St. Thomas' magic number is seven as Tommies…
St. Thomas' magic number is seven as Tommies finish first D-I season with rout
St. Thomas running back Nick Rice (25) powers his way into the end zone despite Presbyterian defensive back Colby Smith's (7) attempt to slow him down in the first quarter of an NCAA football game at O'Shaugnessy Stadium in St. Paul on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas defensive back Luke Glenna (23) disrupts a pass to Presbyterian wide receiver Dylan Boone (87) in the first quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas running back Shawn Shipman (26) picks up yardage against Presbyterian in the first quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas running back Nick Rice (25) tries to leap away from the tackle from Presbyterian defensive back Mack Simmons (10) in the second quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas defensive back Joe Hird (11) intercepts the Presbyterian pass in the second quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas head coach Glenn Caruso congratulates defensive back Joe Hird (11) on his interception. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas running back Nick Rice (25) fights through the attempted tackle by Presbyterian's Mack Simmons (10) for the touchdown in the second quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas running back Nick Rice (25) gets congratulated on his touchdown against Presbyterian in the second quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas linebacker Nick Flaskamp (36) tackles Presbyterian wide receiver Kiaran Turner (3) in the second quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas defensive back Luke Glenna (23) returns his interception into the end zone against Presbyterian in the second quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas defensive back Joe Hird (11) is tackled by a Presbyterian defender after an interception in the second quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas defensive back Joe Hird (11) celebrates his second interception against Presbyterian in the second quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas running back Hope Adebayo (4) scores a touchdown against Presbyterian in the second quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas head coach Glenn Caruso on the sidelines. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas running back Tom Loeffler (7) dives forward into the end zone for the touchdown over Presbyterian in the third quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas quarterback Branden Smith (15) rushes for a touchdown against Presbyterian in the third quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas quarterback Branden Smith (15) is congratulated on his touchdown against Presbyterian in the third quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
An emotional St. Thomas offensive lineman Jared St. Arnauld (75) hugs fellow lineman Mike Ruggeri (79) after the seniors were pulled for the game at the end in the third quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
In what is their last game for St. Thomas, seniors offensive lineman Jared St. Arnauld (75) and running back Tom Loeffler (7) hug after getting pulled at the start of the fourth quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas wide receiver Isaiah Hall (1) picks up yards after a catch against Presbyterian in the fourth quarter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
St. Thomas head coach Glenn Caruso congratulates wide receiver Isaiah Hall (1) after Hall's big play against Presbyterian in the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game at O'Shaugnessy Stadium in St. Paul on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. St. Thomas beat Presbyterian, 54-15. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Caruso Crew, a fan club, celebrates the Tommies' 54-15 win over Presbyterian in an NCAA football game at O'Shaugnessy Stadium in St. Paul on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
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By Dean Spiros | Special to the Pioneer Press
PUBLISHED: November 20, 2021 at 6:11 p.m. | UPDATED: November 20, 2021 at 10:51 p.m.
St. Thomas football coach Glenn Caruso talked from the start of this being a season of the unknown, particularly since no team has ever made the move from Division III to Division I.
Asked after the Tommies' season-ending game on Saturday if he had a number of wins in mind for the season, he said, "I was hoping for one."
"And I know myself well enough to know that if there's one, that's not good enough," he added. "I don't know what the number was, but it wasn't seven."
But seven it is, as the Tommies rolled over Presbyterian, 54-15 on Senior Day at O'Shaughnessy Stadium, to finish with a 7-3 record, including 6-2 in the Pioneer Football League.
Playing with a roster primarily made up of Division III recruits, The Tommies took their lumps in one-sided losses to Northern Iowa and Davidson, but proved their formula for success, that worked so well in the MIAC that led to them being asked to leave, gives them a foundation to build on.
The Tommies' roster includes 23 seniors, and Caruso said he was able to get them all into the game.
"We got all the offensive guys in at one time." Caruso said. "We let them have a whole drive, and it finished with a touchdown. We let them have one more play, then we banged a time out and let them come out.
"We did the same on defense. And to see their authentic emotion after the game, that tells you that you're doing something right."
Senior quarterback Tommy Dolan, who began the season as the starting quarterback but lost the job to senior Cade Sexauer, got the start on Saturday. He completed 7 of 14 passes for 126 yards.
"Cade wasn't playing well; Tommy was playing well," Caruso said of the change. "Tommy came in in the Drake game (the previous week) and moved the ball."
Presbyterian (2-9, 0-8) led 15-14 in the second quarter before the Tommies' defense took over. Three interceptions, including one returned 27 yards for a touchdown by Luke Glenna, led a 21-0 blitz that put the Tommies up 35-15 at halftime.
"We had a little meeting the drive before that, and I wasn't really happy," Caruso said. I went down this list — two dropped interceptions, two fumbles by the other team that were recovered by them, two miss-hits and sacks on the quarterback, a missed sub and two face mask penalties.
"That's not us. So we talked about being us at the highest level, and the flood gates opened."
Senior cornerback Joe Hird, who had two of the interceptions, said the defense was out of sync in the early going.
"That second quarter, we locked in a little bit and found our rhythm," he said. "Coach (Kuchinski) dialed up some good pressures, and it was just making plays that came to you at that point. Luke Glenna and I got to be the benefactors of some of that pressure."
Sophomore Hope Adebayo, the Tommies' leading rusher, basically had the afternoon off, with seniors Nick Rice and Tom Loeffler getting extended playing time. Rice scored on runs of 16 and 40 yards. Loeffler also had a rushing touchdown.
Adebayo did see some action in the red zone, and he scored a pair of touchdowns.
St. Thomas football
Dean Spiros
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