COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – For the fourth consecutive season and 36th time in program history, the Saint John's Johnnies are football champions of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) after defeating Bethel University, 28-10, on Saturday.
| Box Score |
The Johnnies tallied five interceptions in the conference title game, including two by linebacker Cooper Yaggie. SJU quarterback Aaron Syverson passed for 323 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Johnnies jumped on the board less than three minutes into the game with a six-play, 71-yard drive capped off by a 13-yard touchdown run by Henry Trost.
-Bethel wide receiver Micah Niewald scored on a 68-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter to give the Royals a 10-7 lead.
-SJU linebacker Cooper Yaggie took an interception 61 yards to the house late in the first half to put Saint John's up by 11 heading into the break.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
-With the victory, Saint John's earned the MIAC championship and the conference’s automatic qualifier to the 2022 NCAA Football Playoffs. This is the 27th time in program history the Johnnies will head to the NCAA Playoffs.
-The conference title is the 36th all-time for Saint John's - the most in MIAC Football history.
-Both Bethel and Saint John’s appeared in the latest NCAA Region VI Rankings earlier this week. Bethel was No. 2 in the region, followed by Saint John’s at No. 3. Depending on how the automatic qualifiers from other conferences shake out, the MIAC could see multiple teams receive NCAA Playoff bids on Sunday.
UP NEXT
-Saint John's received the MIAC Playoff championship plaque and the Conference's automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Football Playoffs. Nationally- and regionally-ranked Bethel will now hope its season will continue by way of an at-large berth. The NCAA will announce the national playoff field during its annual selection show on NCAA.com Sunday, November 13 at 4:00 p.m. CT.
MIAC Championship Week Scoreboard
Saint John's 28, Bethel 10
Gustavus 34, Augsburg 20
Carleton 17, Concordia 14
Macalester 33, St. Olaf 30
St. Scholastica 26, Hamline 24