Tommies Blog: Hosting Carleton, St. Thomas Has Eyes On MIAC Crown
The mission is simple Saturday for the No. 5-ranked St. Thomas football team: Win, and you're most likely a playoff team.
The Tommies improved to 6-0 in the MIAC and 8-0 overall with two games left after a 38-14 win at Concordia-Moorhead on Saturday. St. Thomas is the lone unbeaten left in the league, with St. John's sitting a game back at 5-1.
St. Thomas hosts Carleton on Saturday in the final regular season home game for the senior class. If the Tommies beat the Knights and St. John's loses at Bethel, St. Thomas wins the MIAC title outright. Of course, St. Thomas can also win the league title outright and the automatic playoff bid with wins over Carleton and Gustavus in the final two games. If St. John's wins out (would require beating Bethel and St. Olaf), the Johnnies have a solid shot at earning an at-large playoff bid.
A league championship might seem like a formality for the Tommies at this point, but there is still plenty to play for with two games left. If St. Thomas finishes 10-0, the Tommies likely have home playoff games as long as they win.
In their latest test, the Tommies pulled away in the second half for a convincing win over the Cobbers in Moorhead. Concordia got out to the early 7-0 lead, but St. Thomas scored four second quarter touchdowns to take a 28-7 lead at the half. Concordia got as close as 28-14, but the Tommies scored the next 10 points to pull away for the win.
The St. Thomas defense has been outstanding all year, and not much changed Saturday. The Tommies allowed just 12 first downs and 179 yards of total offense. That includes 21 rushing yards on 37 carries. They also sacked quarterback Michael Herzog eight times.
Meanwhile, the Tommies continued their success offensively, piling up yards and scoring touchdowns. St. Thomas ran for 304 of its 552 yards of total offense. Jordan Roberts had another big day with 31 carries for 180 yards and a touchdown. He also had three catches for 74 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown. Nick Waldvogel added 10 carries for 57 yards and a score, and Jack Gilliland led St. Thomas in receiving with four catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
This week, St. Thomas is preparing to host Carleton in its final regular season home game. The Tommies are fully expecting that it won't be their final game at O'Shaughnessy Stadium this year. Finishing 10-0 would give the St. Thomas a high region ranking, and mostly likely home field in the playoffs until the national quarterfinals.
St. Thomas will be heavily favored to beat Carleton. The Knights have just one win on the season and are 0-6 in the MIAC. They've lost seven straight since beating Macalester in their season opener.
In games against other top MIAC teams, the Knights lost 56-0 to St. John's last week. They've also lost 58-21 to Bethel and gave Concordia a tough game before losing 27-24.
When St. Thomas and Carleton met last year, the Tommies had a 49-0 lead at half and coasted to an 83-7 win over the Knights.
It's been a tough year for Carleton, which is struggling despite putting up some modest offensive numbers. The Knights average 347 yards of total offense per game on the season and are scoring about 20 points per game. They're also rushing for 168 yards per game, led by Andy Gustafson's 79 yards per game on average and four touchdowns. Quarterback Zach Creighton is also a threat to run with 69 rushing yards per game and three touchdowns. He also throws for about 159 yards per game and has eight passing touchdowns this year.
The Knights can put up some numbers, but their defense has been an issue. They're allowing, on average, more than 40 points per game and 537 yards in total offense. Carleton does, however, have 13 sacks on the season. Dylan Saline is their leading tackler with 59 on the season.
St. Thomas has the No. 1 scoring offense and top yardage offense in the MIAC this season. That's a dangerous combination for a Carleton defense that's second to last in both scoring defense and total yardage. On paper, it's a game where the Tommies should have a big enough lead that reserves are playing by the second half.
Tune into Newsradio 830 WCCO at about 1 p.m. as Dave Lee will have the play-by-play and Eric Nelson will have color commentary along with Fritz Waldvogel from the sidelines.