2021 St. John's bracket
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St. John's Johnnies
| Seed: | No. 1, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 5, Week 11 2021 |
| Location: | Collegeville, Minnesota |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1877 |
| Stadium: | Clemens Stadium (8500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | MIAC |
| Head coach: | Gary Fasching (St. John's) |
| Career record: | 80-14 (.851) |
| Base offense: | Multiple one-back |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 42-24 (1976-77, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993-94, 1996, 1998-2003, 2005-09, 2014-19) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | 1976, 2003 |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 465 | 110 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, MIAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Henry Trost and the ground game are moving the chains, keeping the clock moving and simplifying the goals for the rest of the offense. Defensively, the corners are keeping the game in front of them and the front four is keeping the pressure on the quarterback. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The opponents hit big plays, Trost gets bottled up and the Johnnies can't get the ball to Ravi Alston often enough to make up for it. |
| This season's turning point: | Seth Morem got through and brings down the ballcarrier behind the line on third down and 5 from the St. John's 28. Ethan Stark breaks up a pass on the next play and St. John's takes over on downs, with 1:59 to go and out of timeouts and the rest is history for Chris Backes, Alex Larson and the Johnnies offense. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .635 (1) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 205.0/277.0 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 90.8/160.4 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.0/4.1 |
| Leading passer: | Chris Backes, 82.6 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Henry Trost, 79.3 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Ravi Alston, 88.9 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Erik Bjork, 63 (30 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Seth Morem, 8.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Kyle Kornovich, 2 |
| How far can they go? | As far as they can continue to outscore opponents. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders
| Seed: | Likely No. 2, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 2, Week 11 2021 |
| Location: | Belton, Texas |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 2930 |
| Stadium: | Crusader Stadium (8766) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | ASC |
| Head coach: | Pete Fredenburg (Southwest Texas State) |
| Career record: | 252-40 (.863) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 43-16 (2001-02, 2004-19) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | 2016*, 2018 |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 548 | 85 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, ASC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The running game starts to gain traction, opening up passing lanes for quarterback Kyle King, who has a multitude of reliable receiving targets. That will give the defense a lead to protect, something they have had little trouble doing this season. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The secondary is compromised, allowing opportunities for big plays downfield and passes over the top. The pass coverage has been exceptional, but is the same reason Hardin-Simmons put up 28 points and Howard Payne tallied touchdowns on its first two possessions against the Cru two weeks ago. |
| This season's turning point: | The Cru was truly challenged for the first time on Sept. 27, when UMHB was forced to rally after trailing 28-7 at the half against Hardin-Simmons. A Jayden Smith interception near the goal line sealed the marquee 34-28 victory. It was UMHB?s lone Top 25 victory of the regular season and played a major role in deciding the ASC?s 2021 title. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .481 (163) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 252.0/239.9 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 83.8/123.9 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.4/3.5 |
| Leading passer: | Kyle King, 183.0 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Aphonso Thomas. 83.6 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | K.J. Miller, 74.3 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Jacob Mueller, 64 (40 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | E'Monte Smith, 7 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Keith Gipson, 4 |
| How far can they go? | Will get a challenge in the first round and quarterfinals but they are not insuromountable challenges. |
Linfield Wildcats
| Seed: | Likely No. 3 seed, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 7, Week 11 2021 |
| Location: | McMinnville, Ore. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1615 |
| Stadium: | Maxwell Field (2250) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | NWC |
| Head coach: | Joe Smith (Linfield '93) |
| Career record: | 136-26 (.840) |
| Base offense: | Single-back spread |
| Base defense: | 4-2-5 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 26-14 (2000, 2002-05, 2009-17, 2019) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | 2004 |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 475 | 105 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, NWC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The offensive and defensive lines get rolling, giving Wyatt Smith time to process and preventing the opposing QB from doing the same. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | When they play poorly, we'll let you know. |
