University of St. Thomas Athletics
Marist
St. Thomas Football returns home riding 29-game regular season home winning-streak
10/27/2021 11:32:00 AM | Football
Coming Up
Two football programs will face off for the first time this week as St. Thomas (4-2 overall, 3-1 Pioneer) hosts Marist (3-3, 3-1) in Pioneer Football League play.
Neither program played games last school year due to COVID challenges and limits.
The Poughkeepsie, N.Y., team has a pair of three-point road wins thus far in the PFL -- at Valpo in overtime and at Dayton. The Red Foxes also won at home comfortably against Stetson and lost a close game at home to Morehead State. Marist only has three turnovers through six games, all interceptions and are plus-5 on the season in turnovers. It also has made 6-of-8 field goals.
Five PFL teams -- Davidson, Morehead State, San Diego, St. Thomas and Marist -- are within one game of first place with four games remaining in the regular season. Unbeatens Davidson and Morehead State play this weekend.
St. Thomas is coming off a bye week and an Oct. 16 road victory at Stetson, 38-7. The Toms are 2-0 this season at home and have a 29-game regular-season win streak on campus dating back to October 2014.
Sophomore Hope Adebayo had a breakout game Oct. 16 at Stetson with 182 rushing yards on 20 carries and four touchdowns. It was the best rushing day by a Tommie in his first start in the 13 seasons under Coach Glenn Caruso.
The St. Thomas defense is in the top 20 of 128 FCS teams in fewest points allowed (16.7). Of the eight touchdowns the Purple defense has allowed, four came against top-20 ranked Northern Iowa and four have come in the four PFL contests. The defense also ranks 11th in FCS in third-down conversions allowed at .296.
St. Thomas is scheduled to play its next two away -- at Davidson and at Drake -- then finish the regular season at home Nov. 20 against Presbyterian.
The contest can be heard live on AM-1500 Radio Skor North, with Corbu Stathes on the play-by-play call. The game will be live-streamed for free at https://tommiesports.com/watch
Recapping the Red Foxes
Marist was defeated by Morehead State, 27-24, in a Pioneer Football League game at Tenney Stadium in New York this past Saturday.
Morehead State scored on its opening drive, which was punctuated by a one-yard touchdown run by Issiah Aguero. The PAT was blocked by Marist's Jacob Abill. On the ensuing drive, Austin Day scrambled to his left and took off down the sideline for a 32-yard touchdown run. Marist led 7-6 after the first quarter.
Luke Paladino's 39-yard field goal put the Red Foxes up 10-6 early in the second quarter. Morehead State QB Mark Pappas' 25-yard touchdown pass to BJ Byrd with 53 seconds left in the first half put the Eagles back in front. They took a 13-10 lead to the locker room.
On the opening drive of the third quarter, Day connected with Dwayne Menders for a 25-yard touchdown pass, as Marist went up 17-13. Pappas' 18-yard touchdown pass to Matt DeBlaiso gave Morehead State a 20-17 edge with 12:29 to go.
Mekhai Johnson's one-yard plunge Marist back the lead to 24-20 with 4:41 to go.
Morehead State's ensuing drive, which culminated in the Pappas-Guilfoil touchdown, was 12 plays and 76 yards. The Eagles converted a 4th-and-10 on the drive. Marist did not convert a first down on its final drive.
The loss was Marist's first conference loss and snapped a three-game winning streak in which the Red Foxes defeated Valparaiso 27-24, Stetson 34-3, and Dayton 20-17.
Pioneers in the Pioneer League
With just four games remaining in the football schedule, St. Thomas, in its first year in the league is one game behind Davidson and Morehead State in the conference standings. Davidson (4-0 PFL, 5-1 overall), Morehead State (4-0 PFL, 5-2 overall), San Diego (4-1 PFL, 4-4 overall), and Marist (3-1 PFL 3-3 overall) are the teams standing between the Tommies and a conference title.
