Aiden Chang and the Carleton Knights have charged through the first half of their schedule, although the second half brings bigger challenges. Carleton athletics photo by Kristin Simons

By Joe Sager
D3sports.com

The Goat Trophy is back at Carleton.

However, that’s not the only hardware the Knights hope to claim this season — or in the future.

Carleton is 5-0 for the first time since 2008 and 12-3 in the past two years under head coach Tom Journell, who took over in 2018. Annually ranked among the top schools in the country, Carleton is listed at No. 6 in the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings of liberal arts colleges, tied with Bowdoin and the United States Naval Academy. Carleton is ranked as the best school for undergraduate teaching for the 12th consecutive year as well.

Journell, who had previous head coaching stops at UW-Stevens Point and Elmhurst, wants to turn the Knights into a football power, too.

“My wife and I were so thrilled for our son, Mack, to come to school here. He actually recruited me to come coach here,” Journell said. “I coach Carleton from a parent standpoint. It’s different from anywhere I’ve been. I coached Mack for two years here and he helped a ton to show me how to make it work here.”

Carleton, located in Northfield, Minnesota, has an enrollment of just under 2,000 students. So, Journell and his staff search far and wide to find the right fits for the program.

“We had a plan to use our academic brand as one of the most prestigious schools in the country to recruit students and scholars that are ballers from coast to coast. It’s taken time. Just like Stanford, we want to show you can win games and get a fantastic education. Look at Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, Wash U. and Washington & Lee — they have done it and we’re following that model,” he said. “It’s hard work. We go to over 85 camps over the summer. We’re going and scouring the Earth for folks that can get into Carleton who consider academics the center of their life and want to get prepared for their next 40 years once they graduate, but they want to go where football matters and a place they can compete for championships, too.

“Recruiting is getting a little easier. Winning helps that. We have 29 states represented on the team and only four people from Minnesota. We have some of the best facilities in the country and great support, too,” he said. “All of that helps because most people aren’t coming to Minnesota for the weather.”

The Knights bought into the vision.

“When Coach Journell got here, he wanted to build a championship with a campus community,” senior quarterback Jonathan Singleton said. “We have to put academics first, but there can be great balance when working with professors and coaches to also have a time to focus on football, too.

“Carleton is a competitive school. People here got into Carleton because academics are the main focus, but it doesn’t mean we can’t have success athletically, too,” added senior running back Aiden Chang. “Carleton is a hard school. Playing D-III football is like a full-time job. You eventually get into a routine and figure it out, though. Our upperclassmen do a good job helping and guiding the younger players.”

The upperclassmen have helped steer the Knights to a perfect mark, so far. Carleton, formerly a pass-first program, has developed an all-around offensive approach, thanks in part to Singleton’s running ability. The team averages 202.6 yards rushing and 314.2 yards passing per outing.

“That’s a big credit to (offensive coordinator) Bob Davies,” Chang said. “He always has answers for whatever looks a defense gives. Johnny can make the reads and we have guys who can make plays.”

A Knight, an Eagle and a Goat. Carleton athletics photo of Jonathan Singleton by Kristin Simons

Defensively, the Knights have been dominant as well. They’ve limited teams to 87.0 yards and 14.6 points per outing through the first half of the schedule, although the second half is much tougher.

“Like last season, our defense has been unbelievable. They make our job on offense easier,” Singleton said. “Our run game has opened up our entire offense. Before Coach Davies got here, we were 90% pass. Now, the run-pass game is pretty even. That’s a credit to the work our O-line and backs have put in. That balance forces defenses to have to defend both the run and pass. When we get into formations where we can do both, it really opens up the whole offense and makes us really explosive.”

The Knights just try to keep things basic.

“Offensively, we don’t waste plays. We run right the right play at the right time. Defensively, we have answers for anything a team wants to do. We’re really simple,” Journell said. “It’s a D-III Ivy League school and we have to be very efficient in everything we do. Our kids are smart, but it’s rigorous here. We have to be careful how much time we spend on things. You think we’re really complicated because we have all these scholars. But, we want to make it fun and simple. Our guys have learned our systems and played fast and physical and had fun doing it.”

The versatility allows Carleton to take what a defense gives. In last week’s 26-7 win over crosstown rival St. Olaf, the Knights used their legs to secure the win because there was space to do so. While Singleton became the program’s all-time leading passer in the contest, he rushed for a career-best 132 yards. Chang, too, rushed for a personal-best 115 yards. The team racked up 295 yards rushing — its highest total since 2015.

“Now that people know that we can run the ball, it’ll open up more opportunities,” Chang said. “Defenses have to pick one to try to stop and we can answer with the other.”

The victory enabled the team to take “The Walk” in full gear together to Bridge Square in Northfield and turn The Eagle, which sits atop the war memorial, toward the Carleton campus for the first time since 2013.

“To be able to do that, it feels good for our team and seeing all the excitement among the alumni is just incredible,” Singleton said.

The next challenge for Carleton is learning how to handle winning. The Knights are 3-0 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, but they know they face a grueling final four games of the regular season – including the finale against No. 5 St.  John’s before a crossover game with a team from the conference’s other division in Week 11.

Teams above the line have a more difficult schedule remaining. Teams below the line have an easier schedule remaining. #d3fb pic.twitter.com/niAxNciFdi

— Logan Hansen (@LogHanRatings) October 12, 2022

“The next few weeks are going to be tough,” Singleton said. “We’re going to keep building and getting better and finish off the conference strong.”

The Knights are excited to see how far they can take the program.

“People are happy to see all the hard work resulting in wins. Everything we’ve been building up to is paying off. We’re doing our job, being consistent and learning from our mistakes,” Chang said. “No matter who we play, we have to do the same things we do. That’s all we really think about it.”

Journell has enjoyed watching the needle point upward for Carleton.

“We continue to stack practices, wins and momentum. Our roster size has grown. We’re getting the right people and culture here,” he said. “It’s been really, really fun to be the architect and set the vision. But, the kids deserve all the credit to buying in and working hard every day for the momentum to continue. Success breeds success. Our expectations continue to be raised. As long as our work ethic stays up to par with our expectations, we’ll be OK.”