Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – No. 11 Saint John's took advantage of a strong defensive showing and defeated Wisconsin-Stout 27-0 in the 2018 season opener on Saturday, Sept. 1, in Clemens Stadium.

Junior quarterback Jackson Erdmann (Rosemount, Minn.) completed 14 of 22 passes for 241 yards and four touchdowns in three quarters of play. Two of his touchdowns were to senior wide receiver Will Gillach (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) in the third quarter (22 and 25 yards, respectively). Gillach was named to the 22-man Allstate AFCA Good Works team last fall, while Erdmann is a nominee for the 2018 honor.

Erdmann was 7 of 9 passing for 111 yards and two touchdowns, one each to his senior tight ends (Jared Streit and Tommy Auger), in the first quarter as SJU racked up a 130-33 advantage in total offense and a 14-0 lead. 



A Stout Defense vs. Stout
The Johnnies' defense held the Blue Devils to 92 yards of offense through the first three quarters. Stout gained 116 yards on its final two offensive possessions, but failed to erase the goose egg on the scoreboard. Drew Pearson's 43-yard field goal attempt went wide right on the visitors' final drive of the contest.

More of What's to Come
Senior defensive lineman Nathan Brinker (Avon, Minn./Holdingford), a preseason All-American, totaled six tackles, including three for a loss. He now has 35 career tackles for a loss, which tie him with Beau LaBore (1997-00) and Brian Zirbes (1997-00) for ninth-most in school history. Sophomore linebacker Danny Pietruszewski (South St. Paul, Minn.) added eight tackles and 1.5 sacks. 

To the Max
Senior safety Max Jackson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall), a 2017 All-American and a preseason honoree this fall, led the team with nine tackles and recorded the fourth interception of his career in the third quarter. He also returned SJU's lone kickoff 32 yards and added 45 yards on three punt returns.

Strong Start for Sam
Senior cornerback Sam Westby (Lake Elmo, Minn./Hill-Murray) had quite the afternoon. He posted five solo tackles, including one for a loss, most of which were on the outer edges of the line of scrimmage. Westby also forced a fumble and broke up three passes.



Pinning Them Deep
Senior defensive lineman/punter Naufahu Anitoni (Fairfield, Calif./Justin-Siena) boomed four punts to an average of 47.2 yards per kick. All four punts sailed inside Stout's 20-yard line: 41 yards to the 9, 1-yard return; 52 yards to the 2, 8-yard return; 41 yards to the 8, fair catch; and 55 yards to the 8, downed).

Fresh Faces
Six receivers caught Erdmann passes on the afternoon. Gillach led the receiving corps with four receptions for 75 yards and the two scores, while a pair of fresh faces stepped up with big plays. Junior Andrew VanErp (Battle Lake, Minn./Ottertail Central) caught three passes for 64 yards in the first half, including a 43-yard snag. He entered the 2018 season opener with one career reception. Sophomore Blake Patrick (St. Stephen, Minn./Holdingford), the team's fastest player (a laser 40-yard dash time of 4.63 seconds), caught a 48-yard bomb that set up Auger's 8-yard touchdown reception on the ensuing play. Both Patrick and VanErp were Minnesota State High School All-Stars.

The Good
See above.

The Not So Good
Stout failed to advance past the Johnnies' 25-yard line and converted only two of its 14 third-down opportunities in the game.

The Ugly
The two teams combined for 21 penalties, covering a total of 195 yards, on the afternoon: 11 penalties for 100 yards (Stout) and 10 penalties for 95 yards (SJU). The 21 total penalties included three personal foul and two unsportsmanlike conduct infractions.

Season-Opening Success Continues
SJU is now 77-28-3 (.727) all-time in season openers, including a 45-16-3 record (.727) when the game is played in Collegeville and a 6-0 record under the direction of head coach Gary Fasching '81. The Johnnies have won each of their last 14 season openers, 15 of their last 16, and 31 of their last 35 (since 1984).

Shutouts
The shutout is the 178th in school history, including the 32nd in the season opener, the ninth in 58 games for Fasching and the 61st with defensive coordinator Jerry Haugen '76 on staff (61 shutouts in 465 games, 13.1 percent).

What's Next
The Johnnies have their bye week before traveling to face Gustavus Adolphus in two weeks (Sept. 15) for the MIAC opener in St. Peter.