MIAC Release

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's University second-year head football coach Gary Fasching was named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) John Gagliardi Coach of the Year, junior running back Sam Sura (South St. Paul, Minn.) was named the MIAC Most Valuable Player and 11 other Johnnies earned All-MIAC honors on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

Sura, junior wide receiver Josh Bungum (Paynesville, Minn.), senior offensive lineman Ross Carlson (Farwell, Minn./Alexandria), sophomore linebacker Carter Hanson (Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area), senior offensive lineman Alex Jarosz (White Bear Lake, Minn./Totino-Grace), sophomore kicker Alexi Johnson (Shakopee, Minn.), senior cornerback Andrew Norri (Virginia, Minn.) and senior defensive end Matt Workman (Minneapolis, Minn./Holy Angels) were named to the first team. The eight first-team selections is the most for SJU since 2006, when it recorded nine selections.

Junior offensive lineman Ben Brown (Ceylon, Minn./Fairmont), senior tight end J.T. Ford (Stevens Point, Wis./Stevens Point Area), senior defensive lineman Ben Rossini (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Rosemount) and sophomore punter Griffin Toomey (Anchorage, Alaska/South) were named to the second team. Senior offensive lineman Bryce Jeppesen (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) was named to the MIAC All-Sportsmanship team.

Sura ended the regular season as the NCAA Division III leader in rushing yards and finished second in rushing yards per game despite not playing in the equivalent of two full games. He currently has a school-record 1,752 yards and 19 touchdowns on 298 carries (5.9 avg.) and has shattered six other school rushing records so far this season. He needs six more carries to break SJU's record for most rushing attempts in a season set by Chris Moore in 2000.

He combined for 329 rushing yards in two games against teams that were ranked No. 10 nationally (210 at St. Thomas and 119 vs. Bethel) this fall and has 55 runs of 10 yards or more in 11 games, accounting for 992 of his 1,752 yards. Of the 55 carries, 16 were of 20 yards or more, including six over 30 yards. 

Sura is the first Johnnie to earn the conference's Most Valuable Player award since Blake Elliott in 2003 and the 19th overall. He was named one of the 10 semifinalists for the 2014 Gagliardi Trophy, which is awarded to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III, on Nov. 24.

Norri has started all 11 games at cornerback and leads the team in both passes defended (13) and pass breakups (9), and is tied for second with four interceptions. All four interceptions came in two games, a pair in the end zone in the 29-19 win Oct. 18 at Gustavus Adolphus and two against St. Scholastica Nov. 25. He is second on the team with 35 solo tackles and is tied for sixth with 43 total.

An All-MIAC second-team pick in 2013, Workman earned first-team honors at outside linebacker in 2014. He currently leads the team in sacks (4) and quarterback hurries (5), is second in tackles for loss (6.5) and is fourth in tackles (45). A high-school quarterback, Workman has 99 career tackles (60 solo), including 18 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks.

The MIAC no longer awards a utility position, so Bungum earned first-team honors as a returner and second-team distinction at wide receiver for the second straight year. He leads the team in receptions (26) and receiving yards (355), and has averaged 11.5 yards on 11 punt returns. Bungum is third on the team with 219 rushing yards on 42 carries (5.2 avg.) and second in school history, among wide receivers, with 307 career rushing yards. With 152 career receptions for 1,720 yards, he needs five receptions to tie Todd Fultz (1988-90) for fourth on the school's all-time list and 30 receiving yards to pass Nate Kirschner (1997-00) and crack the top 10 in that category.  

Hanson has six or more tackles in nine of his last 10 games and leads the team in all three tackle categories: solo (50), assisted (38) and total (88). He is also tied for the team lead in both forced fumbles (2) and fumble recoveries, and has 130 tackles (77 solo) in his last 16 games going back to last season. A global business leadership major with a perfect 4.0 GPA, Hanson earned the MIAC's Elite 22 Award, which is presented to the individual with the highest GPA on the active roster among the conference's top two teams, earlier today (Nov. 25).

