2022 St. John's bracket
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St. John's Johnnies
| Seed: | No. 1, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 4, Week 11 2022 |
| 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: | 90-16 (.849) |
| Base offense: | Multiple one-back |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 43-25 (1976-77, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993-94, 1996, 1998-2003, 2005-09, 2014-19, 2021) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | 1976, 2003 |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 534 | 155 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, MIAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Aaron Syverson is finding his multiple receivers, including tight end Alex Larson, and Henry Trost or some other back is capable to handle enough carries (or short passes) to keep defenses honest. The defense is not just making plays, it's making big plays. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The Johnnies have had a couple of instances this season where it almost seems like they've lost focus, allowing UW-River Falls to score two fourth-quarter touchdowns and make a game close, allowing three fourth-quarter touchdowns to Concordia-Moorhead. Most playoff opponents will be better than those teams were. |
| This season's turning point: | Starting off the season with Syverson healthy and ready to go, and using that Week 1 sharpness to take advantage of UW-Whitewater mistakes and post an impressive season-opening victory. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .637 (2) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 116.8/310.7 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 91.4/219.9 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.2/4.6 |
| Leading passer: | Aaron Syverson, 285.4 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Henry Trost, 52.2 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Nick VanErp, 81.8 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Erik Bjork, 77 (30 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Michael Wozniak, 9.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Cayden Saxon, 5 |
| How far can they go? | This is a difficult bracket to play in and project, one in which the Johnnies will only be a clear favorite in the first round, despite being set up to have home field throughout. |
UW-Whitewater Warhawks
| Seed: | Likely No. 2, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 8, Week 11 2022 |
| Location: | Whitewater, Wisconsin |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 9488 |
| Stadium: | Perkins Stadium (13500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | WIAC |
| Head coach: | Kevin Bullis (Minn.-Morris '89) |
| Career record: | 78-12 (.867) |
| Base offense: | Multiple pro set |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 58-11 (1988, 1990, 1997, 2005-11, 2013-16, 2018-19, 2021) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 289 | 170 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, WIAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | QB Evan Lewandowski is the best version of the gunslinger quarterback that he can be, and at least one of Tommy Coates, Steven Hein and Sam DeLany steps up alongside Tyler Holte in the receiving department. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Turnovers leave the defense trying to defend short fields, the offense can't pound the rock well enough to move the chains, and the game isn't close enough at the end for Jeffery Isotalo-McGuire to win it with a big kick at the final gun. |
| This season's turning point: | One of those aforementioned big kicks from the freshman at the end of the home game against UW-River Falls on Oct. 29 kept the Warhawks in the WIAC race and playoff picture, capping off a 30-27 win. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .619 (3) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 198.5/210.9 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 58.5/211.5 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 5.9/4.4 |
| Leading passer: | Evan Lewandowski, 209.4 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Jaylon Edmonson, 67.4 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Tyler Holte, 61.4 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Ryan Liszka, 60 (31 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Kyle Gallagher, 5.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Kyle Koelblinger, 3 |
| How far can they go? | Not your older brother's Warhawks, but still quite capable of living up to its Top 25 ranking. |
Wartburg Knights
| Seed: | Likely No. 3, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 22, Week 11 2019 |
| Location: | Waverly, Iowa |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1461 |
| Stadium: | Walston-Hoover Stadium (4800) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | ARC |
| Head coach: | Chris Winter (Wartburg '04) |
| Career record: | 17-3 (.850) |
| Base offense: | One-back |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 11-14 (1982, 1993-94, 1999, 2002-04, 2008, 2010, 2013-14, 2017-19) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 455 | 61 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, ARC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The perimeter run game is working well enough to set up play-action. Opposing wide receivers aren't gaining any yards after the catch, and the defensive line is impacting running backs and quarterbacks behind the line of scrimmage. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The passing game isn't making deep connections and the run game can't stay ahead of the chains. The defense is allowing shallow completions that turn into medium to long gains. |
| This season's turning point: | Oct. 8 vs. Central. After a late Wartburg fumble and a Central onside kick recovery allowed the Dutch to come back from a 14-point deficit, Wartburg took over with 2:04 left in the game and immediately drove 75 yards for the game winning TD. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .519 (87) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 226.3/231.8 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 34.7/164.8 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.6/3.1 |
