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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 18 Saint John's scored points on each of its first seven possessions enroute to a 48-10 win at Augsburg on Saturday, Sept. 25.
The Johnnies (3-1, 2-0 MIAC) out-gained Augsburg 549-291 in the game, including a 136-62 advantage in the first quarter, and did not attempt a single punt the entire game. SJU has now out-gained its opponents 638-144 in the first quarter thru four games this season. At the half, SJU boasted a 361-150 advantage in total offense and a 20-9 mark in first downs.
Senior quarterback Joe Boyle (Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels) ended the day 23 of 30 passing for his first career 300-yard passing performance, 339 yards, and two touchdowns. He also added 29 yards on seven carries and two more touchdowns.
The teams exchanged field goals on their opening drives before the Johnnies rattled off the next 45 points.
Boyle hit sophomore running back Harry Awe (St. Paul, Minn./Minnehaha Academy) for a 17-yard touchdown pass to break the 3-3 tie with 1:21 left in the first quarter. Boyle then scored the first of his two quarterback sneaks to end a 15-play, 65-yard scoring drive with 8:08 left in the second quarter. He then connected with senior tight end Josh Overman (Albany, Minn.) on a 25-yard touchdown pass before scoring again, from one yard out, with two seconds remaining in the half. The final two scoring drives of the second quarter both covered 80 yards.
Sophomore kicker Jimmie Mattson (Eau Claire, Wis./Memorial) booted his second field goal of the game, from 30 yards out, to pad the Johnnies' lead to 34-3 at the seven-minute mark of the third quarter. Awe then added his second touchdown of the game, this time on a one-yard run, with 3:30 left in the third.
Sophomore quarterback John Ries (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) scored from one-yard out following a 38-yard interception return by senior linebacker John Stanton (San Rafael, Calif./Marin Catholic) down to the Auggies' three-yard line.
Augsburg (3-1, 1-1 MIAC) added a touchdown with one minute remaining to end the scoring.
Awe led the Johnnies' ground game with 55 yards on 10 carries, while fellow sophomore Stephen Johnson (Mahtomedi, Minn.) added 51 yards on nine carries. Johnson led nine different SJU receivers with 69 yards on six receptions. Overman and senior running back Jakob Reding (Eden Prairie, Minn.) followed with four catches each for 57 and 52 yards, respectively.
Stanton and sophomore cornerback Mike Bonynge (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer) tallied six tackles each and sophomore corner Alex Powell (Hopkins, Minn.) intercepted two passes. Junior safety Andrew Rotschafer (Eden Prairie, Minn.) also recorded an interception.
Augsburg quarterback Marcus Brumm was 25 of 47 passing for 224 yards, but threw four interceptions. He entered the game averaging 375 yards passing with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions on the young season. Wide receiver Muneer Al-Hameed led the Auggies with 128 yards on 13 catches, while running back Phil Putratz added 62 yards on 15 carries.
With the win, SJU head coach John Gagliardi earned his 474th career victory in 62 seasons and his 450th in 58 seasons with the Johnnies. The Johnnies are now 63-7-2 all-time against Augsburg, including a 53-4-1 record under the direction of Gagliardi.
SJU plays host to nationally-ranked St. Thomas for Homecoming this Saturday, Oct. 2. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Clemens Stadium in Collegeville. The Johnnies are 64-16-2 (.793) in 82 known Homecoming games dating back to 1924. The Johnnies have not lost on Homecoming Day since October 1, 1994 (27-26 loss to Hamline) and have won 23 of their last 24 Homecoming games. Despite losses in his first four Homecoming games, Gagliardi owns a 48-9 record (.842) on Homecoming Day.
