STAGG BOWL NOTEBOOK | From Salem, Va.

55-game winning streak over: Averaging 50 points per victory, Mount Union scored the fewest points in a game since the Reagan administration (1982 vs. Wooster in a 6-3 win). It also represented the largest margin of defeat (18 points) since November of 1987 against John Carroll, when they lost 31-7. Mount Union's 24-6 thumping at the hands of St. John's was convincing testimony that the Purple Raiders aren't quite bulletproof.
Fan favorite: The numbers look bad, but Mount Union coach Larry Kehres also understands why some people wanted 77-year-old John Gagliardi to win his first national title since 1976, in his 51st year at the school. "I think a lot of people were pulling for St. John's -- and justifiably so. He's had such a great career," Kehres said. "This is really a capstone game during a season in which he set the [all-time NCAA wins] record, which seems so unreachable." Gagliardi has garnered national attention in recent months as he approached the record (formerly held by Eddie Robinson at Grambling), which also shed more light on his unorthodox, laid-back coaching style.
Handing out praise: After first commenting on the cold weather after the game: "we've got to go back to Minnesota to get warm again -- I thought we were in the South; must've taken a detour somewhere," Gagliardi was quick to return kudos to Kehres and the Mount Union program. "I really thought nobody would ever beat them again," he said.
Full of confidence: When Johnnies quarterback Ryan Keating piped up to say, "I knew we would beat them -- we were confident," Gagliardi told the assembled press with a smile that "it's nice to be young." Keating reasoned that Mount Union might have become "a little panicky once they saw we could move the ball on them. That doesn't happen to them very often. They're used to rolling over people; we're used to being in tough games."
Less than full strength: Already renowned for practices that don't feature tackling, Gagliardi noted that game MVP and standout receiver Blake Elliott sat out much of the time with a sore hamstring this past week, while senior linebacker Cameron McCambridge was sick, as well. "Maybe we shouldn't practice at all next year," Gagliardi remarked to a round of laughter. "It would probably be better that way. We were a MASH unit this week." No way Elliott was going to miss the big game -- and probably his last. "I have a lot of time off in my football career right now. I needed to push it -- there was no other choice."
Defensive-minded: "Our defense is always looking to make a statement," said McCambridge. "We get overshadowed by an offense that's varied and explosive. There was definitely something to prove today." Gagliardi good-naturedly reminded McCambridge to "don't give away scouting reports," when he started to go into details on what defensive coaches saw in Mount Union game films.
In the numbers: Elliott said "John's numbers" -- his players don't refer to Gagliardi as coach -- speak for themselves: 414 wins, four overall national championships. "He keeps getting better and is as sharp as ever. He's peaking. He's [also] a great person that means a lot to everyone here. He's really a motivating factor -- guys playing their guts out against a team that on paper and in [the media's view] was supposed to be dominant."
Still not finished: Any chance of Gagliardi riding off into the sunset at 77 with a championship feather in his cap? Don't bet on it: "I don't know where the hell the sunset is. What would I do? Sit around and play checkers with some guy that can't hear me?" Typically low key, Gagliardi would only say that winning a title now was "very, very nice -- like a lot of nice things." He mentioned winning the lottery on several occasions as a comparable feeling and said he was going to go out and buy a ticket. On Saturday, Gagliardi and the Johnnies certainly punched their ticket against Mount Union.
-- Gene Marrano