| This season's turning point: | When key seniors chose to come back after the COVID year. The 2019 season, with a first-round loss on the road, was not how that group wanted to go out. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .527 (58) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 201.6/320.8 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 89.9/161.7 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.9/3.5 |
| Leading passer: | Wyatt Smith, 296.1 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Connor McNabb, 60.2 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Joel Valadez, 65.7 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Ben Baxter, 38 (22 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Travis Swanson, 11 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Tyler Bergeron, Ben Baxter, 2 |
| How far can they go? | This is a team that can go all the way, make no mistake. |
Trinity (Texas) Tigers
| Seed: | Likely No. 4, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 16, Week 11 2021 |
| Location: | San Antonio, Texas |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 2439 |
| Stadium: | Trinity Multi-Sport Stadium (3500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | SAA |
| Head coach: | Jerheme Urban (Trinity, Texas '03) |
| Career record: | 50-23 (.685) |
| Base offense: | Pro style |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 12-12 (1994, 1997-2005, 2007, 2011) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 426 | 95 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, SAA champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The defense is forcing turnovers. Trinity's defense, No. 2 in the nation in fewest yards allowed per game (187.4), has tallied 10 interceptions and five fumble recoveries, leading to 53 points off turnovers for the Tigers. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The passing game is struggling. Quarterback Tucker Horn led the SAA in competition percentage (70.9), but facing a solid Birmingham-Southern defense two weeks ago, Trinity was held well below its 306 passing yards per game (157 yards), and was nearly upset, winning 28-27. |
| This season's turning point: | A huge stop on a BSC two-point conversion attempt with 23 seconds left handed Trinity its first, and only, Top 25 win of the year, as the Tigers edged the Panthers 28-27, all but sealing a return trip to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .477 (170) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 151.4/306.3 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 69.3/118.1 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.5/3.4 |
| Leading passer: | Tucker Horn, 253.7 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Winston Hutchinson, 82.5 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Austin Bertness, 52.6 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Caleb Harmel, 54 (28 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Campbell Miller, 2 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Jeremy Irving, 2 |
| How far can they go? | It's obviously always a challenge to open up at UMHB, but not ruling the Tigers out in that matchup. |
Birmingham-Southern Panthers
| Seed: | Likely No. 5, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 19, Week 11 2021 |
| Location: | Birmingham, Ala. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1199 |
| Stadium: | Battle Field at Krulak Stadium (1600) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | SAA |
| Head coach: | Tony Joe White (Texas State-San Marcos '97) |
| Career record: | 27-17 (.614) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | First trip |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 403 | 103 |
| How they got here: | Pool C |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The rushing attack is able to eat clock while moving the ball consistently upfield. Not only does BSC lead the SAA in rushing yards per game (312.6), but also has managed to have a longer time of possession than its opponent in its last three games, two of which saw the Panthers hold possession for 10-plus more minutes. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The Panthers are forced to throw the ball at a high frequency. BSC?s main weapon of attack has been the ground game, sixth-best in the country at 312 yards per game. If forced to throw it much more than its average of 18 attempts per game, desperation mode may be setting in. |
| This season's turning point: | A 48-9 victory over Huntingdon, who was receiving votes, in Week 2 ignited a fire within the Panthers, as they notched a quality non-conference win behind 392 rushing yards. BSC went on to open conference play two weeks later, winning its first five SAA games, and outscored those five opponents 161-33. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .505 (106) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 312.6/481.5 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 64.6/152.0 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.3/3.7 |
| Leading passer: | Trey Patterson, 161.9 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Chris Shufford, 125.7 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Branden Rew, 62.2 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Court Coley, 63 (27 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Cameron DeArman, 6 |
| Leader in interceptions: | 7 tied for 1 |
| How far can they go? | The favorite to get out of the Alabama first round. |
Redlands Bulldogs
| Seed: | Likely No. 6 seed, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 17, Week 11 2019 |
| Location: | Redlands, Calif. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 2786 |
| Stadium: | Ted Runner Stadium (6750) |
| Playing surface: | Grass |
| Conference: | SCIAC |
| Head coach: | Jim Good (Linfield '94) |
