GAME OF THE WEEK
St. John's (4-1, 2-1 MIAC) at Gustavus Adolphus (6-0, 4-0), 1 p.m. Saturday: St. John's, ranked No. 22 in the D3football.com Top 25, brings a two-game winning streak into the matchup. The Johnnies, who were idle last week, defeated Hamline 49-28 on Oct. 4. The Gusties, 6-0 for the first time since 1987, are coming off a 37-29 victory over St. Olaf. Gustavus is averaging an MIAC-leading 46 points per game. Last year the Gusties ended a 15-game losing streak to the Johnnies with a 23-20 double-overtime victory.
WEEK 7 STORY LINES
• Minnesota State Mankato, ranked No. 2 in the AFCA Division II Top 25, will be going for its 29th consecutive NSIC victory on Friday when it plays host to Concordia (St. Paul). The Mavericks (6-0) haven't lost a conference game since losing to Minnesota Duluth 31-19 in the 2011 season finale. If the Mavericks win their five remaining games, they would be within one of the record for consecutive NSIC victories. Minnesota-Morris, which left the NSIC in 2003, won 34 in a row from 1975 to '79.
• Four MIAC teams and three WIAC teams are ranked in the D3football.com Top 25: Wisconsin-Whitewater (No. 1), Bethel (No. 11), Wisconsin-Stevens Point (No. 13), Wisconsin-Platteville (No. 14), Concordia (Moorhead) (No. 21), St. John's (No. 22) and St. Thomas (No. 23). In a key WIAC game Saturday, Wisconsin-Stevens Point (5-0, 2-0 WIAC) travels to Wisconsin-Platteville (4-1, 2-0).
• MIAC co-leader Bethel takes a break from conference action this week to play host to the University of Chicago on Saturday. It will be their first-ever meeting. The Maroons (5-0) are coming off a 14-7 victory over Trinity (Texas) in San Antonio last Saturday. The Maroons were a member of the Big Ten Conference from 1896 to 1939. The school did not field a football team from 1940 to 1968. Since becoming a member of NCAA Division III in 1973, the Maroons have played just one current MIAC team: Carleton. The Maroons were 6-4 last season, including a 26-7 victory over Macalester.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Matt Boyce, WR, Gustavus Adolphus: A 6-2 junior from Excelsior, he leads the MIAC with 11 TD receptions and 122.8 receiving yards per game. In six games, Boyce has 47 receptions for 737 yards.
Josh Gordon, DE, MSU Mankato: The 6-2 junior from Milwaukee leads the NSIC with 12 sacks, 1½ shy of the Mavericks' single-season record. Gordon led the Mavericks with seven sacks last season.
BY THE NUMBERS
92 Yards for a kickoff return (the longest in school history) by St. Scholastica's Kenneth Jinkins in the Saints' 55-7 victory over MacMurray.
174 Points this season (tops in Division III) that Gustavus QB Mitch Hendricks has been part of.
2,952 Career rushing yards, a school record, for Hamline junior Austin Duncan.
JOEL RIPPEL