| Leading passer: | Nile McLaughlin, 221.6 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Hunter Classen, 106.1 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Drake George, 46.1 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Owen Grover, 70 (39 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Jordan Downing, 9.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Owen Grover, Parker Rochford, 4 |
| How far can they go? | The Knights face a big test out of the gate. The D3football.com editorial team has felt Wartburg has been underrated most of the season, but in general, they've felt UW-La Crosse was rated higher. |
Alma Scots
| Seed: | Likely No. 4, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 23, Week 11 2022 |
| Location: | Alma, Mich. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1396 |
| Stadium: | Bahlke Field (4500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | MIAA |
| Head coach: | Jason Couch (Alma '97) |
| Career record: | 24-17 (.585) |
| Base offense: | Spread/multiple |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-3 (1999, 2002, 2004) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 405 | 171 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, MIAA champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | They're getting the push up front to make the running game go no matter who is running the ball. On their best days, Alma is getting 5-6 yards per carry on the ground, but against the better opponents such as Ohio Northern, Hope, Albion and Adrian, the average was between 2.5 and 3.3 yards per carry. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Freshman quarterback Carter St. John is choosing the wrong option when it comes to run-pass option and the pass options available are the short routes and dump-offs rather than the medium and deep routes. |
| This season's turning point: | Alma burst out of the gate in MIAA play with a 40-21 win against Trine on Oct. 1 on the road. The three previous games, against Manchester, Anderson and Martin Luther, were blowouts which did not test the Scots or prepare them much for conference play, but this opener and the home game against Hope that followed two weeks later gave the Scots a little credibility and a confidence boost to boot. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .499 (123) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 203.6/247.1 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 107.0/241.9 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.1/4.6 |
| Leading passer: | Carter St. John, 211.2 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Eddie Williams, 96.7 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Nathan Goralski, 49.2 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Odin Soffredine, 83 (44 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Jerome Robinson, 3.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Austin Flowers, 6 |
| How far can they go? | Fortunate home game makes second round possible. |
UW-La Crosse Eagles
| Seed: | Likely No. 5, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 7, Week 11 2022 |
| Location: | La Crosse, Wis. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 9055 |
| Stadium: | Veterans Memorial Field at Roger Harring Stadium (6200) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | WIAC |
| Head coach: | Matt Janus (UW-Platteville '10) |
| Career record: | 18-4 (.818) |
| Base offense: | Multiple one-back |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 17-10 (1983, 1991-93, 1995-96, 1999, 2002-04, 2006, 2021) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | 1992, 1995 |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 372 | 182 |
| How they got here: | Pool C |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The quarterback combination works. Cade Garcia and Keyser Helterbrand split snaps and have different skill sets and different roles, and when that relationship is clicking, things work quite well. Helterbrand provides a second option running the ball that keeps the heat off Joey Stutzman, while both are fairly similarly effective as passers. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The ground game can't consistently generate first downs and move the sticks, and the defense can't get pressure on the opposing quarterback or limit yards after the catch on passing plays. |
| This season's turning point: | The Eagles rebounded from a last-second, three-point loss at home and went on the road and dominated UW-Stout, picking off Sean Borgerding four times and keeping their at-large playoff hopes alive. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .556 (30) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 224.1/214.4 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 93.7/229.5 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.8/5.2 |
| Leading passer: | Cade Garcia, 144.0 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Joey Stutzman, 109.8 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Cameron Sorenson, 45.1 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Ryan Daines, 53 (21 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Jack Kelly, 10.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Cade Osborn, 4 |
| How far can they go? |
Mount St. Joseph Lions
| Seed: | Likely No. 6, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 25, Week 11 2022 |
| Location: | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1006 |
| Stadium: | Schueler Field (2400) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | HCAC |
| Head coach: | Tyler Hopperton (MSJ '12) |
| Career record: | 42-14 (.750) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 3-4 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-5 (2004-07, 2009) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 457 | 252 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, HCAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The Lions are able to make full use of the dual threat that is Cornell Beachem Jr. and Josh Taylor is also able to excel both throwing and running the football. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The defense which gives up points in bunches meets a team capable of scoring points in bunches and bunches of points get scored. |
