Box Score
Box Score | SJU Press Conference

ORANGE, Calif. - No. 8 Saint John's football rolled to 646 yards of offense in a 55-26 win over No. 12 Chapman (Calif.) in the second round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 30, in Orange, Calif.

The Johnnies (11-1, 7-1 MIAC) travel to face No. 3 Wheaton (Ill.) in the NCAA quarterfinals at noon next Saturday, Dec. 7. The Thunder (12-0, 9-0 CCIW) won its second-round game over No. 23 Central (Iowa) Saturday, 49-13.

Senior quarterback Jackson Erdmann (Rosemount, Minn.) finished 24 of 41 passing for 458 yards and five touchdowns. He became the SJU and MIAC all-time leading passer in the third quarter by breaking the previous record of 10,737 held by Alex Kofoed (2004-07). 

400 Passing Yards
The 400-yard passing performance was the fourth of the season and second consecutive for Erdmann, who now has 10,890 career passing yards. He has now passed for 300 yards or more nine times this season and 13 times in his career.

Rough Start
The Johnnies overcame a slow start with turnovers on their first two possessions. The third drive, which covered 70 yards on eight plays, ended on a blocked field goal that Chapman (10-1, 7-0 SCIAC) returned to SJU's 36-yard line.



Two With 1,000
For the second time in school history (first time since 1994), SJU has two receivers with 1,000 yards on the season. Sophomore wide receiver T.J. Hodge (Miami, Fla./Doral Academy) led three Johnnies with 100+ yards by tying his career high with nine catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 68 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns this fall. Sophomore Ravi Alston (Lake Elsinore, Calif./Vista Murrieta) eclipsed 1,000 yards last Saturday and snagged seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown against Chapman. His season ledger reads 71 catches for 1,210 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Three TD's for Trost
Sophomore running back Henry Trost (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) caught three passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 51 yards and two more scores on five carries. He ran for a 15-yard gain on fourth-and-two and gave SJU a 7-3 lead with a 13-yard touchdown run two plays later (4:34 into the second quarter). Trost made it 28-6 with 9:08 left in the third quarter and broke the game open with a 70-yard sprint, on a screen pass, for a score with 4:39 left in the third. He now has 15 touchdowns on the season, 11 rushing and four receiving, which is two shy of Blake Elliott's sophomore record of 17 set in 2001.

Stand-Up D
The Johnnies' defense came up with a pair of big stops on the afternoon. Erdmann was sacked on SJU's second offensive play and fumbled on the Johnnies' 16-yard line. SJU's defense held strong, however, and the Panthers had to settle for a 26-yard field goal. A 42-yard gain gave Chapman a first-and-goal on the 6-yard line late in the first half, but SJU came through once again and held the home team to a 22-yard field goal. The Johnnies registered five sacks and recovered three fumbles in the win.

Fumbleroosky
Two of Chapman's three fumbles were unforced. The first came at a great time for SJU, as the Panthers had a first-and-goal from the 9-yard line. The bad snap from center was recovered by senior linebacker Richard Carriveau (Rice, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) back on the Johnnies' 30-yard line with five minutes left in the opening quarter.

The second fumble, another bad snap, was recovered by senior defensive lineman Nick Jensen (Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen on Chapman's 28-yard line with 2:38 left in the third quarter. Hodge caught his second touchdown pass of the day three plays later to increase SJU's lead to 41-13.

The third takeaway started when the Panthers' quarterback mishandled the shotgun snap from center and senior safety Ryan LaCasse (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) forced the fumble, which was recovered by junior defensive lineman Dom Nussmeier (Mankato, Minn./East) on SJU's 49-yard line. LaCasse led SJU with 14 tackles (nine solo) in the win.