St. John's, behind a living legend in coach John Gagliardi and 17 seniors who started, made a dramatic run through last season's schedule and playoff bracket, losing on a last-second field goal in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. 

The Johnnies scored playoff victories against 1999 champion Pacific Lutheran and Texas powerhouse Hardin-Simmons, and nearly defeated five-time national champion Mount Union. 

But in even one of St. John's best seasons ever, they still didn't beat MIAC rival Bethel. 

The Royals went 10-0 in 2000 and won their first-ever MIAC championship, but were overshadowed when they lost to PLU 41-13 in the first round while the Pool C-qualifying Johnnies made it to Stagg Bowl XXVIII. 

Saturday, St. John's has the chance to spoil the Royals' success again, though this time from a different angle. Bethel is ranked fifth in the AFCA poll, unbeaten at 7-0 (6-0 MIAC). The Johnnies suffered early home losses against UW-Eau Claire and conference rival St. Olaf, but still trail by only one game in the MIAC standings. A win Saturday would put the Johnnies (5-2, 5-1) in the driver's seat. 

Steve Johnson, head coach of the Royals for 12 years, doesn't pretend that St. John's hasn't been the team to beat since before he graduated from Bethel in 1979.

Since the schools have a budding rivalry, the past he says, has little to do with Saturday's game. 

"We're becoming their biggest game," says Johnson, "And they're ours.

"We don't really have to tell [the players] anything [to get them excited]," Johnson said. "The rivalry is a great one. There's some mutual dislike, and a mutual respect. It's not really a blood rivalry. It's how a college football rivalry is supposed to be."

But when Bethel first began MIAC play in 1978, they weren't much of a rival to any conference team, never winning more than twice in its first dozen years. The Royals jumped from 2-6-1 in 1989 to 6-3 in 1990, and finished 8-1 in 1996 and 7-2 in 1998. But in each of their first 20 games against St. John's, the Royals stumbled. 

In 1999, the Royals earned a milestone 24-20 victory against the Johnnies, and in 2000 they won 43-36 behind 262 yards and 27 points in the first half. Scott Kirchoff threw for 333 yards in the game.

Bethel has 17 starters back from that team, while St. John's lost 17.

Of course, St. John's has already proved that a rivalry can overcome such a wide variance in experience, defeating archrival St. Thomas 27-21 in the 100th Johnnie-Tommie game in September.

"Up in this part of the country," says Johnson, "we just had the Vikings play the Packers last week. I grew up in Chicago on Bears-Packers. This is becoming like that, where it doesn't matter what the records are"

What makes the game, at least the recent ones, so exciting is their playoff implications.

"It means first place right now," said Johnson. "If they win, they're in first. If we win, they're out. That's significant."

St. Thomas, whose lone MIAC loss came in that Johnnie-Tommie game, is still in contention as well, with a Nov. 10 game against Bethel still ahead.

The Royals got a taste of the playoffs last season, and want more.

"Our first taste of the playoffs was a bad one," Johnson said, recalling the loss to PLU. "The score was a lot worse than the game."

With a chance to go back to the postseason in 2001, Johnson can feel a distinct buzz around campus, especially for Saturday's game.

"You walk through the halls to go get mail, and you can hear people talking about what time they're leaving and how they're getting [to St. John's]," Johnson said.

Another faculty member sent an e-mail asking for help moving, said Johnson. The note promised that any potential helpers would be finished in time for the game.

"Bethel's a tight-knit community," said Johnson. "Our football team is part of the regular population."

The keys to winning are hardly complicated X's and O's or an extra-inspired performance.

"It's not a mystery thing, and I think people want it to be a mystery thing," Johnson said. "Everytime they've beaten us, they've tackled better and executed on offense better.

Playoffs and first-place on the line in a rivalry game — does it get much better? Not in the MIAC.

"Nobody in our league has beaten [St. John's] very often, let alone two times with a chance for three," Johnson said. 

Around the Nation
Wartburg's 31-7 win against Central served notice that the IIAC race isn't over just yet. Central, the defending champion, had held a game lead over Cornell while the Knights had already dropped two conference games. 

Wartburg spanked fifth-ranked Central for their 21st consecutive home win and snapped Central's 17-game regular-season winning streak. That gives Cornell, who lost to Loras and meets Central in the final week of the season, a reprieve. Wartburg and Coe have two conference losses each. 

Brad Hodapp led the Knights past the Dutch, rushing for 155 yards. Justin Beatty chipped in with 125. It was Beatty's seventh consecutive game over 100 and Hodapp's total was a career-high. 

Hodapp and Beatty's 270 rushing yards seems minute compared to the 1,223 total yards gained by Rensselaer and Hartwick Saturday in RPI's 62-47 victory.

Hartwick's Daniel Pincelli tossed seven touchdown passes and lost. That has to hurt. His Hawks also outgained the Engineers 618-605.

RPI also moved to No. 2 in D3football.com's Pool B power rankings, while Hartwick fell to No. 11.

