University of St. Thomas Athletics
7-0
Hamline
1-5
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Univ. of St. Thomas | 6 | 35 | 13 | 7 | 61 |
| Hamline University | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
Football tops Pipers 61-17, now 7-0 on year
10/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
By DOUG HENNES
Dakota Tracy is the starting quarterback for undefeated St. Thomas, but he isn't reluctant to also run, catch and even punt the football.
Tracy showcased those abilities on Saturday in leading the Tommies to a 61-17 thrashing of Hamline at Klas Field. He threw four touchdown passes, caught a fifth after a double reverse, nearly ran for a sixth and once punted the ball 40 yards out of the shotgun formation.
"It was just one of those days," said the junior from Geneva, Minn. "I felt good out there."
Coach Glenn Caruso smiled when he talked about Tracy's performance, which allowed the fourth-rated Tommies to run their record to 7-0 (5-0 MIAC) for the first time since 1986 and set up Saturday's Homecoming clash against fellow unbeaten Bethel (6-0, 4-0).
"Dakota is a good overall athlete who happens to be a quarterback," Caruso said. "As our triggerman, he is so versatile. The only time that I feel in trouble offensively is when we are one-dimensional, and having Dakota in there makes us multi-dimensional."
St. Thomas displayed its versatility early, scoring five second-quarter touchdowns to take a 41-7 lead at halftime and put the game out of Hamline's reach. The Pipers fell to 1-5 (0-4 MIAC).
After a 3-and-out on their first series, the Tommies took over on their 26 and on the first play Tracy hit Fritz Waldvogel on a crossing pattern near the Hamline 40. The junior from St. Thomas Academy outran the lone Piper in the secondary for the 74-yard score, and the PAT was no good.
The Tommies made it 13-0 early in the second quarter on a one-yard Colin Tobin touchdown run on fourth and goal, and then the Tracy-to-Waldvogel connection returned. Again on the first play of a series, Tracy hit his favorite receiver with a 41-yard touchdown pass and a 20-0 lead.
"We were comfortable we could pass the ball," Tracy said. "Hamline came up and loaded the box. They had a strong will to stop our running game, and we were able to take advantage of that with the long passes."
Fritz flourishes
Waldvogel said he was happy to face only one-on-one coverage, picking up all of his 127 receiving yards on four receptions in the first half. He also had another strong day on special teams, returning four punts for 70 yards and giving St. Thomas field position in Hamline territory on each occasion.
Brady Ervin made it 27-0 St. Thomas when he intercepted his fourth pass of the year, at the Hamline 27, and ran it into the end zone. It was his 14th career interception, his third touchdown off an interception and the fourth St. Thomas interception return for a touchdown this season.
"Their receiver ran a narrow post route and their quarterback floated the ball up there," Ervin said, laughing at how his teammates have razzed him for the way opposing quarterbacks seem to throw the ball right at him. "It looked pretty open going in for the score."
He shook his head and added, "I need to get a diving interception pretty soon, or I'll never hear the end of it."
St. Thomas recovered an onside kick at its 44. Six plays later, on a double reverse, the handoffs went Tracy to Waldvogel to receiver Nick Gleisner, who hit Tracy with a 22-yard touchdown pass and a 34-0 lead with 2:19 remaining in the half.
"I've been waiting for that one to happen," Tracy said. "We planned it. We thought we could make something happen. Nick hung it up there and it worked."
Hamline got on the board with 48 seconds remaining in the half on a 74-yard, seven-play drive, but Tracy wasn't done. After a kickoff return to the St. Thomas 46, he hit Logan Marks with a 32-yard touchdown pass with three seconds remaining to make the score 41-7 at halftime.
Waldvogel's first half - 175 all-purpose yards, including the 127 on receptions - moved him into second place on the St. Thomas career list in both categories. He finished with 211 all-purpose yards to boost his career total to 4,721, behind Gary Trettel's 6,044 in 1988-90. Waldvogel's 2,703 career receiving yards trail P.J. Theissen's 3,223 from 2003 to 2007.
