No. 5 Wartburg scored 14 unanswered points to defeat No. 13 Saint John's 21-10 in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 29, in Waverly, Iowa.
Down 10-7, Wartburg (12-0, 7-0 IIAC) recorded two touchdown-scoring drives that combined for 145 yards on 13 plays in the fourth quarter. SJU (10-2, 7-1 MIAC) held the Knights to 197 yards on the other 52 plays.
The Johnnies were without junior running back Sam Sura (South St. Paul, Minn.), the 2014 MIAC Most Valuable Player and a Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist, for most of the game after he dislocated his right shoulder on his first carry. He attempted to play through the injury before leaving the game after the Johnnies' second possession and finished with 17 yards on three carries.
Following a scoreless first half, Wartburg gained the first lead of the game with an 82-yard scoring play that ended on a four-yard touchdown pass from Logan Schrader to Taylor Jacobsmeier with 8:40 left in third quarter.
The lead only lasted only 3:41, however, as junior quarterback Nick Martin (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) connected with senior tight end J.T. Ford (Stevens Point, Wis./Stevens Point Area) for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 4:59 left in the third quarter. The drive covered 53 yards on seven plays.
The Johnnies' defense forced a three-and-out and the offense started where it left off. Martin looked to have a first down on fourth-and-one from the Knights' four-yard line, but SJU was whistled for a false-start penalty and had to settle for a 25-yard field goal from sophomore Alexi Johnson (Shakopee, Minn.). The kick gave SJU a 10-7 lead on the second play of the fourth quarter.
Wartburg turned to running back Brandon Domeyer for 50 yards on five carries, including the one-yard touchdown to cap the drive on the ensuing possession and give the lead back to Wartburg (14-10). He finished with 109 yards on 21 carries.
SJU rolled 70 yards down to the 12-yard line, thanks in large part to a great 43-yard catch from junior wide receiver Josh Bungum (Paynesville, Minn./Paynesville Area). On third-and-10, however, Martin was sacked and fumbled with 7:25 left.
Schrader, the IIAC Most Valuable Player and a Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist, broke loose for a 56-yard touchdown to end the scoring at 21-10 with 4:33 left. Although he passed for only 87 yards (13 of 26), Schrader led all rushers with 119 yards on 12 carries.
Bungum replaced Sura in the backfield and finished with 81 yards on 24 carries. He also caught three passes for 65 yards. Martin ended the day 11 of 26 passing for 154 yards and the touchdown, but was sacked six times.
Senior cornerback Andrew Norri (Virginia, Minn.) led the SJU defense with 14 tackles (eight solo), while sophomore linebacker Carter Hanson (Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area) collected 12 tackles (five solo), including 1.5 for a loss.
Sophomore punter Griffin Toomey (Anchorage, Alaska/South) averaged 42.6 yards on five punts, including two that were placed inside the 20-yard line.
Notes: Wartburg entered the game averaging 44.5 points and 484.1 yards of offense per game ... the scoreless half was the first for SJU since Sept. 29, 2007 (10-7 win at Carleton) ... total offense was even at 114 yards apiece at halftime ... the Johnnies are expected to return 16 starters (eight on offense, six on defense and both special-teams specialists) next fall.
Banner season ends for SJU in NCAA second round
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141129_uu4v.xml
2014
St. John's
10
Wartburg
21
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 13 St. John's (10-2) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| No. 5 Wartburg (12-0) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
Nov 29, 2014