Upper Echelon of the Conference
In just its first year as members of the Pioneer Football League, St. Thomas is showing it belongs. The Tommies rank in the top-four of the conference in a myriad of categories including the top ranked defense.
Below are rankings and statistics for all games by the eight conference schools this season. These stats and rankings include totals from the Tommies game against FCS power-house Northern Iowa, which is currently ranked No. 17 in the nation.
Rank - Category - Stat
Defense
1st - Total Defense - 280.5 yards per game
1st - Scoring Defense - 16.7 points per game
1st - Rushing Defense - 108.33 yards per game
1st - Pass Defense Efficiency - 101.6 efficiency rating
t-1st - Interception Return TDs - 2 touchdowns
2nd - Pass Defense - 172.2 yards per game
4th - Sacks - 14.0 total sacks
5th - Interception Return Average - 48.8 yards per return
Offense
4th - Rushing Offense - 148.33 yards per game
4th - Rushing Touchdowns - 12 touchdowns
3rd - Offensive Rushing Yards - 890 yards
Special Teams
2nd - Field Goal Percentage - 83.33 percent
3rd - Opponent 1st Downs Allowed - 14.17 per game
Team
2nd - Penalties Committed - 24 penalties (4 per game)
3rd - Time of Possession - 32:37 minutes per game
Hope is on the Way
Sophomore running back Hope Adebayo leads the St. Thomas rushing attack with 351 rushing yards on 48 attempts. Adebayo is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and has scored five touchdowns on the ground this season.
Adebayo gashed the Stetson defense for a 78-yard touchdown on the game's opening offensive play in his first collegiate start. He finished the game with 182 rushing yards and four touchdowns, earning him Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Noteable Perfomances in First Career Starts by Tommie Running Backs
2021: Hope Adebayo, 20 rushes-182 yards, 4 TD vs. Stetson
2016: Josh Parks, 14-74, 1 TD vs. Gustavus
2016: Tucker Trettel, 6-70, 1 TD vs. Carleton
2015: Jordan Roberts, 16-92, 3 TD vs. UW-La Crosse
2014: Nick Waldvogel, 14-67, 2 TD, vs. Hamline
2013: Jack Kaiser, 17-60, 1 TD, vs. UW-River Falls
2012: Brenton Braddock, 13-79, 0 TD vs. Augsburg
2010: Colin Tobin, 14-85, 1 TD vs. St. Olaf
2008: Ben Wartman, 11-84, 2 TD vs. Macalester
Tommie D
St. Thomas' defense has only allowed eight touchdowns through six games. That includes four scored by FCS power Northern Iowa, plus one on a blown coverage for a wide-open 35-yard scoring catch by Valparaiso in early October.
Adding in the opponents' three special-teams or return TDs -- and 8-of-9 field-goals made -- St. Thomas allows 16.7 points per game to lead the PFL. Drake has the league's second-best scoring defense and allows almost seven points more per contest, allowing 23.5 points per game. In St. Thomas' first four conference games, the Tommies are allowing only 11.8 points per game.
The Toms are holding teams to just 27.5 percent (25-of-91) on third- and four-down conversions.
Proud Program Builder
The Oct. 16 game at Stetson was No. 153 at St. Thomas for 14-year head coach Glenn Caruso. He has a 4-2 record so far in FCS after building a 126-21 record in the Toms' D-III era.
Adding in his 6-12 record in two seasons of a rebuilding project as Macalester College head coach (2006, 2007), Caruso boasts a 136-35 career record (.800). That all-game win percentage ranks in the top 10 among current NCAA football coaches at all levels who have worked 10 or more seasons.
Balance on Both Sides
The 2021 Tommies have no superstars but have played well as a team with several guys sharing the load.
Through six games, the Toms are winning despite these unusually low totals by category leaders:
• The leading rusher, Hope Adebayo, is averaging just 58 yards per game.
• The leading passer, Cade Sexauer, is averaging just 89 yards per game.
