Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Three games, three shutouts.
 
Bigger tests loom ahead, but for now, things are going pretty well for All-America defensive lineman Zach Frank (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial and the rest of the Saint John's defense.
 
"The biggest thing is the chemistry we have with each other," the senior said. "We had it last year too, and it always feels special when things come together like this. Specifically on the defensive line, everyone in the rotation stayed up here this summer. We lifted together; we trained together. That's a big contributor to the success we're having up front. 
 
"And for the defense as a whole, everything is just clicking. Everyone is doing their jobs."
 
Those jobs continued getting done Saturday when the Johnnies held Augsburg to just 46 yards in the first half - and only 133 yards overall - en route to a 63-0 win over the Auggies before a crowd of 8,134 on a sun-splashed Homecoming afternoon at Clemens Stadium.
 
It marked the third-straight week the Johnnies - ranked No. 4 in the nation in the most recent D3football.com and AFCA national polls - have kept the opposition off the scoreboard, the best defensive start to a season since 1965 when SJU began the year with four-straight shutouts en route to that season's NAIA national title.
 
"We've given up a few plays here and there, but the biggest thing is that we've been able to stop the run which is the No. 1 area we focus on going into a game," said SJU head coach Gary Fasching '81, whose team (3-0, 2-0 MIAC) held Augsburg to 27 yards on the ground Saturday and has allowed a total of only 143 yards rushing (an average of 47.7 yards per game) so far this season.
 
"We've talked about being more physical on defense and I thought we saw that today."
 
The Johnnies have now outscored the opposition 171-0 over the first three games. But Frank and company know the going gets tougher next week when SJU travels to Arden Hills to face Bethel. The Royals - ranked No. 12 in Division III by D3football.com - defeated Hamline 62-12 Saturday to improve to 2-0 in MIAC play and 3-0 overall themselves.
 
"We know we need to keep building," said Frank, who had a pair of sacks against the Auggies and now has a team-best 4.5 this season. "Even though we've been shutting teams out, we've still made a few mistakes. And next week against Bethel, even little mistakes will get exposed. So we can't get complacent. We need to stay focused on getting better."


 
But the Royals come next week. On Saturday, the Johnnies took control of the game from the start, scoring touchdowns on each of their first eight possessions (and nine of 10 overall). 
 
Senior Zander Ditttbenner (Mankato, Minn./West) and junior Trey Feeney (Moorhead, Minn.) continued their rotation at quarterback. Feeney finished 14 of 21 passing for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Dittbenner was 9 of 14 for 139 yards and one touchdown, but also rushed for touchdowns of 16 and 21 yards in the first half.
 
"They each got four possessions today, so between the two of them, they had eight and we scored on all of them," Fasching said of the rotation. "It's working, and as long as it is, we'll keep it going."
 
Both quarterbacks seem to be building chemistry with the Johnnies' talented receiving corps, especially All-America senior tight end Joey Gendreau (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) - who finished with 10 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown Saturday. He has now crossed the 100-yard receiving mark in all three of his team's games this fall.
 
"Two quarterbacks is a bit different for offenses these days, but they both have their talents and they're both able to emphasize them," Gendreau said. "So until some team is able to shut our offense or one of these guys down, we'll keep rolling like this.
 
"Zander is my roommate, so he and I share that chemistry," he continued. "But I've known Trey (a transfer from FCS North Dakota) a long time too. He's kind of a family friend. We grew up going to quarterback camps together. So it was really nice when he decided to transfer in. 
 
"It's a pretty unique and special thing to share a personal bond with two quarterbacks on the same team like that."
 
SJU finished with a season-best 624 yards of total offense Saturday, crossing the 600-yard mark for the second week in a row. Two hundred and fifty seven of that total came on the ground, led by senior Caden Wheeler (Andover, Minn.), who rushed for touchdowns of 1 and 7 yards, and junior Corey Bohmert (Mahtomedi, Minn.), who added a 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
 
Meanwhile, linebackers Peyton Goettlicher (Mankato, Minn./West), a junior, and Landon Danner (Rosemount, Minn.), a sophomore, led the way defensively with five tackles each.
 
"This was a good day," Frank said. "There was a lot to be happy about, but some things to build on too. Overall, though, I feel good about where we're at. It's exciting to be part of this team."

Homecoming Glory
SJU is now 74-20-2 (.781) in 96 Homecoming games dating back to 1925, including a 17-2 record against Augsburg, the Johnnies' most-frequent opponent. The Johnnies have won 34 of their last 39 Homecoming games.

Homecoming Points
The 63-point differential was the largest for SJU on Homecoming since the 69-0 victory over Hamline on Oct. 9, 1993.

75-9-2
The Johnnies are now 75-9-2 (.884) all-time against Augsburg, including a 38-5 record in Collegeville. SJU has now out-scored the Auggies 507-74 over the last 11 meetings. The 63-point differential is the series' largest in 86 meetings, topping the 60-0 wins in both 1986 and 2006 (both games were held in Minneapolis).

63-0
Scorigami! The score of 63-0 was the first for SJU in the program's 977 games. The Johnnies have had one score each of 62-0 and 64-0, but never 63-0.