yard scoring drive that ate up 8:59 of the fourth quarter. During that drive, Bruns completed an 11-yard pass on third-and-7 and ran for 10 crucial yards on fourth-and-7 to set up Jimmie Mattson’s (Eau Claire, Wis./Memorial) 28-yard field goal.
Bruns enters this Saturday's game against St. Thomas with a .705 completion percentage (31/44) and a 180.6 pass efficiency rating (12th in Division III), averaging 14.8 yards per completion. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Clemens Stadium in Collegeville.
