University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saint John's
Tommies lose 17-0 to Johnnies in MIAC football
9/30/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sat. Sept. 30, 2000
MIAC Football/at O'Shaughnessy Stadium/St. Paul
St. John's 17, St. Thomas 0
St. John's senior running back Chris Moore rushed 31 times for 103 yards and the SJU defense contributed three interceptions and six sacks as the visiting Johnnies (4-0 overall, 3-0 MIAC) scored a 17-0 shutout victory over the Tommies (2-2, 2-1) before a crowd of 7,500 in St. Paul.
It was the first shutout loss at home for the Tommies since 1980, covering 94 games. The Toms' only two previous shutout losses in the last 20 seasons came on the road 1996 (18-0 at Bethel) and 1984 (7-0 at St. John's).
In beating St. Thomas for the seventh time in the last eight meetings, the Johnnies overcame three first-half turnovers. SJU finished with a 330-272 edge in total offense.
St. Thomas had five drives inside the St. John's 30-yard line that it couldn't finish. The Tommies missed field goals of 42 and 53 yards, then failed to convert on 4th-and-3 at the Johnnie 8-yard line with 9:15 to play.
Moore's one-yard TD run capped a five-play, 64-yard scoring drive in the first six minutes that put the Johnnies up 7-0. They made it 14-0 early in the second-period on a 24-yard pass from senior QB Tom Linnemann to senior WR Jeremy Forsell.
SJU senior PK Joe Rotondi kicked a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter for the only scoring of the second half.
Linnemann completed 12-of-21 passes for 183 yards, including eight for 120 yards to Forsell.
St. Thomas sophomore running back Jake Barkley rushed 29 times for a game-high 137 yards -- his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game.
St. Thomas junior linebacker Bob Hannah forced two fumbles and intercepted a pass in the first half.