• The leading available receiver, Wesley Juszczak, is averaging 27 yards per game.
• The leading scorers Adebayo, 30 points, and K Louis Hyde, 29 points, both average under five points per game.
• Their 17 touchdowns have come from nine different players.
• Their defense has only player (Luke Glenna) with more than three solo tackles a game, with 11 different players recording an interception, a forced fumble or a fumble recovery.
Starting Strong in the Second Half
In five of the first six games of the season, St. Thomas has been in scoring position on its first drive of the second half. On four of those instances, the Tommies have scored on their first drive of the second half (touchdown vs. Butler, field goal at San Diego, touchdown vs. Valpo, touchdown at Stetson). Against Michigan Tech, St. Thomas turned it over on downs at the Husky 7-yard line.
Home Sweet Home
St. Thomas started its Division I era with a 2-0 home record - building on its 35-1 record in its last 36 games played on campus to close out its D-III chapter. The only loss in that span was to eventual NCAA runner-up UW-Oshkosh 34-31 in the 2016 NCAA playoffs.
The Purple is riding a 29-game home-field regular-season win streak.
Last Time Out
Sophomore RB Hope Adebayo gashed the Stetson defense for a 78-yard touchdown on the game's opening offensive play in his first collegiate start. Adebayo and the Tommies rushing attack propelled St. Thomas to an impressive 38-7 win over Stetson in the program's first trip to Florida in over 73 years.
Following a one-play, 78-yard opening drive by the offense, the St. Thomas defense was not to be outdone as it recorded 2.0 sacks on their first drive of the game.
With 2:44 remaining in the first quarter, junior LB Tommy Shelstad intercepted a pass, returned it 53 yards to the Stetson 2-yard line and was forced out of bounds by Hatters QB Justin Agner, who injured himself in the play and did not return to the game. The interception set up a 3-yard touchdown rush by Adebayo.
On the ensuing possession, the harassing Tommie defense forced a fumble on third-string QB Alex Piccirilli from sophomore Jonathan Bunce. The opportunistic Purple offense scored its third touchdown of the opening half on the legs of Adebayo to open up a 21-0 lead after one quarter of play.
Senior QB Cade Sexauer found his way into the endzone in the second quarter and a 27-yard field goal by sophomore K Louis Hyde gave St. Thomas a 31-0 lead heading into intermission.
In a much quieter second half, the Tommies and the Hatters exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter. St. Thomas' only score of the second half was Adebayo's fourth rushing touchdown of the afternoon, this one from 14 yards out.
Previously, the Tommies best single-game individual rusher on the season was Adebayo, who finished the Butler game with a then season-best 75 yards. The sophomore rusher amassed 147 yards in the first half and finished the game with 182 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Sexauer finished the game completing 8-of-18 passing attempts for 87 yards, his favorite target on the afternoon was junior WR Wesley Juszczak who caught four passes for 47 yards.
Defensively, the Purple recorded 6.0 sacks in the game, led by Shelstad who finished the game with 2.0 sacks in addition to his interception. Senior DB Luke Glenna and freshman DB Yusef Leak also recorded interceptions in the contest. Junior LB Jack Mohler led St. Thomas in tackles, recording 8 total in the game, including four solo stops.
Did You Know?
• The Toms just missed their magic scoring number in the 27-24 loss at San Diego. They are 90-0 in regular-season games in the Glenn Caruso era when they score 25 or more points.
• St. Thomas had two pick-six interception returns to the end zone at San Diego -- by senior Joe Hird and sophomore Jonathan Bunce -- and nearly had two others. Johnson Fallah took an interception back to the USD 5-yard line.
• In 125 games last decade (2010-2019), St. Thomas defenders recorded 21 interception return touchdowns.
• Bunce's first interception since his youth football days took him to the end zone with a 22-yard return. But he scored several TDs as a high school running back at Edina High.
• Hyde, a sophomore and first-year starter, is 5-for-6 in field goals. That's a change from the 2019 season when the Toms made only 2-of-7 field goals.
