Box Score

By Mike Killeen

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Junior running back Dusty Krueger (Lake Elmo, Minn./Hill-Murray) scored on a 1-yard plunge on a fourth-down play with no time remaining, lifting the No. 9 Saint John's University football team to a 32-31 win over No. 12/16 University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the first-round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs Saturday at Clemens Stadium.

Krueger's short run capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive with no timeouts remaining to rally the Johnnies (10-1 overall), who erased a 31-20 deficit in the fourth quarter. The win clinched SJU's 21st 10-win season in school history.



The victory advances SJU to the second round of the playoffs. The Johnnies will face the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh at noon Saturday, Nov. 26, at Oshkosh in what will be the first meeting between the two schools. Oshkosh defeated Washington University of St. Louis 49-13 in its first-round playoff game Saturday.

Wisconsin-Platteville, which was making its second playoff appearance, finishes its season 8-3 overall. The Pioneers dropped a 22-13 decision to Oshkosh Oct. 22.

The Johnnies trailed 31-20 after the Pioneers' Sean Studer scored on a 1-yard run with 12:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. The score was set up when Saint John's snapped the ball over senior punter Griffin Toomey's (Anchorage, Alaska/South) head, giving the Pioneers possession at the SJU 13.

Following the ensuing kickoff, the Johnnies drove 65 yards in 10 plays, capped by freshman quarterback Jackson Erdmann's (Rosemount, Minn.) 19-yard pass to senior running back Zack Sundly (Harris, Minn./North Branch) with 8:10 to play in the game. That cut the gap to 31-26 following a failed two-point conversion try.

Saint John's got the ball back with 4:56 to play, but Erdmann's pass was intercepted by safety Josh Mackie with 2:48 to play. It was Mackie's second interception of the game. 

However, SJU's defensive unit held the Pioneers and forced a punt, which barely crossed the goal line for a touchback.

Erdmann, who split time throughout the game with starting sophomore quarterback Ben Alvord (St. Joseph, Minn./St. Cloud Apollo), hit senior wide receiver Evan Clark (Phoenix, Ariz./Apollo) for a 17-yard gain to start the drive. Erdmann then used his legs to run for a key 6-yard gain on a fourth down play to advance the ball to midfield.

The Johnnies faced another fourth down play four plays later, and Erdmann hit Clark – in one-on-one coverage down the right sideline - for a 32-yard completion to the Platteville 12-yard line.
 
After an 11-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Will Gillach (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) to the Pioneers' 1, Erdmann threw three incomplete passes to set up Krueger's winning touchdown run on fourth down. Saint John's was 3-for-3 on fourth down conversions in the winning drive.

Saint John's held a 10-7 lead at halftime. Pioneers' quarterback Tom Kelly opened the scoring with a 3-yard run with 6:11 to play in the first quarter, which was set up by Mackie's first interception and his 59-yard return to the SJU 7. The Johnnies responded with Gillach's 25-yard scoring reception from Erdmann with 1:28 to play in the first quarter. SJU senior kicker Alexi Johnson (Shakopee, Minn.) hit a 21-yard field goal with 6:35 to play in the second quarter, the only points of the stanza.

The teams traded field goals to start the second half, with Johnson hitting a 35-yard field goal to put the Johnnies up 13-10 with 6:20 to play in the third quarter. 

The Pioneers' Dan Arnold scored on a 12-yard pass to give Platteville a 17-13 lead, but then Clark returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown to put SJU back in front 20-17 with 4:08 to play in the third quarter. It was the first kickoff return for the Johnnies since Oct. 24, 2015, when Josh Bungum '16 - now an SJU assistant coach - returned a Carleton kickoff for a touchdown.

Clark has scored touchdowns in all 11 games this season for the Johnnies, with 16 total (13 receiving, two rushing and one kickoff return). He finished the game with five receptions for 71 yards, and rushed three times for 9 yards.

Platteville scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions to set up the late-game heroics for SJU.

Erdmann completed 18 of 33 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Alvord was 3-for-6 for 71 yards passing in limited playing time for SJU.

Krueger led the Johnnies with 73 yards rushing, and Toomey punted five times for a 44.4 average, with three punts inside the 20-yard line (including two inside the 10).

Senior linebacker Carter Hanson (Blue Earth, Minn.) had a team-high 11 total tackles and an interception for Saint John's. The Johnnies' defense limited the Pioneers, who had been averaging 497 yards of total offense per game, to 311 yards in the contest.