Box Score | Listen to Archived Game | Photos (Dawid Chabowski)

MOORHEAD, Minn. – No. 6 Saint John's capitalized on two Cobber fumbles inside the Johnnies' five-yard line to defeat No. 23 Concordia-Moorhead 31-19 on Saturday, Sept. 19. SJU head coach John Gagliardi became the first head coach in college football history to coach 600 career games.

SJU (3-0, 1-0 MIAC) took the opening kickoff and marched 54 yards on 13 plays before stalling on the Concordia 15. On fourth down, senior Russell Gliadon (Fridley, Minn.) split the uprights from 33 yards out to give SJU a 3-0 lead.

The Cobbers (2-1, 0-1 MIAC) responded with a 56-yard drive of their own, only to fumble on the Johnnies' five-yard line. Senior Kyle Schroeder (Richmond, Minn./Rocori) recovered the fumble for SJU; the first sign of what was to be a great day for No. 97 in white.

The Johnnies were forced to go three-and-out, however. Concordia took possession on the SJU 40 and scored two plays later on a 25-yard pass from Andrew Larson to Craig Lachowitzer. Sophomore Jack Daggett (Hutchinson, Minn.), the reigning MIAC Special Teams Player of the Week, blocked his second point-after attempt in as many weeks to make it 6-3 in favor of the home team.

Not to be outdone, SJU put together an efficient seven-play, 63-yard scoring drive that ended on a 25-yard touchdown strike from junior Joe Boyle (Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels) to junior Josh Overman (Albany, Minn.). Gliadon's extra point made it 10-6 in favor of the Johnnies.

Concordia answered with a 13-play, 74-yard drive only to fumble on the Johnnies' two-yard line where Schroeder collected his second fumble of the game.

Boyle then orchestrated a 10-play, 95-yard drive that ended on a 15-yard connection to senior Ben Vanderheyden (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) with 1:33 left in the half.

Larson and Co. countered with a 12-play, 76-yard scoring drive that included a huge 19-yard completion on fourth-and-10, to cut the deficit to 17-12. Larson called his own number from five yards out with 10 seconds remaining. The ensuing two-point conversion failed.

Boyle connected with sophomore Jimmy Loonan (Waseca, Minn.) on a 15-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-12 with 3:45 left in the third quarter.

Following a three-and-out, SJU took over on its own 41. A 16-yard gain by Loonan on first down moved the chains to the Concordia 43. On second-and-nine from the 42, Boyle eluded a Cobber pass rush, escaped to the outside and ran 42 yards to paydirt. Gliadon's extra point made it 31-12 with less than a minute left in the third frame.

The Cobbers found the end zone one last time, the unconventional way, on a 65-yard interception return by Jake Uphus.

Boyle ended the day 13 of 23 passing for 192 yards and three touchdowns. He also added a career-high 72 yards rushing on just six carries. Junior Jakob Reding (Eden Prairie, Minn.) led the Johnnies with 80 yards on 19 carries, while Vanderheyden grabbed three passes for 52 yards.

Defensively, junior John Stanton (San Rafael, Calif./Marin Catholic) led the Johnnies with 10 tackles (eight solo), while senior Noel Meyer (Melrose, Minn.) collected eight tackles (five solo), including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Schroeder posted five tackles (three solo) with four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. The Johnnies ended the day with 10 total tackles for loss and five sacks.

Larson finished the game 22 of 32 passing for 252 yards. Justin Brantner led the Cobber rushing attack with 49 yards on 12 carries, while Larson gained 25 yards on 24 carries. Lachowitzer caught five passes for 75 yards. Zach Debeltz led Concordia with 11 tackles (seven solo) and one tackle for loss.

With the win, SJU head coach John Gagliardi improved his career record to 464-125-11 (.783) in 61 seasons overall and 440-119-10 (.782) in 57 seasons at SJU.

Concordia was just one of four in the red zone and four of seven on fourth down. The Cobbers entered Saturday's game 10-for-10 in the red zone. The Johnnies, on the other hand, converted all three scoring red-zone scoring chances into points.

The Johnnies travel to face Gustavus Adolphus next Saturday, Sept. 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Gustavus Stadium in St. Peter.