| Career record: | 8-1 (.889), 18-31 overall (.367) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 3-3-5 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-9 (1990, 1992, 2002-03, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2019) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 350 | 178 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, SCIAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Kai Thompson touches the ball frequently. Thompson missed the first game against Linfield and will be a welcome addition for Redlands in this rematch. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The defense struggles on third down. Opponents are converting over 45% of third down chances against the Bulldog defense. Redlands will need to break that trend against Linfield. |
| This season's turning point: | Nathan Martinez tossed a 12 yard touchdown pass to Evan Aguon with 20 seconds to play to defeat Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the opening game of SCIAC play. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .536 (43) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 203.0/213.2 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 93.6/225.8 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.9/5.0 |
| Leading passer: | Nathan Martinez, 188.0 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Kai Thompson, 62.3 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Kai Kang, 41.0 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Scott Tinsley, 55 (30 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Brandon Serrano, 4 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Scott Tinsley, 6 |
| How far can they go? | Redlands is improved since its September defeat at the hands of Linfield, but the Bulldogs aren't likely to win in the Catdome. |
Lake Forest Foresters
| Seed: | Likely No. 7 seed, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 24, Week 11 2021 |
| Location: | Lake Forest, Ill. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1342 |
| Stadium: | Farwell Field (1500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | MWC |
| Head coach: | Jim Catanzaro (Greenville) |
| Career record: | 73-50 (.593) |
| Base offense: | Multiple one-back |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-1 (2002) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 442 | 85 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, MWC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | They win the special teams game -- not just with their vaunted return unit but also in terms of blocking punts. Dante Esposito gets his hands on the ball, as he has eight interceptions and another eight pass breakups in 10 games, including a pick-six against Monmouth. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Team speed looks like an issue and quarterback Tre Stewart is the leading rusher out of necessity rather than by design. |
| This season's turning point: | Just having everyone healthy and ready to go in the fall after a promising 3-0 record in the spring where Lake Forest was one of the few Midwest Conference teams to play. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .481 (160) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 191.6/201.3 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 71.3/157.2 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.4/3.8 |
| Leading passer: | Tre Stewart, 181.5 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Damon Bonds, 89.9 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | A.J. Jackson, 91.0 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Dominic Johnson, 55 (31 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Alex Bendler, 6 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Dante Esposito, 8 |
| How far can they go? | As far as A.J. Jackson can carry them, whether on offense or after the defense forces a punt attempt. |
Huntingdon Hawks
| Seed: | Likely No. 8, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 25, Week 11 2016 |
| Location: | Montgomery, Ala. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 830 |
| Stadium: | Charles Lee Field at Samford Stadium (2500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | USAC |
| Head coach: | Mike Turk (Troy State '89) |
| Career record: | 121-56 (.684) |
| Base offense: | Pro style |
| Base defense: | 3-4 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 2-4 (2009, 2015, 2017, 2019) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 359 | 209 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, USAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The defense continually tallies third-down stops. In five of the Hawks' eight wins this year, opposing offenses have been held under 28 percent on third down attempts. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The defense is struggling against the run. The offense has been more than decent, leading the USA South in rushing yards (2679), and the defense ranks second in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (117.1). However, in the Hawks' second game of the year, a 48-9 loss to Birmingham-Southern, their first-round playoff opponent, BSC ran upfield at will, averaging 7.7 yards per carry, and promptly rolled to victory. |
| This season's turning point: | A 21-14 win on the road at Brevard saw Huntingdon's balanced offensive attack earn success, as it marked the Hawks first victory of the year after opening the season with two losses to UW-Oshkosh and Birmingham-Southern. The defense rose to the occasion, protecting an early lead and making up for Huntingdon's mere 284 yards of total offense. The Hawks went on to win their next eight games. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .485 (153) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 267.9/184.5 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 117.8/193.2 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.7/4.8 |
| Leading passer: | Landon Cotney, 175.7 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Landon Cotney, 88.8 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Malachi Harvey, 69.7 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Casey Peppers, 85 (33 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Tucker Spence, 10.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Miller Park, 3 |
| How far can they go? | They can get out of Alabama. |