Box Score

By Frank Rajkowski and Ryan Klinkner '04

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's University junior linebacker Erik Bjork (Mahtomedi, Minn.) says the Johnnies' defense continues to gain confidence as each week passes.

And that continues to be bad news for opposing offenses.

Saturday afternoon, the Johnnies (6-0, 4-0 MIAC, 1-0 Northwoods) held St. Olaf to just 190 yards of total offense – and only 28 yards in the first half – as Saint John's recorded its third-straight shutout, blanking the Oles 56-0 before a crowd of 8,963 on a cool, but sunny afternoon as part of Family Weekend at Clemens Stadium.

"We're definitely clicking a little bit more with every game we play," said Bjork, who finished with five tackles. "We're not thinking as much. We're just reacting and flying to the football."

The Johnnies – ranked No. 5 in both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and D3football.com Division III national polls – improved to 6-0 with Saturday's win. It marked the first time since 1977 that SJU has recorded three shutouts in a row.

The last time the Johnnies recorded four in a row was the first four games of the 1965 season – the year in which SJU captured the second of its four national titles.



"Three shutouts in a row is pretty special," senior linebacker Kyle Kornovich (Rogers, Minn.) said. "It means a lot to all of us."

And not just the starters. SJU played reserves much of the second half after building a 35-0 halftime lead. But St. Olaf (3-3, 2-2 MIAC, 1-1 Northwoods) was still unable to score despite having the ball inside the Johnnies' 5-yard line on each of its final two possessions.

The first time, senior defensive back Brandon Sutton (Rice Lake, Wis.), who finished with a team-best seven tackles, recovered a fumble at the SJU 4-yard line. The second time, the Johnnies held the Oles on downs.

"That's one of the pluses about having a big roster size," Kornovich said. "There are a lot of talented guys waiting in the wings who haven't had a lot of playing time yet. Our backups push us every week in practice. And when they get out there, they're pretty motivated to show what they can do."



In all, SJU recorded five takeaways Saturday – including recovering a fumble on the game's opening kickoff that set up the first of senior running back Henry Trost's (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) three touchdown runs.

Sophomore quarterback Aaron Syverson (Minnetonka, Minn.) threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns – two of them to junior tight end Alex Larson (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge). The Johnnies finished with 520 yards of total offense, outgaining the Oles 301-28 over the first two quarters.

SJU had 19 first downs in the first half. St. Olaf had just one.

"You have to give the defense credit," Larson said. "You can't play any better than they're playing now. Three straight games without giving up a point – we're going to be a pretty tough team to beat when we have a defense holding other teams in check like that."

The Johnnies' offense played the first series of the second half before taking a seat. Senior quarterback Chris Backes (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) came in and went a perfect 5-for-5 passing for 59 yards and two touchdowns. The first touchdown was from seven yards out to a fellow St. Cloud Tech graduate, sophomore wide receiver Darian Washington, and the second was to senior tight end Adrian Flournoy (Minden, La.) for his first collegiate reception.

Oh Henry
The three rushing touchdowns lifted Trost past Corey Weber (2004-05) and into a tie with Kent Crowley (1999-02) for ninth in school history with 25 in his career. Jim Lehman (1953-55) and Rick Bell (1979-82) are tied for seventh with 30. Trost's 30 career touchdowns (25 rushing, five receiving) are five behind Mike Lofboom (2003-06) in 10th all-time.

Ravi Moves into 10th
Senior wide receiver Ravi Alston (Lake Elsinore, Calif./Vista Murrieta) just missed his ninth career 100-yard receiving game with five catches for 98 yards. The five receptions, however, enabled him to pass Dave Arnold (1969-71) for 10th in program history with 120. Lofboom is ninth with 124.

Defense and Turnovers
Since allowing 33 points and 423 yards of offense to then-No. 23 Aurora (Ill.) in the season opener, SJU has allowed 25 total points (Martin Luther's lone score was a pick-six) and an average of 224.8 yards per game over the last five contests. The Johnnies started the season with a turnover margin of -3 over the first three games, but is a +9 since.

Having the Oles' Number 
SJU is now 45-14-1 all-time against the Oles, including a 23-8 record in Collegeville and a 29-5 record overall since 1986. The Johnnies have out-scored St. Olaf 373-44 in the last eight meetings since their 38-35 loss on Sept. 29, 2012.

Road Trip No. 2
The Johnnies make their second road trip of the season to face Gustavus Adolphus at 1 p.m. next Saturday, Oct. 23, in St. Peter.