NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Another Saturday, another record-breaking set of numbers for
Trey Feeney.
The Saint John's senior quarterback, who entered play ranked No. 1 nationally at the NCAA Division III level in passing yardage, threw for a single-game program record 531 yards and six touchdowns as the Johnnies rolled past Carleton 49-10 Saturday afternoon at a sun-soaked Laird Stadium.
The performance came two weeks after he tied a single-game program record for touchdown passes with seven in a 62-6 win at Macalester on Oct. 10.
The Moorhead High School graduate has now thrown for 2,798 yards and 34 touchdowns through seven games this season, crossing the 300-yard mark six times and surpassing 400 yards the last three games in a row.
"It's honestly just execution," Feeney (Moorhead, Minn.) said after Saturday's victory. "We're all on the same page in this offense. I've said it all year, when you have a bunch of playmakers on the outside, the defense can't hone in on one or two guys.
"We had 10 guys catch the ball today. That's tough to stop."
The Johnnies - ranked No. 3 in the nation in both national polls - improved to 6-0 in MIAC play and 7-0 overall. The Knights fell to 4-2 in conference play and 4-3 overall.
"He's just very calm and collected back there," said SJU coach
Gary Fasching '81 of his quarterback. "His approach to the game is the same every week. He prepares really well. He's always up in the coaches offices, talking with our offensive staff. He understands the game plan and he has a feel for what he needs to do in any situation.
"Name any box there is with a quarterback and he checks it. He's playing at an extremely high level right now."
Feeney - who came into the game leading all NCAA divisions in both completions and passing yards per game - got started quickly again Saturday.
After connecting with senior wide receiver
Riley Schwellenbach (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) on a 13-yard scoring strike on the game's opening possession, he threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to senior wideout
Thomas Jacobs (Lakeland, Minn./Stillwater Area) to put the Johnnies in front 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
A 1-yard run by sophomore running back
Sedric Melvin Jr. (Homestead, Fla./South Dade) early in the second quarter increased the margin to 21, then Feeney again found Jacobs on a 5-yard touchdown pass with 29 seconds remaining in the first half to give the Johnnies a 28-3 halftime lead.
He threw for 313 yards in the first half alone.
"At this point, it seems like every game is a huge day for him," said Schwellenbach, who finished with six catches for 126 yards. "He's just playing really good football and we all have a lot of trust in him. Every play he calls seems to be working.
"We know he's going to get the receivers the ball. He's going to get the running backs the ball too. He's making everything go."
Indeed, the running backs played a big role in the passing game Saturday, largely through the shovel pass, which has become a staple of the SJU offense this season.
The Johnnies technically finished with only 32 yards rushing. But junior running back
Wyatt McCabe (Mayer, Minn./Watertown-Mayer) finished with 11 catches for 87 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass from Feeney in the fourth quarter to close out the day's scoring.
Senior running back
Corey Bohmert (Mahtomedi, Minn.) had four catches for 47 yards and Melvin Jr. finished with six catches for 40 yards.
SJU set up its first touchdown of the day with five-straight such short passes, four of which went for first downs (the other went for nine).
"We're running the ball, but we're not running the ball, if that makes sense," senior left tackle
Michael Bougie (South St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) said. "On those shovel passes, we're run blocking even if it technically goes down as a pass. And those plays are working."
Feeney connected with seniors
Cade Berg (Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) and
Charlie Plum (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) on touchdown passes of 10 and 14 yards in the third quarter before finishing his day with the touchdown pass to McCabe.
"I felt good," Feeney said. "It was good to be back on grass (Laird Stadium is the only field in the MIAC without turf). It took me back to when I was a ballboy for my dad (longtime Moorhead High School head coach Kevin Feeney).
"It was a beautiful October day and we got the win."
Fasching, though, still saw room for improvement.
"We won and you have to be happy about that," he said. "Carleton is a really talented offensive team. They've elevated themselves as a program. But I felt like we gave up a few too many yards. And we had too many penalties. Those are the kind of mistakes we have to cut down on."
Feeney too said the Johnnies need to remain focused on getting better each week.
"We can't let up now," said Feeney, whose team plays host to Gustavus (4-2, 5-2) at 1 p.m. next Saturday (Oct. 31) at Clemens Stadium.
"Our goal is to win a national championship, and to do that, we have to get better every time out. We're playing well, but there's always room to get better."