Johnson leads the MIAC in points among kickers (70) and has the best field-goal percentage (.900). He made 43 consecutive PAT's going back to last season, including 38 straight this fall, before two were blocked in the 26-6 win at St. Olaf Nov. 15. Johnson is currently tied with Mike Schmidt (1980-82) for fourth in school history with 20 career field goals and needs two extra points to move into 10th for the most PAT's in both a season and a career. 

All-MIAC second-team selections last fall, Carlson and Jarosz have both been stalwarts on the Johnnies' offensive line. Carlson has made 21 consecutive starts at right guard, while Jarosz has started each of SJU's last 31 games on the offensive line – 10 games at left guard in 2012 and 21 games at left tackle in 2013 and 2014. The current co-president of Collegeville's Ducks Unlimited organization, Jarosz was SJU's nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works team in August. Brown, meanwhile, has started all 11 games at left guard.

As evidenced by the success of Sura and the offensive line, SJU is having a successful year running the football. The Johnnies are averaging 228.6 rushing yards per game, which is good for 34th in NCAA Division III. Although the season is not complete, that per-game average would be the most for SJU since 1980 (248.3 avg.). The last time SJU averaged over 200 yards rushing per game in a season was 1991 (201.5); SJU averaged 218.9 yards rushing during the 1993 regular season but ended the year at 186.4 following three NCAA playoff games.

Ford has started all 11 games and is second on the team with 21 receptions for 174 yards and three touchdowns. He was SJU's nominee for the William V. Campbell Trophy (formerly known as the Draddy Trophy), a scholar-athlete award sponsored by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, in 2014.

Rossini has started all 11 games at defensive tackle and has 39 tackles (15 solo), two forced fumbles and an interception. He is tied for fourth with four tackles for a loss and was All-MIAC honorable mention in 2013.

Toomey leads the MIAC, among those that punted 3.6 times or more per game, with an average of 37.4 yards on 45 punts. He led the MIAC for the second consecutive season in punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line (21) and fair catches (13). Toomey was All-MIAC honorable mention in 2013.

Junior offensive lineman Ben Eli (Avon, Minn./Albany), senior linebacker Andrew Rose (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area), senior defensive lineman Sean Tillman (Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen) and junior cornerback Trevor Warner (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta) were named All-MIAC honorable mention.

Rose eased into the season after suffering vertigo during preseason practices and has started the last eight games at linebacker. An All-MIAC first-team selection last fall, Rose has 29 tackles (19 solo), two fumble recoveries, an interception and a fumble recovery this season. He is currently tied with assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Damien Dumonceaux (2002-05) for 10th in school history with 110 career solo tackles.

Tillman has started all 11 games at defensive end in 2014, a welcomed return after appearing in only one game due to injury last season. He has 25 tackles (10 solo), including 2.5 for a loss, on the year.

All-MIAC honorable mention for the second consecutive season, Warner leads the team with five interceptions and is second with 10 passes defended. He has started each of the Johnnies' last 26 games at cornerback.

Eli transitioned from defensive line to center in late August and jumped into the starting lineup Sept. 13 at Wisconsin-Eau Claire after sophomore starter Tony Yost (Eden Prairie, Minn.) suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season opener.

After serving 17 seasons as an assistant football coach and recruiting coordinator, Fasching replaced John Gagliardi, college football's all-time wins leader who announced his retirement following 60 seasons at SJU, in 2012. Fasching currently boasts a 17-4 record (12-4 MIAC) in two seasons and led SJU to its MIAC-record 32nd conference championship, its first crown and coinciding NCAA Playoff berth since 2009, this fall. 

The 13th-ranked Johnnies (10-1, 7-1 MIAC) travel to face No. 4/5 Wartburg (11-0, 7-0 IIAC) in the NCAA second round at noon Saturday, Nov. 29, in Waverly, Iowa.