More in second half
The Tommies scored touchdowns on three straight series in the second half to close their scoring:
• After another a 36-yard Waldvogel punt return, the Tommies drove 40 yards in four plays for a 48-7 lead. Tracy notched his fourth touchdown pass, and second straight to Marks, from 30 yards out. All four Tracy touchdown passes on the day exceeded 30 yards.
• All-American running back Ben Wartman, who had 78 yards on 13 carries, ran the ball in from the five on fourth and 1. Wartman moved into third place behind Trettel and Waldvogel in all-purpose career yards with 4,084, and needs 293 yards on the ground to break Jake Barkley's career rushing record of 3,969 yards.
• Backup quarterback Greg Morse hit Tobin from 12 yards out, after Hamline scored on a 60-yard run, to make the score 61-14. The Pipers added a field goal midway through the fourth quarter.
For the day, the Tommies more than doubled Hamline in yardage - 484 to 239 - even though they held the ball only 2:28 longer. St. Thomas held the Pipers more than 110 yards and 11 points under their season averages.
Defensively, four Tommies - Ervin, Matt Evans, Willy Baregi and Tommy Becker - each recorded six tackles, and Baregi picked up his team-leading fifth sack of the season. In addition to Ervin, Zach Sturm and Jack Gavin had interceptions.
The Tommies now turn their attention to Bethel, which shut out Gustavus 20-0 at home. St. Thomas has won both games over the Royals during Caruso's tenure - 36-20 in 2008 and 19-10 last year - and he expects another hard-fought contest at 1 p.m. Saturday in O'Shaughnessy Stadium.
"They are a phenomenal team," Caruso said. "They have the whole package - a stellar defense and a solid offense with a good running game. It promises to be one for the ages."
"It's going to be a battle," Tracy added. "They love to play hard between the lines. They'll bring their 'A' game."
Click here for box score:
http://www.hamline.edu/hamline_info/athletics/football/2010/stats/hu-ust.htm
Team Stats
UST-FB 6, HU 0
UST-FB - Fritz Waldvogel 74 yd pass from Dakota Tracy (W. Schneider rushfailed) 1 plays, 74 yards, TOP 0:11
UST-FB 13, HU 0
UST-FB - Colin Tobin 1 yd run (Tim Albright kick), 9 plays, 45 yards, TOP 3:51
UST-FB 20, HU 0
UST-FB - Fritz Waldvogel 41 yd pass from Dakota Tracy (Tim Albright kick) 1 plays, 41 yards, TOP 0:06
UST-FB 27, HU 0
UST-FB - Brady Ervin 27 yd interception (Tim Albright kick)
UST-FB 34, HU 0
UST-FB - Dakota Tracy 22 yd pass from Nick Gleisner (Tim Albright kick) 6 plays, 56 yards, TOP 2:18
UST-FB 34, HU 7
HU - Connor Sathre 12 yd run (John Broback kick), 8 plays, 74 yards, TOP 1:24
UST-FB 41, HU 7
UST-FB - Logan Marks 32 yd pass from Dakota Tracy (Tim Albright kick) 4 plays, 54 yards, TOP 0:40
UST-FB 48, HU 7
UST-FB - Logan Marks 30 yd pass from Dakota Tracy (Tim Albright kick) 4 plays, 40 yards, TOP 1:32
UST-FB 54, HU 7
UST-FB - Ben Wartman 5 yd run (Tim Albright kickblocked), 7 plays, 36 yards, TOP 2:56
UST-FB 54, HU 14
HU - Zach Cornish 60 yd run (John Broback kick), 4 plays, 69 yards, TOP 1:43
UST-FB 61, HU 14
UST-FB - Colin Tobin 13 yd pass from Greg Morse (Tim Albright kick) 7 plays, 59 yards, TOP 3:11
UST-FB 61, HU 17
HU - John Broback 28 yd field goal plays, yards, TOP
