Junior quarterback Joe Boyle (Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels) led SJU past two double-digit deficits to defeat Wis.-River Falls 28-24 last Saturday, Sept. 5, in River Falls, Wis. Boyle ended the day 17 of 27 passing for 278 yards and three touchdowns.
Down 17-0 with 7:55 remaining in the second quarter, Boyle led an eight-play, 69-yard scoring drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Ben Vanderheyden. Boyle was 3 of 4 passing for 53 yards on the drive. Following a missed field-goal attempt by UWRF, SJU took over from its own 20-yard line with 1:39 left in the half. Boyle then orchestrated a four-play, 80-yard scoring drive to cut the deficit to 17-14 before halftime (Boyle connected with Vanderheyden once again, this time from 46 yards out). Boyle ran for seven yards on first down and then went 3 of 3 passing for 73 yards on drive, which lasted only 43 seconds.
Following a scoreless third quarter, UWRF took a 24-14 lead with 12:06 remaining in the fourth quarter. Under pressure on third-and-seven from the SJU 40, Boyle scrambled and flipped the ball over the pass rush to a waiting Jakob Reding, who proceeded to gain 37 yards to the River Falls 23. On fourth-and-one from the 14, Boyle called his own number and ran eight yards for a first down. Senior running back Kellen Blaser then scored from six yards out on the very next play to cut the Falcons’ lead to 24-21.
On the first offensive play of the ensuing drive, senior defensive tackle Nick Gunderson forced his second fumble of the game to give SJU optimal field position on UWRF’s 30-yard line.
Penalties, however, pushed the Johnnies back to a first-and-25 after the drive’s first two plays. Following an incomplete pass, freshman running back Stephen Johnson scampered for a nine-yard gain to set up a third-and-16. Boyle then connected with Blaser on a 16-yard pass at the down marker for a first down on UWRF’s 20. Following four carries by Reding to the three-yard line, Boyle found junior tight end Josh Overman in the end zone to give SJU its first lead of the game, 28-24, with 4:01 left.
