WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The USD football team rode its all-everything quarterback to the NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major National Championship, defeating Monmouth University 27-7 yesterday in the inaugural Gridiron Classic.
A game billed as West Coast finesse against East Coast power, was decided by USD quarterback Josh Johnson, who ran for 104 yards and threw for 180 against a defense considered one of the best in Division I-AA football.
“Josh Johnson has been the best player on the field in every game we've played this season,” said Toreros coach Jim Harbaugh.
The Toreros concluded their season 11-1 and claimed their second straight Sports Network Division I-AA Mid-Major National Championship with the win. The Hawks, champions of the Northeast Conference, finished 10-2.
The Toreros' offense, averaging more than 500 yards per game coming in, was limited to 324, and the 27 points compared to a previous average of 44 per game.
“It was hard to throw the ball downfield with the wind,” said Johnson of the blustery conditions in New Jersey. “The coaches told me if I saw a running lane to take it, and that's what I did.”
Monmouth made the game's first big play as senior linebacker Mike Castellano pressured Johnson, who threw the ball right into the hands of Monmouth defender Mike Nunziato deep in Hawks territory with 7:39 left in the first quarter.
The Monmouth drive was brought to an abrupt halt, however, as Hawks QB Brian Boland was intercepted by Ben Hannula, who took the pick back 37 yards for a touchdown at the 5:29 mark.
“I jumped the route and luckily the ball was thrown there,” said Hannula. “That play really boosted our momentum.”
Hannula, who last week against UC Davis played wide receiver, cornerback and quarterback, intercepted two Monmouth passes and caught two on offense.
“He's what you call 'an athlete,' ” said Johnson.
The score remained 7-0 until JT Rogan scored two first-half touchdowns, the first from 5 yards out to give the Toreros a 13-0 lead. Kicker Hutch Parker missed the point-after.
Rogan scored again from 4 yards out with 28 seconds left in the half, giving USD a 19-0 lead. The Toreros went for the two-point conversion, but Monmouth's T.J. Cerezo broke up the Johnson pass attempt.
The Hawks came out of halftime to score on a drive that featured a 57-yard pass play from Boland to wide receiver Shane Sharpley that carried to the USD 1-yard line with 8:30 left in the third quarter. The drive was capped off by running back David Sinisi to cut the lead to 19-7.
The final USD score was by Brendan Feliczak on a 3-yard run at the 3:29 mark. Johnson hit Chris Ramsey for a two-point conversion.
Johnson combined for 284 yards of total offense for the Toreros.
Eric Bakhtiari led the Toreros defense with nine tackles, including three sacks.
Said Harbaugh of the season: “This was our best team, and we're only going to get better. This is a junior-driven team, and they have a lot of experience.”
