Stagg Bowl XXXI
St. John's 24, Mount Union 6
Justin Cass, Blake Elliott and Jeremy Hood hold the
championship trophy.Photo by Todd Allred for D3football.com |
Blake Elliott spun off a tackle and ran up the middle for a 51-yard touchdown (listen to highlight), and Mike Zauhar returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown (highlight) to give St. John's its first national title since 1976, rolling over Mount Union 24-6. It was the 414th career victory for John Gagliardi, extending his all-time collegiate record.
The full story from Salem, plus reaction from Johnnies fans cheering at home in the Twin Cities. Or you can browse through more than 170 images in our photo gallery.
Plus, Keith McMillan reflects on the Stagg Bowl and wades through your e-mail on the subject in Around the Nation.
The Johnnies held Mount Union off the scoreboard the entire second half, holding the Purple Raiders to 143 yards of total offense and scoring the only defensive touchdown allowed by Mount Union all season.
Blake Elliott had 11 carries for 110 yards, including a crucial 51-yard touchdown run, and five catches for 51 yards to earn Most Outstanding Player honors.
2003 playoff bracket, team capsules, playoff projections of Nov. 5 and Nov. 15.
Playoff results
First round, Nov. 22
at UW-La Crosse 52, Concordia (Wis.) 13
at Baldwin-Wallace 54, Hanover 32
at Wheaton 55, Hope 45
at East Texas Baptist 42, Trinity (Texas) 41 (OT)
at Bridgewater (Va.) 28, Waynesburg 24
at Christopher Newport 24, Muhlenberg 20
at RPI 34, Curry 20
Ithaca 14, at Brockport State 9
at Montclair State 20, Allegheny 19
at St. Norbert 26, Simpson 20 (2 OT)
at Wartburg 21, Bethel 7
at Linfield 31, Redlands 23
Second round, Nov. 29
at Mount Union 39, UW-La Crosse 14
at Wheaton 16, Baldwin-Wallace 12
at Lycoming 13, East Texas Baptist 7 (OT)
Bridgewater (Va.) 26, Christopher Newport 3
RPI 40, Springfield 34
Ithaca 33, at Montclair State 13
at St. John's 38, St. Norbert 13
Linfield 23, Wartburg 20, at Salem, Ore.
Quarterfinals, Dec. 6
at Mount Union 56, Wheaton 10
at RPI 21, Ithaca 16
at St. John's 31, Linfield 25
Quarterfinal, Dec. 7
Bridgewater (Va.) 13, Lycoming 9
Semifinals, Dec. 13
at Mount Union 66, Bridgewater (Va.) 0
at St. John's 38, RPI 10
Stagg Bowl XXXI, Dec. 20
St. John's 24, Mount Union 6