Tommies Blog: St. Thomas Gets Big Quarterfinal Test In Wabash (Ind.)
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's always fun to beat your rival, but it feels even better to do it twice in a season. And when you do it to advance in the NCAA Playoffs, it's that much more special.
The St. Thomas football team, ranked No. 4 nationally, beat rival St. John's 38-19 on Saturday to advance to the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals. It was a rematch from Week 3, when St. Thomas outscored st. John's 28-7 in the second half to claim a 35-14 victory.
It'll be the Tommies first trip to the quarterfinals since 2012, when they got all the way to the national championship game.
St. Thomas controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball against St. John's, scored the game's first 22 points and led 29-7 at half. The Tommies eliminated any comeback hopes for the Johnnies after quarterback Nick Martin was knocked out of the game with a concussion, and St. Thomas opened the third quarter scoring with a safety.
St. Thomas collected 350 yards of total offense in the win, most of which was gained in the run game behind its dominant offensive line. Jordan Roberts had 33 carries for 127 yards and three touchdowns. John Gould passed for 107 yards and a touchdown, but his 62-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave the Tommies a 38-13 lead and sealed the victory.
The St. Thomas defense limited the Johnnies to 260 yards of total offense in the win, collected three sacks and contained Sam Sura to just 54 yards rushing on 18 carries. The Tommies also had two interceptions on the day. Jesse Addo had a big day for the St. Thomas defense with eight tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Despite more than 100 years of playing each other in the rivalry game, it's the first time the Tommies and Johnnies have met in the playoffs.
St. Thomas has had several tests this season with opponents and passed them all with flying colors. This Saturday's with an unfamiliar opponent is their toughest yet.
The Tommies host Wabash College out of Indiana, a program that's currently ranked No. 7 nationally. Their nickname may be the Little Giants, but there's nothing little about them. They're 12-0 and went 9-0 to win the North Coast Athletic Conference this season. Wabash beat Albion College 35-14 in the first round of the playoffs, then went to overtime with Thomas More last week.
The Little Giants erased a 27-13 deficit and won the game after Ethan Buresh recovered a fumble and took it 75 yards for a touchdown.
The St. Thomas defense is one of the best in the country, and it will have its hands full against Wabash on Saturday. The Little Giants are averaging more than 41 points per game on the season, and they're doing it largely on the ground. Wabash rushes for nearly 270 yards per game, led by Mason Zurek's 161 yards on average and 22 touchdowns on the season. Shamir Johnson also runs for about 59 yards per game with seven touchdowns on the year.
Quarterback Connor Rice is passing for about 185 yards per game in 12 starts and has 19 touchdowns.
It'll be a great test for the Tommies, who are allowing only 79 rushing yards per game and less than 10 points.
St. Thomas will also have its hands full on offense, trying to run past a physical Wabash defense. The Tommies are rushing for 258 yards per game, led by Jordan Roberts' 136 yards per game average and 28 touchdowns. On defense, the Little Giants are allowing only 67 yards per game rushing and less than 10 points.
Connor Ludwig lead the Wabash defense with 83 tackles, including 56 solo tackles and seven sacks. Austin Brown also has 81 tackles on the season and six interceptions. Delon Pettiford has five interceptions, and Evan Rutter and Evan Hansen have combined for nine sacks. The Little Giants also have 37 takeaways on the season.
It's a great match-up featuring one of the nation's top offenses in St. Thomas against a stingy defense in Wabash.
The winner advances to face the Linfield/Mary-Hardin Baylor winner in the NCAA semifinals. In the other quarterfinals, UW-Oshkosh hosts UW-Whitewater in a Week 5 rematch and Mount Union hosts Wesley.
Tune into Newsradio 830 WCCO AM just before noon Saturday as Dave Lee will have the play-by-play and Eric Nelson will provide color commentary along with Fritz Waldvogel from the sidelines.