By Adam Johnson
D3sports.com
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. -- John Gagliardi won his 409th career game on Saturday.
If the above sentence is news to you, let me be the first to say, "Welcome back to planet Earth." No event in recent Division III football history has claimed such national media hype as John Gagliardi's "March to 409." It became so popular that Pepsi paid for sole sponsorship rights. Newspapers from both coasts, the mountain region, Alaska and the heartland all covered the hype and through two weeks of practices, interviews, close games and victories none of the Johnnies -- nor Gagliardi himself -- gave into it.
John Gagliardi addresses the record crowd after his 409th career victory, breaking the college football mark set by Eddie Robinson. Photo by Pat Coleman, D3sports.com |
"I've never heard 409 come out of that guy," receiver Blake Elliott said about Gagliardi and his indifference to the record. "Unless you're talking about cleaning supplies or something."
Ironically, it was the Johnnies who cleaned up through their first seven games by an average victory margin of 36 points. It appeared as though they would breeze to the record but after a Week 8, 12-point victory over Concordia-Moorhead the hype started to build.
Archrival St. Thomas, who was supposed to be a pushover, became a formidable opponent overnight and pushed St. John's to the brink of defeat. When the Tommies finally relinquished a last second field goal and fell 15-12 to the Johnnies, and Bethel blew out Augsburg, the showdown was set.
Hollywood couldn't have scripted Nov. 8, 2003, in Collegeville any better. Two undefeated teams; conference championship and automatic playoff berth on the line; record St. John's crowd of 13,107; huge plays on both sides of the ball from both teams; and a little record being chased known simply as 4-0-9.
Media was there from across the country, as were former players of Gagliardi's that wouldn't have missed this game for the world. There were also fans with no connection to St. John's that just wanted to be a witness to history. They received everything they set out for and more.
The Royals scored first and the Johnnies quickly followed and from then on they matched each other almost the whole way. However, it was St. John's who scored last and ran out the clock on a three point victory. Fans rushed the field and the festivities began -- festivities fit for the King of Wins.
St. John's president, Br. Dietrich Reinhart, honored Gagliardi officially after the game. "You have been a source of inspiration and determination to many, both near and far," Reinhart said. "You will be long remembered as a coaching legend, a football icon. St. John's honors you as the most victorious football coach of all time."
As the national media descended on Collegeville, none of the Johnnies let the hype get to them. Even John kept his dry sense of humor through it all.
"I still don't know what the milestone means," Gagliardi said. "I think maybe my wife likes me a little better. ... But I bet Peggy will still make me take out the garbage."
While wins may pile up, some things will never change.
Kain is able
Simpson quarterback Mike Donnenwerth has been a key figure in Simpson going 7-1, but he hasn't been alone. His number one target all season has been Dusty Kain. On Saturday he didn't have one of his many 100-yard receiving games, tallying only 80. However, 80 yards was plenty as it pushed him into first place in the Simpson receiving record book for most receiving yards in a season with 1,113. It broke the old mark of 1,079 set by Jesse Von Behren just last season 2002. It is clear that quarterback Mike Donnenwerth has benefited immensely from great receivers in his time at Simpson.
A defensive exit
St. Olaf senior linebacker Bill Germscheid saved one of his best defensive performances for his last collegiate game on Saturday against the Gustavus Gusties. Germscheid finished with four tackles (one for loss), one fumble recovery, one sack and two interceptions. He ran back the fumble recovery 19 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter and one of the interceptions 42 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. His effort was a big part of the 41-27 victory over the favored Gusties. The Oles finished the season 4-6.
A model of scoring efficiency
The Eastern Oregon Mountaineers put on a scoring clinic in their 43-36 victory against Puget Sound on Saturday that you may have missed if you blinked. The Mountaineers averaged nearly 41 yards per scoring play on their six touchdowns including a 93-yard pass from Scott Jensen to Matt Hamlin and a 65-yard run by Damien Johnson. The craziest statistic is the little amount of time it took them to score all these points -- a mere 14 minutes and 10 seconds.
Conference Ramblings
MIAC: Concordia-Moorhead used Jeremy Hinderks 106 yards and three touchdown to outrun St. Thomas 34-20. ... Brian Senske's 193 yards and three touchdowns paced St. Olaf to a 41-27 victory. ... Augsburg ran up 497 yards of total offense and finished with a .500 record for the first time since 1999 as they defeated Hamline 23-6. ... Carleton reclaimed the "Book of Knowledge" in convincing fashion as running back Erik Fisher piled up 183 yards and two touchdowns to defeat the Macalester Scots 45-13.
IIAC: Wartburg used 242 yards passing and three touchdowns from quarterback Reed Hoskins to defeat Dubuque 41-13 and secure at least a share of the IIAC conference crown. ... Mike Donnenwerth threw for 258 yards and a touchdown as Simpson defeated Luther 21-7 to finish the conference season 7-1, their best finish since 1997. ... Loras overcame 427 yards passing from UIU quarterback Dedrick Sykes to defeat the Peacocks 30-20. ... Thirteen Central players ran for positive yardage as the Dutch totaled 555 yards of total offense in defeating Cornell 58-21. ... Buena Vista quarterback Eric Weibers accounted for 301 yards of total offense in a 31-21 victory against Coe.
SCIAC: Redlands defeated Whittier 46-33. ... In the battle of hyphenated teams Claremont-Mudd-Scripps scored the first three touchdowns and then held off Pomona-Pitzer 28-21. ... Occidental controlled the ball nearly twice as long as Cal Lutheran as they defeated the Kingsmen 34-24. ... After trailing 28-21 at the end of one quarter La Verne's defense stepped it up and helped defeat Chapman 49-44.
NWC: Although Whitworth controlled the clock 32:00 to 28:00, Linfield used a solid running attack to control the score and defeated the Pirates 35-14. ... Willamette claimed the "Wagon Wheel" as they piled up a devilish 666 yards of total offense in a 59-7 defeat of Lewis & Clark. ... Pacific Lutheran's Aaron Binger rushed for 191 yards and a touchdown in defeating Menlo 35-28...Andy Carlson's 201 yards rushing and four touchdowns was not enough as Puget Sound lost 43-36 to Eastern Oregon.
Games of the Week
Central at No. 5 Wartburg in Waverly, Iowa: Wartburg needs this game to stay undefeated and likely secure a top three regional ranking. Central needs the win to keep their winning seasons streak alive. Most would give the game to Wartburg as it is in Waverly but the Dutch (5-4, 3-4 IIAC) are fighting to keep history on their side. A Knight victory would end the Dutch's 42-year winning season streak.
No. 3 Linfield at Willamette in Salem, Ore.:
With a national No. 3 ranking the Linfield Wildcats are obviously the favorite but they have to travel to Willamette whohas won five in a row. A win for Willamette would draw them some serious consideration and knock Linfield down a few spots in the regional rankings. If Linfield wins they are likely to be a No. 2 seed in the west. Both teams boast great backfields but Linfield holds the edge at quarterback. This one should be a treat.
Redlands at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in Claremont, Calif.: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is looking to put a blemish on Redlands' conference record as they welcome the 5-0 Bulldogs to Claremont. A win by CMS would still leave them one-half game back of Redlands as the California wildfires postponed their earlier game with Occidental. CMS will likely treat this as a playoff game as their playoff hopes went up in smoke.
