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NORTHFIELD, Minn. – No. 23 Saint John's overcame four turnovers and scored the game's final 13 points in a 23-13 win at Carleton on Saturday, Oct. 19, in Northfield.
SJU (6-1, 4-1 MIAC) dominated the first half, out-gaining Carleton 227-87 in total offense with a 15-6 advantage in first downs, but only led by three points (10-7) at halftime.
The Johnnies committed turnovers on their first two possessions of the game. Sophomore quarterback Nick Martin (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata), who made his first appearance since the season opener due to a shoulder injury, was sacked and fumbled on the opening drive on first-and-10 from the SJU 30-yard line.
Sophomore cornerback Trevor Warner (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta), however, intercepted an errant pass from Conor Lynch in the end zone two plays later. The Johnnies took over from their own 20 and marched 53 yards on seven plays, but a tipped pass from Martin was intercepted on the Carleton 12.
SJU forced a three-and-out but stalled offensively on the 13-yard line. Freshman Alexi Johnson (Shakopee, Minn.) put the visitors on the scoreboard with a 30-yard field goal.
A mishandled snap on a Carleton punt, following another three-and-out, created a 15-yard loss and SJU took over on the Knights' 22. Martin took it over from 12 yards out, his first of two rushing touchdowns on the day, four plays later.
Martin directed the Johnnies down to a first-and-goal from the eight-yard line, but was intercepted on a fade pass on third down by Dylan Saline, who returned it 43 yards out of the end zone. Martin was 5-for-6 passing for 36 yards and added 15 yards on two carries on the drive before the interception. Senior Darryl Williams (Hawthorne, Calif./Verbum Dei) gave the ball back to SJU, however, with his fourth interception of the season on the very next play.
Carleton (3-3, 1-3 MIAC) cut the Johnnies' lead to 10-7 with 10 seconds remaining in the first half. Lynch hit Anthony Kemper for a 15-yard gain on third-and-11 from the SJU 49, and then connected on consecutive passes to Chase Gottschalk for gains of 15 and 19 yards, the latter for a Knights' touchdown.
The Knights took the second-half kickoff and cruised 78 yards on 10 plays, ending on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Lynch to Gottschalk, to gain a 13-10 lead. The point-after attempt went wide right.
Carleton intercepted Martin for the third time of the game on the Johnnies' third play of the ensuing drive. A great defensive stand, however, brought the momentum back to the Johnnies' sideline as sophomore Drake Matuska (Kasson, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville) sacked Lynch for a 12-yard loss on fourth-and-five from the SJU 35.
Martin hit junior Rob Voshell (Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen) for a 37-yard touchdown strike three plays later, giving the lead back to SJU, 17-13.
SJU capitalized on another three-and-out when Martin scored from 13 yards out, capping a six-play, 58-yard scoring drive late in the third quarter. Johnson's extra point went wide left for his first miss of the season.
Martin ended his rusty afternoon 17 of 28 passing for 167 yards, as well as 41 yards on 10 carries. He accounted for three touchdowns and four turnovers on the day.
Freshman Jakob Certeza (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak) tallied career highs in attempts (28) and rushing yards (116) for his second 100-yard rushing performance of the season. Senior Jake Essler (New London, Minn./New London-Spicer) added 68 yards on 12 carries, including a 24-yard gain on third-and-four from the Johnnies' 10-yard line in the fourth quarter. SJU out-gained Carleton 229-38 on the ground.
Sophomore Josh Bungum (Paynesville, Minn.) became the 16th Johnnie in school history to record 100 career receptions with seven catches for 52 yards on the day. He now has 101 receptions for 1,154 yards in 17 career games and needs 14 catches to pass Rick Bell (1979-82) for 10th on the all-time list.
Junior Andrew Rose (Stillwater, Minn.) led the SJU defense with 10 tackles (five solo), including one for a loss. Matuska and junior Matt Workman (Minneapolis, Minn./Holy Angels) added 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks each. Senior Nolan Lortz (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) recorded the Johnnies' third interception of the afternoon, his third of the season.
SJU was 8-for-16 on third down and won the time-of-possession battle by 15 minutes (37:51-22:09).
The Johnnies enter their bye week before traveling to face Gustavus Adolphus on Saturday, Nov. 2. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Hollingsworth Field in St. Peter.
Notes: SJU improves to 31-0 all-time against Carleton… the Johnnies' 37:51 of possession is the fifth-most in school history (since 1980, when listed)…the 22:12 accrued in the first half is the second-most and the 12:06 totaled in the second quarter is good for sixth…Bungum continues to lead the MIAC in both receptions (59) and receiving yards (579)…Matuska and Workman are tied for second in the MIAC, conference games only, with three sacks apiece.
