Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 9/10 Saint John's football recorded its third shutout in four games this season with a 52-0 win at Augsburg on Saturday, Sept. 29, in Minneapolis.

The Johnnies (4-0, 3-0 MIAC) scored points on their first five offensive possessions to build a 31-0 halftime lead. SJU out-gained Augsburg (2-3, 0-3 MIAC) 498-137 in the victory, including a 214-32 margin on the ground.

Win No. 50 for Fasching
Saturday's win was the 50th in Gary Fasching's tenure as head coach (50-11 career record) and his 36th in conference play (36-7 MIAC record), which broke his tie with Joe Benda for second-most in program history. John Gagliardi posted a 362-99-9 MIAC record in 60 seasons.

J.E
Junior quarterback Jackson Erdmann's (Rosemount, Minn.) initials may also stand for "Just Efficient." He entered Saturday's road game as the NCAA Division III leader, and second among all levels of college football, with a 234.0 pass-efficiency rating. Erdmann completed a career-high 22 passes on 26 attempts for 264 yards and three touchdowns on the afternoon. The 22 completions were spread out to seven different receivers. Erdmann led SJU on its first two offensive drives of the second half before he took a seat. The 264 passing yards enabled Erdmann to move past Ross Denne (1999-02) for ninth on SJU's all-time list with 4,064 career yards.

Good Week for Gillach
Senior wide receiver Will Gillach (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) recorded career highs in receptions (6) and receiving yards (89), all in the first half of the Johnnies' win. The 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team honoree was named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation's Campbell Trophy, which is regarded as college football's academic Heisman, earlier this week (Sept. 26). Gillach leads the team in catches (18) and receiving yards (288) this season.

Solid Defense, Again
The Johnnies held Augsburg to seven first downs and 17 yards on 32 carries, thanks in large part to the 16 tackles for a loss of 73 yards and six sacks on the afternoon. The 16 tackles for loss were the most since SJU recorded 16 in the 41-7 win on Oct. 10, 2009, at Hamline. Augsburg was 3 of 16 (18.8 percent) on third down and 0-for-4 on fourth down.



The Holdingford Hammer
Senior defensive lineman Nathan Brinker (Avon, Minn./Holdingford) led SJU with seven tackles, including three for a loss and 1.5 sacks in the win. He also recorded four quarterback hurries and a pass deflection. The preseason All-American is now tied with his position coach, Damien Dumonceaux '05 (2002-05), for seventh in school history with 40.5 tackles for loss and is tied with Phil Trier (1998-00) for ninth with 21.5 sacks.

Touchdowns for the Tight Ends
For the third time in four games this season, senior tight ends Tommy Auger (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) and Jared Streit (Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins) each caught a touchdown pass. Auger scored from seven yards out to give SJU a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter, while Streit caught his patented, back-corner touchdown pass early in the second quarter. Streit is second on the team with 11 receptions this season (for 148 yards and three touchdowns), while Auger has nine catches for 124 yards and a team-leading four touchdowns.

Two for Kai
Junior running back Kai Barber (Minneapolis, Minn./Totino-Grace) matched his career total for touchdowns scored with one on the ground and one through the air Saturday. He led the Johnnies' ground game with 57 yards on six carries, including a two-yard plunge that gave SJU a 38-0 lead in the third quarter. Barber caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Ben Alvord (St. Joseph, Minn./St. Cloud Apollo) five minutes later.

Another Shutout
The shutout was the 180th in school history, the 11th in 61 games under the direction of Fasching and the 63rd with defensive coordinator Jerry Haugen '76 on staff (63 shutouts in 468 games, 13.5 percent).

69 Wins in 80 Meetings
Saturday's meeting was the 80th between SJU and Augsburg. The Johnnies now lead the all-time series with a 69-9-2 record (.875), including a 34-4-2 mark (.875) mark in Minneapolis.

Road Warriors Across the MIAC
A week after the MIAC's home teams pounded the opposition to a combined score of 227-3, the road teams put together a similar showing Saturday. In addition to the Johnnies' 52-0 rout of Augsburg, No. 3 St. Thomas spoiled Concordia-Moorhead's Homecoming with a 46-7 score and Bethel blanked Carleton, 48-0. St. Olaf visits Hamline tonight.

What's Next
The Johnnies return to the Twin Cities to face Bethel (4-0, 2-0 MIAC) for a 1 p.m. game next Saturday, Oct. 6, at Royal Stadium in Arden Hills.