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NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Saint John's improved to 28-0 all-time against Carleton with a 31-13 victory on Saturday, Oct. 30, in Northfield.
SJU (5-3, 4-2 MIAC) amassed 502 yards of total offense, including 75 rushing and 95 receiving from sophomore running back Stephen Johnson (Mahtomedi, Minn.). The Johnnies have now totaled more than 500 yards of offense in each of their five wins this season.
Senior running back Jakob Reding (Eden Prairie, Minn.) gave SJU a 7-0 lead on a three-yard touchdown run with 7:11 left in the first quarter. Carleton (3-5, 2-4 MIAC) answered right back with a three-play, 66-yard scoring drive that ended on a 56-yard screen pass from Vaughn Schmid to Jon Lien.
Following a turnover on downs, SJU extended its lead to 14-7 after marching 71 yards on nine plays, ending on a 23-yard shovel pass from senior quarterback Joe Boyle (Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels) to Johnson.
Reding took it over from the two-yard line with 22 seconds left in the half to give the Johnnies a 21-7 lead at the break. An interception by sophomore Ian Goldsmith (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) on third-and-three gave the ball back to SJU with 1:10 left.
Carleton took the opening kickoff of the second half and cruised down to the Johnnies' 15, but sophomore Kevin Wenner (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) intercepted Schmid in the end zone. SJU took over on its own 20 and advanced to the Knights' three-yard line, but a holding penalty pushed the visitors to the 13. Two plays later, sophomore kicker Jimmie Mattson (Eau Claire, Wis./Memorial) booted a 30-yard field goal.
Boyle connected with senior tight end Josh Overman (Albany, Minn.) on a four-yard touchdown pass to increase SJU's lead to 31-7 at the 12:13 mark of the fourth quarter. Overman ended the day with six catches for 112 yards to record his first career 100-yard receiving game. He also became the 25th player in school history, and just the sixth tight end, to reach 1,000 career receiving yards.
Lien ended the scoring with his second touchdown of the game, from two yards out, with 9:19 left.
Boyle ended the afternoon 18 of 27 passing for 290 yards, surpassing the 4,000-yard mark for his career. Johnson totaled 75 yards on 17 carries, while Reding added 68 on 12 attempts. Senior linebacker John Stanton (San Rafael, Calif./Marin Catholic) led the Johnnie defense with 10 tackles (seven solo), while senior defensive tackle Kyle Schroeder (Richmond, Minn./Rocori) tallied a career-high 4.5 tackles for loss. He now needs 1.5 tackles for loss to crack SJU's top 10 list. Schroeder and fellow senior Griffin Hayes (Mendota Heights, Minn./St. Thomas Academy) added 1.5 sacks apiece.
Schmid was 18 of 37 passing for 296 yards, and led the Knights' rushing attack with 46 yards on 17 carries. Lien averaged two yards per carry (15-30), but did most of his damage with 112 yards on six receptions.
With the win, SJU head coach John Gagliardi improves to 476-129-11 (.782) in 62 seasons overall and 452-123-10 (.781) in 58 seasons in Collegeville.
The Johnnies travel to face St. Olaf in a battle for third place next Saturday, Nov. 6. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Manitou Field in Northfield.
