St. John's hands Gustavus first loss of the season

ST. PETER, MinN. – As good as the game plan looked on paper, it didn't pan out as Trevor Warner expected on the opening drive Saturday. Gustavus quarterback Mitch Hendricks, one of the most prolific passers in Division III, completed seven of nine throws — including one for a touchdown — to put St. John's in a 7-0 hole.

Warner and the rest of the Johnnies defense got a pep talk, then got down to business against the last undefeated team in the MIAC. They put the brakes on a quarterback who had been intercepted only twice all season, picking off three Hendricks passes to fuel a 29-19 victory at Hollingsworth Field.

The No. 22 Johnnies (5-1, 3-1 MIAC) also got 205 yards and two touchdowns from running back Sam Sura, who became the first Johnnies player since 1994 to surpass 1,000 yards rushing in the regular season.

Though Hendricks passed for 356 yards, the Gusties (6-1, 4-1) were undone by four turnovers and an inability to finish. They got inside the St. John's 17-yard line seven times but scored only two touchdowns and two field goals.

The Johnnies outscored Gustavus 22-6 in the second half as Hendricks completed only nine passes and was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter by Andrew Norri.

"They came out and punched us in the mouth right away,'' Warner said. "Our coach calmed us down and told us not to worry. We knew what [Hendricks] was going to do, and we knew we could stop him.''

Warner and his fellow defensive backs were tasked with stopping an offense that was averaging 46 points and 524 yards per game. Hendricks, who began his career at St. John's and transferred after the retirement of former coach John Gagliardi, had completed 78 percent of his passes as the Gusties got out to their best start since 1987.

The Johnnies' strategy was to stop Hendricks from making easy completions on the short, inside routes he favored. Throwing out of the shotgun on a quick rhythm, behind a line that gave him plenty of time and space, Hendricks completed 22 of 37 passes in the first half.

His team led 10-0 after the first quarter and 13-7 at halftime, running twice as many plays as St. John's and rolling up 315 yards to the Johnnies' 107. But things began to turn in the second quarter, as the Gusties missed a 21-yard field-goal attempt and Warner intercepted Hendricks to end a drive at the Johnnies' 4-yard line.

The Johnnies scored on their first four possessions of the second half, taking their first lead on a 1-yard run by Sura that put them ahead 17-13 with 6 minutes, 34 seconds left in the third quarter. Their well-rested defense grew stronger, pressuring Hendricks and bottling up his receivers.

The Gusties pulled within 20-19 when Matt Boyce caught a 26-yard touchdown pass with 11:47 left, but Warner picked up the blocked extra-point attempt and ran it back for two points and a 22-19 lead.

"The story of the game was that we didn't finish in the red zone,'' Hendricks said. "We started every single drive pretty fast, but you've got to finish.''