Box Score | SJU Press Conference | Linfield Press Conference

By Frank Rajkowski and Ryan Klinkner '04

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Collin Franz is quite familiar with the way a big play at the right time can help determine a game's outcome.
 
For much of the senior defensive end's career at Saint John's University, those plays have broken in the fifth-ranked Johnnies' favor. But that wasn't the case in Saturday's NCAA Division III second-round playoff matchup against No. 6/7 Linfield (Ore.). 
 
Instead, the Wildcats were able to take advantage of a pair of key SJU miscues to shift the momentum decisively in their favor in a 31-28 victory before a crowd of 2,378 on a sun-soaked afternoon at Clemens Stadium.
 
"That's something we always talk about," said Franz, whose team finished its season 11-1 overall. "Making sure we limit big plays as a defense and making sure it's our offense that makes them. Obviously, we didn't do that today and that played a big role in the outcome."
 
But it was special teams – where the Johnnies have been beset by a rash of injuries in recent weeks – that proved the Achilles' heel Saturday. 
 
With the game tied at seven in the closing seconds of the first half (and SJU due to get the ball to start the second), Linfield punted to the Johnnies. But a fumble gave the Wildcats the ball back at the SJU 20. 
 
Three plays later, sophomore Connor McNabb scored from three yards out to put his team on top 14-7.
 
Then, after the Johnnies were forced to punt on their first possession of the third quarter, a low snap helped prevent SJU sophomore Spencer Ell from getting the kick away. Linfield took over at the Saint John's 38 and scored on a 21-yard touchdown pass from senior Wyatt Smith to sophomore Devon Murray.
 
That put the Wildcats on top 21-7.
 
"Special teams become so important (in a game like this)," said Jerry Haugen '76, the longtime SJU defensive coordinator who was acting as head coach Saturday with Gary Fasching '81 having tested positive for COVID-19 and in protocol. "When you have a group that's been working together all year long, then a few guys go down, it's hard. 
 
"It's always an opportunity for someone to step up and be a part of that, and we've had lots of guys who've done that all year. The game of football certainly doesn't allow you to get through the season without any injuries. And we've had our share. A lot of guys have stepped up in a lot of different situations."
 
And the Johnnies continued to demonstrate that resilience Saturday, battling back to cut the deficit to 21-14 when senior quarterback Chris Backes (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) connected with sophomore wideout Jimmy Buck (Orono, Minn.) on the very next possession.
 
But Smith – a semifinalist for this year's Gagliardi Trophy who has now thrown for 3,275 yards and 40 touchdowns this fall – connected with freshman Joel Valadez for a touchdown for the second time on the afternoon, expanding the Linfield lead to 28-14 with 2:17 remaining in the third quarter.
 
"We were fortunate to get those (SJU punting mistakes)," Smith said. "We needed them. Frankly, it had been hard going on offense. To be able to get those big momentum changers, and to capitalize on them, was really important for us as an offense."
 
SJU had actually done an effective job at containing the Wildcats' passing attack early on, sacking Smith on three of the game's first four plays. But he picked up steam as the day went on, finishing 28 of 40 passing for 273 yards and three touchdowns.
 
"He's kind of like a great point guard back there," Haugen said. "He finds guys and distributes the ball to someone that's open."
 
The Johnnies again cut the gap to seven when Backes connected with MIAC Most Valuable Player Ravi Alston (Lake Elsinore, Calif./Vista Murrieta) on a 2-yard touchdown pass to make the score 28-21 with 9:50 to play. 
 
Linfield then went 79 yards in 12 plays and ran 6:44 off the clock on a drive that ended with a failed 24-yard field goal attempt. But Wildcats senior Jon Sedy followed that up by picking off a Backes pass and returning it to the Johnnies' 6, giving senior kicker Andy Starkel another shot. This time he connected from 23 yards to make the score 31-21.
 
Still, SJU did not surrender, cutting the gap to just four when Backes connected with senior Blake Patrick (St. Stephen, Minn./Holdingford) on a 52-yard touchdown pass with 39 seconds left. But Linfield recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the win.
 
"There was never a doubt in our mind that we could come back," said Franz, referencing his team's last-second 29-28 win at Bethel in the MIAC Championship Game on Nov. 13. "We knew we'd done it before, and we had every expectation we were going to be able to do it again."
 
But this time, the Johnnies came up just short, ending a season that saw the team advance to the Division III playoffs for the seventh season in a row (not counting 2020, when the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and win its third-straight MIAC title.
 
The Wildcats (11-0 overall), meanwhile, advance to play at No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) in the quarterfinals at noon next Saturday in Belton, Texas. Saturday marked Linfield's first win in four meetings against the Johnnies – a stretch that included a 33-0 SJU win in the 1965 NAIA title game and Division III playoff victories in both 2002 and '03, the first of which was the 400th victory for legendary Johnnie head coach John Gagliardi.
 
"We've beaten a lot of good teams around the country," said Wildcats head coach Joseph Smith, whose program won a Division III national title in 2004 – one year after SJU won its last championship. "But this is one we hadn't. So it means a lot to our team."
 
• Franz said it was strange not having Fasching on the sideline Saturday, but that his absence didn't have an impact on the final outcome.
"We knew what was going to happen and we were prepared for it," he said. "I don't think it took away from anyone's focus or mentality. We just want him to focus on recovering and getting better."

Franz did say Fasching texted players before the game, and texted the defense again at halftime.

"His one comment at halftime was just 'take better angles,'" Franz said with a smile.

• Senior running back Henry Trost (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) gave SJU a 7-0 lead with a one-yard touchdown run, his 18th of the season, with 9:57 left in the second quarter. The 18 rushing touchdowns are the fifth-most in an SJU season and Trost's 33 career rushing scores are tied with Tim Schmitz '78 for fourth in program history.

• Alston ended his SJU career sixth in receptions (153) and eighth in receiving yards (2,350) in only 25 games played. His average of 94.0 receiving yards per game is a Johnnie record.

• Junior defensive lineman Michael Wozniak (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) finished the 2021 season with a team-leading 15.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, including 6.5 TFL's and 3.5 sacks in the two NCAA playoff games.

• The Johnnies are now 8-6 all-time in the NCAA or NAIA second round, including a 5-1 record in Collegeville.

• SJU was not whistled for a penalty for the first time since the 2010 season opener (a 56-10 home win over Northwestern).

• The Johnnies are 35-4 since 2018. All four losses were decided by three points or less.