Matt Miller scores on a 78-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Erdmann with 3:12 to play in the first quarter to give St. John’s a 21-0 lead over St. Olaf. (Rachel Ketz/http://www.gojohnnies.com).
Freshman quarterback Jackson Erdmann hit 9 of 14 passes for 158 yards and four touchdowns in a quarter and a half of play to lead No. 8 St. John’s to a 44-0 victory over St. Olaf in front of a homecoming crowd of 10,347 on Saturday at Collegeville.
Erdmann hit wide receiver Evan Clark with a 28-yard touchdown pass, Clark’s sixth TD of the season, on the second play from scrimmage. Erdmann connected with Dan Harrington for a 16-yard score, with junior Matt Miller for a 78-yard touchdown play, for a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
St. John’s (3-0 overall, 1-0 MIAC) added three more TDs in the second quarter, with Erdmann passing to running back Zack Sundly for a 4-yard touchdown halfway through the second quarter.
St. Olaf is 1-2 and 0-1 MIAC.
Concordia-Moorhead 21, Bethel 13
Concordia controlled the ball for 35 minutes of possession time, and the Cobbers’ defense stymied host Bethel for Concordia’s first victory at Bethel since 2005.
MIAC SCOREBOARD
- St. Thomas 62, Carleton 10
- Concordia-Moorhead 21, Bethel 13
- Gustavus 35, Augsburg 13
- St. John’s 44, St. Olaf 0
Bethel (0-3, 0-1) came into the game averaging 43.5 points per game and 528.0 yards of offense, but Concordia limited the Royals to 293 yards and a season-low 13 points.
The teams were tied 7-7 at the half. Concordia (2-1, 1-0 MIAC) took the lead for good on its first possession of the third quarter. Quarterback Michael Herzog ran for 34 yards on eight carries and passed for 13 yards, including a 5-yard strike to Jason Montonye to cap a 13-play, 73-yard drive.
Gustavus 35, Augsburg 13
Gustavus (3-0, 1-0) trailed 13-0 at halftime with 79 yards of offense, but momentum shifted in the Gusties’ favor with a touchdown on the first drive of the second half, followed by four more drives that found the endzone. Augsburg fell to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the MIAC.