Football Travels To Collegeville For Battle With Saint John's On Saturday

The Gustavus football team will travel to Collegeville, Minn. to take on Saint John’s Saturday, Oct. 23 at 1:00pm. Gustavus enters the game with an overall record of 3-3 and a MIAC record of 2-2, while Saint John’s enters with an overall record of 3-3 and a MIAC record of 2-2.

Game Notes

The Series- Saturday’s game will be the 77th meeting between Gustavus and Saint John’s on the football field. The Johnnies have the advantage in the all-time series with a record of 31-42-3. Last season in St. Peter, Johnnie QB Joe Boyle led the way with 204 yards passing and four touchdowns through the air as Saint John’s defeated Gustavus 38-10.

Dan Opitz knocks a pass away from a Bethel's Jesse Phenow last Saturday

Unlucky 13?- The Johnnies enter Saturday’s contest looking for their 13th straight win over Gustavus. The last Gustavus victory came on Oct. 11, 1997 in Collegeville. The Gusties defeated Saint John’s 24-16 at Clemons Field. Gustavus picked up a total of 290 yards on offense, while making 12 tackles for loss and eight sacks in the game. The Gusties held the Johnnies to 32 yards rushing and 234 yards passing for a total of 266 yards in the game.

High Scorers– Although the Johnnies have three losses coming at the hands of UW-Eau Claire (23-20), St. Thomas (27-26), and Bethel (17-14) this season, they still rank second in the MIAC is scoring. Saint John’s enters Saturday’s averaging 34 points per game. Gustavus ranks ninth scoring 21.5 points per game.

Opposite Day- The Gustavus offense will look to get its running game back on track after being shut down on the ground last weekend in Arden Hills, Minn. The Gusties finished with just -6 yards rushing, the lowest rushing total since Oct. 30, 2006 when the Gustavus ran for 12 yards against St. Olaf. Saint John’s ranks sixth in the MIAC in rushing defense, giving up 130.5 yards per game. The last time Gustavus was held to negative yards rushing in a game was on Nov. 13, 1998 when Saint John’s held Gustavus to -4 yards.

Muresuk Mena leads the Gusties in receptions this season with 43 for 258 yards.

Something’s Gotta Give- The Gustavus pass defense enters Saturday’s game ranked second in the MIAC giving up 180.8 yards per game. On the other side of the ball, Saint John’s is throwing for an average of 260.8 yards per game, which ranks second in the MIAC.

Get Off The Field- The Gusties will need to get tighten down in third down situations on Saturday, as Saint John’s is converting on 45.9 percent of its third downs this season (1^st in MIAC). Gustavus’s opponents are averaging a 30 percent completion rate on third downs this season.

No Free Yards- Saint John’s and Gustavus rank second and third, respectively, in the MIAC in penalties so far this season. The Johnnies have recorded 23 penalties for 208 yards (34.7 avg/g), while the Gusties have recorded 32 penalties for 228 yards (38 avg/g).

4th Down! – Gustavus has registered the most fourth down tries this season with 23. The Gusties have moved the sticks 10 times out of 23 for a percentage of 43.5, which ranks eighth in the MIAC.

“Big Red” Zone – The Gustavus defense will look to shut down the league’s best red zone team in Saint John’s on Saturday. The Johnnies are 25-for-29 (86.2%) in red zone scoring chances with 20 of the scores coming by way of touchdowns. The Gustavus is currently ranked ninth in red zone scoring percentage at 63.6 percent (14-22).

Assistant coach Andrew Valen and quarterback Logan Becker talk to offensive coordinator Ryan Galindo through the headset last Saturday in Arden Hills.

QB Comparison- Both starting quarterbacks carry a balanced offensive passing and rushing threat into Saturday’s matchup. Gustavus quarterback Logan Becker has rushed for 208 yards and passed for 1014 yards for a total of 1222 yards this season. His counterpart Joe Boyle of Saint John’s has recorded 129 yards rushing and 1426 yards passing for 1555 total yards.

Last Five Meetings- In Gustavus’s last five meetings with Saint John’s, the Gusties are averaging 44.8 yards per game on the ground and 163.6 yards through the air for a total average of 208.4 yards per game. The Johnnies have recorded 16 sacks within this frame for an average of 3.2 per game.

Around The MIAC- The biggest game in the MIAC on Saturday features two of the last two unbeaten squads in the conference. Bethel (4-0 MIAC) makes the trip to O’Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul to take on St. Thomas (5-0 MIAC). St. Thomas enters the game ranked fourth in the nation with an overall record of 7-0, while Bethel ranks 20th with an overall record of 6-0. Hamline (1-5 O’all, 0-4 MIAC) travels to Moorhead, Minn. to take on Concordia (3-4 O’all, 2-3 MIAC). Augsburg (3-4 O’all, 1-4 MIAC) makes the trip south to Northfield, Minn. to battle St. Olaf (4-2 O’all, 2-2 MIAC). Carleton (2-4 O’all, 2-3 MIAC) rounds out the action with a non-conference game under the lights against Macalester at 6:00 p.m.