Football misses giant upset, loses 15-12 to SJU

November 01, 2003

Sat. Nov. 1, 2003

MIAC Football -- St. Paul, Minn.

St. John's 15, St. Thomas 12

Junior PK Brandon Keller kicked a 35-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to lift No. 2-ranked St. John's to a 15-12 victory over host St. Thomas in MIAC football in O'Shaughnessy Stadium before a standing-room crowd estimated at 7,300.

The victory let St. John's coach John Gagliardi tie Eddie Robinson's record with 408 college football coaching victories. Gagliardi is now 408-114-10 in 55 seasons, the last 51 at St. John's. The Johnnies host unbeaten Bethel Nov. 8 for MIAC championship and the chance

to break Robinson's record. Keller is now 5-for-5 on field goals under 40 yards this season. The Johnnies (8-0 overall, 7-0 MIAC) remained unbeaten in the conference and won their 23rd consecutive MIAC game. But for the first time all season, they trailed in the second half, and they had a streak of consecutive games with 20 or more points end at 21. The upset-minded Tommies (3-6, 3-4) lost their third game of the season by three or less points, including back-to-back games in which they led in the final 4:00. Two of those three close defeats came against teams now unbeaten (9-0 St. Norbert, 8-0 St. John's). UST also lost to 9-0 Bethel. St. Thomas sophomore linebacker Andrew Ubbelohde had four tackles for loss among his 15 tackles in Saturday's 15-12 loss. It was the seventh time in eight games this season Ubbelohde has had a double-digit tackle total. He has 100 tackles on the season (13 tackles for loss), despite missing the UW-Stout game, and needs 14 to set a school single-season record. St. Thomas allowed 35.0 ppg to St. John's in the previous 12 meetings but held the Johnnies to just one TD and 13 offensive points Saturday. After allowing 709 yards of offense to St. John's in a 2002 loss, the Tommies allowed 347 yards. They broke the Johnnies' streak of 21 games with 20 or more points scored. The Tommies held St. John's to one or less touchdown for the first time since a 7-2 home win in 1987 The Tommie defense's best effort came in containing SJU All-American Blake Elliott. The senior WR scored four of his 69 career TDs last season against St. Thomas but was kept out of the end zone and held to 88 all-purpose yards Saturday. St. Thomas trailed 7-6 at halftime but took a 12-7 lead on Joe Lepsche's 5-yard pass from Justin Lockrem with 5:46 left in the third quarter. It was Lepsche's first college reception. St. Thomas took a safety rather than punt out of its own end zone with 7:07 left in the game, cutting the lead to 12-9. Keller's 20-yard field goal had tied the score at 12-12 with 3:16 to play. After a Tommie fumble was recovered by SJU's Mike Zauhar at the St. Thomas 43-yard line with 3:04 left, the Johnnies had one first down and reached the 18-yard line before the drive stalled to set up the game-winning field goal. Elliott broke an NCAA Division III record for games with at least one catch, now at 41, and finished with 63 yards on six catches. SJU sophomore RB Jake Thies rushed 18 times for 81 yards, including a four-yard TD run in the second quarter. Johnnie QB Ryan Keating completed 26-of-38 for 242 yards no TDs and three interceptions. Lee Clintsman caught six passes for 74 yards. St. Thomas senior Justin Kostner rushed 27 times for 95 yards and a four-yard TD run early in the second quarter. Lockrem was 13-of-24 passing for 111 yards and one TD with one pickoff. Soph LB Andrew Ubbelohde had a game-high 15 tackles and Steve Groth, Dustin Peltier and Joe Skaja had interceptions for the Tommies. see box score here

University of St. Thomas Athletics

Football misses giant upset, loses 15-12 to SJU

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