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Ricardo Johnson ’14 Twice Named MIAC Football Offensive Player of the Week

By MIAC Release, 10/08/18, 9:15AM CDT

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Photo courtesy of MIAC

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – For the second-straight week, senior quarterback Ricardo Johnson III [CDH Class of 2014] of the St. Olaf College football team was named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Football Offensive Player of the Week, as announced on Monday afternoon by the conference office.

Johnson III accounted for 307 yards of total offense and five touchdowns for St. Olaf in a 33-21 victory at Carleton on Saturday afternoon that saw the Oles keep possession of the Goat Trophy for the fifth-straight season. The senior threw for 191 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing 24 times for 116 yards and a pair of scores.

The five-touchdown performance was the second in a row for Johnson III, who became St. Olaf's first back-to-back MIAC Football Offensive Player of the Week since Leon Clark on Nov. 9 and Nov. 16, 2009. He is the first repeat winner of the award since Gustavus quarterback Mitch Hendricks earned the accolade in three-straight weeks from Sept. 22 - Oct. 6, 2014.

In Saturday's victory, Johnson III had a hand in all five of St. Olaf's touchdowns. The senior ran for touchdowns of five and six yards for the Oles' first two scores, before connecting with senior tight end Ben Smithson for three-straight touchdowns to help St. Olaf turn a 14-13 deficit into a 33-14 lead. Johnson III and Smithson's three touchdowns came in the span of less than a quarter starting late in the second half, with the duo also connecting for a two-point conversion in the third quarter.

Through three weeks, Johnson III ranks third in the MIAC in both passing yards per game (237.0) and rushing yards per game (106.3), while ranking second in both passing touchdowns (10) and rushing touchdowns (4). His 14 total touchdowns are the most in the MIAC and Johnson III has been responsible for 86 of St. Olaf's 116 points this season, the fourth-highest single-player total in NCAA Division III this season.