| This season's turning point: | Scoring with 2:13 left to defeat Baldwin Wallace in Week 1. Although the Lions faced other moments this season in which they were trailing in the second half, defeating an OAC contender is a great confidence-booster for any program. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .450 (203) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 234.0/263.8 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 137.1/191.0 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.4/4.8 |
| Leading passer: | Josh Taylor, 227.6 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Cornell Beachem Jr., 108.7 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Joey Newton, 59.2 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Nate Owens, 51 (26 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Noah Hammond, 10.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Austin Price, DeShawn Starks, 5 |
| How far can they go? | The first-round game is there for the taking, if they can take it. |
Aurora Spartans
| Seed: | Likely No. 7, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 22, 2021 final |
| Location: | Aurora, Ill. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 3679 |
| Stadium: | Spartan Athletic Park (1,000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | NACC |
| Head coach: | Don Beebe (Chadron State '89) |
| Career record: | 29-6 (.829) |
| Base offense: | Pro spread |
| Base defense: | 3-4 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-6 (1992, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2019, 2021) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 501 | 117 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, NACC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | They convert in the red zone, specifically with touchdowns. This seems fairly obvious, but in a narrow 20-13 win against Benedictine in Week 9, Aurora managed to convert just two of six chances. That included a fourth down at the 8 which fell short of the line to gain. Aurora is 0-for-5 on field goals this season, and attempted none in that game. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Jhe'Quay Chretin is one of the best running backs in Division III you've never heard of, and his 1,184 rushing yards this season generally did not come against the bottom teams in the NACC. But if he doesn't have the room to run, and that may be hard to come by against UW-Whitewater, it will be a long day for Aurora. |
| This season's turning point: | Scoring twice in the final 21 minutes of that game against Benedictine after trailing 13-6, winning 20-13. Josh Swanson threw a TD pass for the Spartans with 5:41 left in the third, but the extra point was blocked. Nearly a whole quarter later, Swanson hit Trey Madsen for a 6-yard score at the end of a 12-play drive, and the two-point conversion to make it a seven-point margin. Aurora got one stop and ran out the clock from there. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .494 (131) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 215.6/271.0 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 73.4/193.6 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.9/3.8 |
| Leading passer: | Josh Swanson, 270.5 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Jhe'Quay Chretin, 118.4 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Trey Madsen, 86.8 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Marcellus Romious, 85 (43 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Cole Tandy, 6.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Four tied with 5 |
| How far can they go? | This is probably not the year they get their first playoff win. |
Northwestern (Minn.) Eagles
| Seed: | Likely No. 8, St. John's bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | Never ranked |
| Location: | Roseville, Minn. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1603 |
| Stadium: | Reynolds Field (1800) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | UMAC |
| Head coach: | Matt Moore (Northwestern, Minn. '99) |
| Career record: | 25-27 (.481) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 3-4 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 2016 (0-1) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 271 | 252 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, UMAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | They run the ball well, control the clock, and the passing game is tidy and efficient. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They can't get their defenders into the opposing backfield and that allows quarterbacks time to pick from multiple targets. |
| This season's turning point: | Getting key conference wins against Greenville and Minnesota-Morris in October that showed that the big hits they were absorbing in September were worthwhile. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .456 (197) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 118.9/223.8 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 167.4/178.6 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 5.3/5.5 |
| Leading passer: | Caden Cantrell, 197.6 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Jermiah Staten, 69.1 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Damon Clapper, 76.9 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Brad Kulinski, 71 (41 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Elijah Simmons, 2.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Four with 2 |
| How far can they go? | Northwestern has definitely seen what a playoff team looks like, and that's one thing in their favor. They played non-conference games against Augsburg, Concordia (Wis.), UW-River Falls and Hope, who have each been in the playoffs or contended in conferences this year. But the closest result of the four is against Augsburg, which essentially lost the MIAC third-place game this year. |