• St. Thomas has held a second-half lead in its last 12 conference games (MIAC, Pioneer).
Best Opponent
Northern Iowa was the best team St. Thomas has played during the Caruso era, and thus the 44-3 final score was the Toms' widest margin of defeat over those 13 seasons. The Toms' previous biggest losses on the scoreboard were a pair of 20-point decisions.
The 44 points were the second most Caruso's teams have allowed -- they lost to Mount Union 49-35 in the 2015 NCAA championship game.
On Sept. 18 at UNI, it was the first time the Tommies didn't score a touchdown in a game since the 2011 national playoff semifinals, a 20-0 road loss to eventual NCAA champion UW-Whitewater.
Of the 21 losses by Caruso's D-III Tommie teams (2008-2019), 12 came by margins of seven or less points.
St. Thomas Returning Academic All-Conference honorees
Defense
• #91 – DL Seth Bickett, Actuarial Science major 3.98
• #90 -- DL Noah Borgeson, Political Science major 3.93
• #49 – DL Brent Robley, Biology major 3.87
• #2 – DB Tommy Fuller, Business Management major 3.58
• #21 – DB Rian O'Connor, Financial Management major, 3.71
• #22 – DB Max Meves, Mechanical Engineering major 3.75
• #12 – LB Trent Meyer, Financial Management major, 3.65
• #3—DB Grif Wurtz, Accounting major, 3.80
Offense
• #6 – WR Jacob Miller WR, Business major, 3.51
• #25 – RB Nick Rice, Mathematics major, 3.70
• #14 – QB Cade Sexauer, Mechanical Engineering major, 3.63
Pioneer Football League by the Numbers
11: Members for 2021 season with addition in 2021 of Presbyterian and St. Thomas
8: Conference games each team plays each season
8: Teams with Red or Blue as primary color
3: Teams with primary colors of Green (Stetson), Brown/Yellow (Valparaiso) or Purple (St. Thomas)
3: Teams that play games on natural grass (San Diego, Stetson, Presbyterian)
2: Teams with new head coaches in 2021 (Stetson, Presbyterian)
2: Teams with Bulldogs as nickname (Drake, Butler)
1: Teams that changed nicknames in 2021 (Valparaiso, was Crusaders now Beacons)
2: Teams whose nickname includes a color (Presbyterian Blue Hose, Marist Red Foxes)
4: Teams that don't share a nickname with any other college (Presbyterian Blue Hose, Stetson Hatters, San Diego Toreros, St. Thomas Tommies)
1: Team located in Pacific time zone
2: Teams located in Central time zone
8: Teams located in Eastern time zone
6: Teams that at one time were Division III programs (Dayton, San Diego, Marist, Valparaiso, Davidson, St. Thomas)
3: Teams located in a city that's the state capital (Butler/Indy; Drake/Des Moines; St. Thomas/St. Paul)
4: Remaining charter members since league's 1993 creation (Dayton, Drake, Butler, Valparaiso)
6: Different programs to win or share a PFL championship since 2012 (San Diego, Davidson, Dayton, Drake, Marist, Butler)
15-1: Coaching record in PFL games for Jim Harbaugh at San Diego, 2004-06
9: Pioneer alums playing on an NFL roster or practice squad in 2020 season
57: Years, from 1956-2013, when Stetson didn't play football before restarting its program
5: Current Pioneer schools that once played in a January 1 bowl game (Dayton, Drake, Presbyterian, Valparaiso, St. Thomas)
About Marist College
Location: Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (pop. 30,669)
Distance to St. Paul: 1,216 miles
Founded: 1929
Athletics Website: https://www.goredfoxes.com
Undergrad Enrollment: 5,824
Nickname: Red Foxes
Colors: Red and White
FB Stadium: Tenney Stadium (5,000)
Surface: Artificial Turf
2020-21 FB Record: 3-3
FB Head Coach: Jim Parady (30th season)
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