Johnnies tackle two nationally ranked teams

The Johnnie football team has been tested early this season. So far, they have faced off against two nationally-ranked teams: the fourth-ranked UW-Whitewater Warhawks and the 19thranked UW-River Falls Falcons. Despite the tough matchups early on, the Johnnies have dug out two important wins, even if it wasn’t always pretty.

“They’re big wins for the program, for us as players and for the coaches,” junior quarterback Aaron Syverson said. “But, I think we know that in both games, we did not play as well as we could’ve. We played as well as we needed to win that day.”

In both games, the Johnnies trailed at some point in the game. But at the end of it all, they were able to prevail.

“In the Whitewater game, we played very well defensively and did just enough offensively,” coach Gary Fasching said. “In the River Falls game, we played well offensively and struggled defensively. So we have found different ways to win these early games and have had some really good individual performances.”

Syverson has showcased solid performances so far, averaging over 250 yards per game and multiple touchdowns. However, he isn’t too concerned about his numbers.

“I don’t look into the stats too much,” Syverson said. “Obviously, when you have better stats, you typically play better, but I am just trying to do what the coaches ask of me and help the team win.”

As of Sept. 11, the Johnnies are the secondranked team in the nation, according to the D3Football.com Top 25 poll. The ranking is the highest in the D3 Football poll since 2004, when they won their last national championship. Fasching, however, sees no difference in the ranking shift.

“Rankings mean absolutely nothing at this time of the year,” Fasching said. “The only ranking that means anything is after the very last game of the year.”

“Especially with the DIII model, it doesn’t really matter where you’re ranked,” Syverson said. “You’ve got to win your conference.”

That being said, the Johnnies have their first, and not least, conference game of the season wwup next. They begin conference play facing the 21st-ranked Bethel Royals on Sept. 24.

Last year, the Johnnies and Royals had two hard-fought games that came down to the end, the second of which concluded with Johnnie tight end Alex Larson’s game-winning touchdown in the MIAC Championship. Syverson, who suffered a season-ending leg injury last season, did not play in that game.

“Our focus is on the very next game, and we know we are going to be facing a very, very good Bethel team on the road,” Fasching said. “If we aren’t at our best, we will get beat.”

Bethel currently is sitting with one win and one loss heading into conference play. The Royals handled Pacific Lutheran University and fell short in a defensive battle versus UWPlatteville.

“You know it’s going to be a good game, but I think that goes for any week,” Syverson said. “We know we could get beat on any given week.”

The MIAC is known to be one of the toughest conferences in the country, yet year after year, the Johnnies compete for the conference title. Consistency and growth are factors Fasching emphasizes heavily.

“We approach every practice, every day the same,” he said. “We want to improve each day. The great teams that I have been part of get better as the year goes along, and they improve in every phase of the game.”

The Johnnies head into their conference season with high expectations. However, they want to focus on one game at a time. Syverson, who is second in the MIAC in passing, thinks his team is in a good spot but knows it will be tough competition week after week.

“We gotta go in and play really well to win, and we’re going to try to do that,” Syverson said.