In another of last weekend's biggest games, Wittenberg seized control of the NCAC race behind junior running back Daniel Grove and his career-high 259 yards rushing. His three TDs gave him 14 on the season (guess they aren't missing Casey Donaldson). 

Teron Powell of Western Maryland had a weekend of record. Or records. His seven-reception, 138-yard, two-touchdown day moved him into the Centennial Conference career touchdown reception lead. He also became the Green Terror's all-time receptions leader. 

Mount Union's Chuck Moore led the Purple Raiders' record-breaking (or record-approaching) weekend.

Moore's 165 yards gave him 990 for the season, 10 yards shy of his third 1,000-yard campaign, which would be a MUC record. His three TDs also left him four shy of his own mark for touchdowns in a season, 22. 

Saturday's 52-13 win against Capital also marked Mount Union's 135th consecutive game with a touchdown pass. Their last game without one came in the 1980s, if my math is correct. 

Widener's Jim Jones has been about as money as they come, scoring at least one touchdown in 15 consecutive games before Saturday. For the first time since Oct. 7, 2000, he did not reach the end zone, but his teammates did multiple times in a 48-21 win against Delaware Valley. 

Amherst's Marsh Moseley came off the bench to throw two touchdown passes in the 5-0 Jeffs' 23-0 win over NESCAC rival Wesleyan. He earned NESCAC co-rookie of the week honors for the feats, which are expected considering his football heritage. 

Moseley was a starting quarterback at Isidore Newman High in New Orleans, the same place Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning played. Moseley and Eli Manning were teammates in 1998. 

The WIAC picture still isn't clearing up, although we have a new team in the driver's seat. Eau Claire has beaten Oshkosh and Platteville, and walloped 2000 champion Stout 33-0. Their one-point, two-overtime loss to River Falls is their only blemish after four conference games. 

Six teams are 2-2 in WIAC play and only Whitewater, who got three first-place votes in the preseason poll, is 1-3. 

Stay tuned. 

And thanks to Oberlin, a 53-22 winner over Kenyon, finally cracking the win column after nearly four dozen games, Concordia (Ill.) now holds the dubious honor of nation's longest active losing streak in Division III, at 25 games. 

Just asking 
When are I-AA teams like Davidson and La Salle (beating up on teams from the ODAC) and the like going to play legitimate I-AA schedules? It's one thing to play a local rival or play some as a I-AA program is starting out. But when a I-AA team is beating I-AA opponents handily, shouldn't it start to replace the D-III teams on its schedule? 

Games to Watch
No. 5 Bethel (Minn.) at St. John's (Minn.) 
If you didn't notice the mention of this game above, you just haven't been paying attention. 

No. 6 Montclair State at New Jersey
NJAC-leading Red Hawks face a competitive team that lost to Rowan 28-27. It's the 69th meeting for this rivalry, the oldest active collegiate football rivalry in the state of New Jersey. Montclair leads the series, 41-25-2.

Hartwick at No. 18 Union
Meeting of No. 8 (Union) and No. 11 teams in the Pool B power rankings has all kinds of playoff implications. Either team is likely out with a loss. 

Buena Vista at No. 17 Central (Iowa)
With the IIAC race wide open again, Buena Vista could hand Central its second loss in two weeks, further clouding the picture. The Dutch need a strong rebound from 31-7 loss to Wartburg. 

No. 23 Defiance at No. 22 Thomas More 
Rare matchup of unbeatens this deep into the season. Yellow Jackets are a Pool A contender (Heartland leader at 7-0, 4-0). Saints are an independent Pool B contender and 7-0. Teams playing for playoff position and pride. Thomas More was one of three to beat Defiance in the final four games of 2000 after the Yellow Jackets started 6-0. 

Pacific Lutheran at Willamette
The Lutes have won four in a row, but these two rivals play with almost a throw-out-the-record books mentality. The Bearcats beat PLU in the Lutes' 1999 championship season before falling at home to them in the playoffs. PLU, fifth in the Pool B power rankings, is trying to reach postseason for the fourth consecutive year. 

Hobart at Ithaca 
Both were once prime Pool B contenders, but even with one loss, both are fighting to stay alive. Bombers have scored 122 points in their last two games, but Statesmen won matchup 19-0 in 2000. 

Tufts at Amherst
NESCAC rivals fight for top spot. The Jumbos are 4-1, Lord Jeffs 5-0. Williams, the conference's other unbeaten, topped Tufts 21-17 and looms at the end of Amherst's schedule. The Jeffs have won seven of eight.

UW-Oshkosh at UW-Platteville; UW-La Crosse at UW-River Falls; UW-Stout at UW-Stevens Point 
WIAC teams, each 2-2 in conference, fight to stay in title chase with three games remaining. 

Keep an eye on: No. 13 Western Connecticut at Worcester Polytech, No. 15 Lycoming at Wilkes, John Carroll at Capital, Wilmington at Ohio Northern, Gustavus Adolphus at St. Thomas, Carnegie Mellon at Rochester, Kalamazoo at Alma, Hanover at Anderson, Whittier at Cal Lutheran, Redlands at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Sewanee at Millsaps, Ursinus at Muhlenberg.