University of St. Thomas Athletics
4-0 , 2-0
Concordia-Moorhead
2-2 , 0-2
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas | 21 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 48 |
| Concordia-Moorhead | 7 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 30 |
Football caps 4-0 September with fun road victory
9/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
By DOUG HENNES
MOORHEAD - Most teams, including St. Thomas, prefer to use the run to set up the pass.
That wasn't the case again on Saturday, however, for the No. 3-ranked Tommies, who used an explosive passing offense and a stingy run defense to defeat Concordia College 48-30 and run their record to 4-0 (2-0 in the MIAC).
St. Thomas passed at will against the Cobbers. Senior quarterback Dakota Tracy (shown at right) completed only 11 of 18 passes but did so for 263 yards - an average of 24 yards per catch - and his shortest completion was for 10 yards. Two tosses were for touchdowns of 42 and 56 yards.
"For the fourth week in a row, a defense has challenged us to throw the ball - and we did," said Coach Glenn Caruso, reflecting on how opponents have stacked the box in an effort to stop the Tommies' running game.
Caruso credited Tracy for taking advantage of the situation from the outset, directing the St. Thomas offense to three first-quarter touchdowns after the Cobbers took a 7-0 lead on their game-opening drive.
"I thought we played very well as an offense," Tracy said. "The receivers ran great routes, and our passing game (292 yards) opened up the running game (217 yards, including 132 in the second half). Everything came together well."
The run defense did its part, too. Rated No. 3 in Division III at 30.3 rushing yards allowed per game, St. Thomas shut down the Cobbers, holding them to 52 net yards in 26 rushes, well below their 268-yard average. Concordia had more success in the air, completing 26 passes for 329 yards.
"We did stop their running attack very well, but we opened a lot of passing lanes early and often," Caruso said. "There are a lot of things we need to get cleaned up."
Counter Punch
For the third time in four games, St. Thomas spotted an opponent an early lead. Concordia scored three plays after the opening kickoff when quarterback Mike Dunham hit Chris Gilson across the middle and he outraced defenders for a 76-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
St. Thomas scored on four of its first five possessions, twice capitalizing on short fields, to jump ahead 28-7:
• Colin Tobin ran the ball in from the 2 to make the score 7-7, culminating a nine-play, 73-yard drive. Tobin finished with two rushing touchdowns, after back-to-back games of four touchdowns, and for the third straight week had more than 100 yards on offense (75 rushing and 32 receiving).
• The defense forced a three-and-out, 13-yard Concordia punt, and two plays later Tracy hit Fritz Waldvogel with a 42-yard touchdown pass on which the 5-foot-9 wide receiver out-jumped two defenders in the end zone. Waldvogel had 148 all-purpose yards and is seven yards shy of the school career record of 6,044 yards held by Gary Trettel (1988-1990).
• Defensive back Chinni Oji recorded his second interception in two weeks on the next Concordia play from scrimmage, giving the Tommies the ball at the Cobber 36. Six plays later, all on the ground, Tracy scored on a five-yard bootleg run.
• Tracy covered all 69 yards of a three-play drive in the air and completed a 56-yard touchdown pass to Dan Noehring, who finished with 117 yards on four catches.
"Dakota just called a 'go' ball and threw it to me perfectly," said the sophomore wide receiver, who pulled in the ball at the Concordia 15 and outran two Cobbers. "I was able to get some separation and he hit me in stride."
The touchdown impressed Caruso because of the way Tracy and Noehring executed the play.
"Dakota threw on time and was able to hit him in stride," Caruso said. "That shows a lot of confidence on his part. When the ball came out of his hands, Dan wasn't open yet."
Concordia closed the first half scoring on a 10-play, 75-yard drive -- the first second-quarter points the Tommies have given up this season.
Insurance Points
St. Thomas put away the game after halftime, scoring on three straight possessions on drives of 11, 12 and seven plays.
Tobin's one-yard leap over a stacked Concordia defense made it 34-14; a two-point PAT play failed. The Tommies recovered an onside kick and freshman Ryan Toney scored his first career touchdown on a five-yard run. Another freshman -- Aaron Terrell-Byrd -- took over on the next drive, rushing for 43 yards on six consecutive runs, including the final four yards for his first Tommie touchdown.
The two freshmen, both from northern California, sparkled in their most extensive action. Terrell-Byrd had 70 yards on 11 carries, all in the second half, and Toney added 41 yards on nine carries.
Defensively, Paul Carlson led with seven tackles and Harry Pitera had six, including five solo tackles. Pitera, Willy Baregi and Blake Brix each had solo sacks.
"Their quarterback was quick," Baregi said. "We should have had a couple more sacks but he would get away from us. Coach did a good job of calling blitzes, and we always were getting one or two guys into the backfield."
St. Thomas returns home for Saturday's game against archrival St. John's (2-2 overall, 1-1 MIAC). The Johnnies lost their Homecoming game 32-21 to Augsburg, which scored on a 36-yard pass with no time remaining.
Click here for box score:
http://www.cord.edu/Athletics/men/football/current/recap.php?tab=box&gameID=615
Team Stats
UST 0, CC 7
CC - Chris Gilson 76 yd pass from Michael Dunham (Porfirio Diaz kick) 3 plays, 84 yards, TOP 1:26
UST 7, CC 7
UST - Colin Tobin 2 yd run (Tim Albright kick), 9 plays, 73 yards, TOP 4:11
UST 14, CC 7
UST - Fritz Waldvogel 42 yd pass from Dakota Tracy (Tim Albright kick) 2 plays, 42 yards, TOP 0:46
UST 21, CC 7
UST - Dakota Tracy 5 yd run (Tim Albright kick), 6 plays, 36 yards, TOP 2:40
UST 28, CC 7
UST - Dan Noehring 56 yd pass from Dakota Tracy (Tim Albright kick) 3 plays, 69 yards, TOP 0:44
UST 28, CC 14
CC - Brett Baune 17 yd pass from Michael Dunham (Porfirio Diaz kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:17
UST 34, CC 14
UST - Colin Tobin 1 yd run (Logan Marks rushfailed), 11 plays, 64 yards, TOP 5:13
UST 41, CC 14
UST - Ryan Toney 5 yd run (Tim Albright kick), 12 plays, 59 yards, TOP 4:44
UST 48, CC 14
UST - A. Terell-Byrd 4 yd run (Tim Albright kick), 7 plays, 68 yards, TOP 2:16
UST 48, CC 22
CC - Michael Dunham 15 yd run (Todd Bergeson pass), 9 plays, 46 yards, TOP 2:47
UST 48, CC 30
CC - Brett Baune 1 yd run (BronsonShepherd pass), 12 plays, 87 yards, TOP 5:34
