University of St. Thomas Athletics
Presbyterian
Game Notes - Football looks for sixth-straight win as it takes to the road to face Presbyterian
10/19/2022 1:40:00 PM | Football
The Tommies sit atop the Pioneer Football League standings, and are the only team that is undefeated in conference play. They rank second in the conference in scoring offense (29.8 ppg scored) and first for scoring defense (18.3 ppg allowed).
The Purple are coming off a 26-14 home win against Drake, which improved St. Thomas' win-streak to five games.
St. Thomas has seen success in the running game in every game with several different ball carriers getting starts so far this season. Last week against Drake, freshman Gabe Abel got his first start for the Tommies and took full advantage of the opportunity. Abel was given 18 carries, and he picked up 100 yards and three rushing touchdowns in his first collegiate start.
Senior QB Cade Sexauer has been a reliable signal caller for the Tommies this season. In last week's win against Drake, Sexauer completed 15-of-25 passes for 181 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He also added 10 runs for 26 yards on the ground. That game put Sexauer over 1,000 passing yards on the season bringing his total to 1,018 passing yards and 11 passing touchdowns. The Tommies have spread the ball to 16 different players this season, and sophomore WR Andrew McElroy leads the team with 24 catches for 372 yards and four receiving touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, senior DB Luke Glenna leads the team with 47 total tackles. Junior DB Grif Wurtz took sole title of the team's interception leader as he picked off his second pass of the season against Drake last week. The team has a total of six interceptions on the season.
The contest can be heard live on AM-1500 Radio Skor North, with Corbu Stathes on the play-by-play call with Chris Ohm as the color analyst.
Plunging into Presbyterian
Presbyterian enter's Saturday's game with a 1-6 record including an 0-4 showing in conference action. Presbyterian is coming off of a 28-3 road loss to San Diego. Presbyterian has an 0-3 lifetime record against San Diego dating back to their joining of the Pioneer Football League in 2021. This will be the second ever game, and the Purple's first trip to South Carolina. The Tommies defeated the Blue Hoses at O'Shaughnessy Stadium last season, 54-15.
Presbyterian's lead running back this season is Delvecchio Powell II. He has ran the ball 60 times for 219 yards so far this season. QB Nate Hayden started the first five games for Presbyterian, but QB Tyler Wesley has started the last two games for Presbyterian. On the season, Hayden has completed 78-of-135 passing attempts for 936 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions. In Presbyterian's last game, Wesley completed 12-of-25 passes for 52 yards and two interceptions. However, he found more success on the ground, rushing 18 times for 79 yards.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
Presbyterian is allowing 41.7 points per game in addition to allowing nearly 500 yards of offense (491 yards per game) in each of their first seven games of the season. Additionally, Presbyterian is allowing an average of 223 rushing yards and 268 passing yards per game.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
Presbyterian's special teams unit has a seen a lot of time on the field this season. It leads the Pioneer league in number of punts, punt yards, and kick returns.
Last Time Out
With a next-man-up mentality, freshman RB Gabe Abel earned his first collegiate start and rushed the Tommies to a 26-14 victory over Drake behind a 100 yard rushing and three touchdown performance.
With the win, St. Thomas improves to 5-1 overall with a mark of 3-0 in Pioneer Football League action, and pushes the Tommies regular-season home-winning streak to 35 games.
For the first time this season, the Tommies opening drive didn't produce a touchdown and the opponents did, putting St. Thomas in an early 7-0 deficit.
After a great punt from senior QB Cade Sexauer pinned the Bulldogs deep in their end zone to start a Drake drive that ended with an interception in the hands of junior DB Grif Wurtz.
Sophomore WR Andrew McElroy, who leads the Pioneer Football League in all-purpose yards, caught a 24-yard touchdown strike from senior Sexauer as the first quarter ended capping off a two-play 30-yard drive.
The Bulldogs first drive of the second quarter stalled out, giving the Tommies the ball at their own 20-yard line. The Purple went on an 11-play, 80-yard drive capped off with a six-yard touchdown run by Abel, his first collegiate touchdown. The point after try doinked off the right up-right leaving the St. Thomas lead at 13-7 with 8:38 to play in the first half.
St. Thomas would score again in the second quarter, another rushing touchdown by Abel, his second of the day opening a 20-7 lead with 2:16 to play in the half. Drake would add a touchdown with 11 seconds to play in the first half, bringing the score to 20-14 in favor of the Tommies at the break.
The Tommies out-gained the Bulldogs in the opening half, 237 to 173, including out-gaining Drake in the rushing column, 100 yards to 36 from Drake. The St. Thomas defense limited Drake to a 2-of-5 showing on third-down attempts.
Individually, Abel posted 36 rushing yards on 12 attempts with two touchdowns in the first 30 minutes of play. McElroy posted 51-yard receiving yards in the first half, while Sexauer completed 11-of-14 passing attempts for 137 yards and a touchdown.
The third quarter saw a combined six punts and a fumble keeping the game at a 20-14 score in favor of the Tommies, who held the Bulldogs to 0-of-4 on third down attempts and 39 yards in the quarter.
The lone points of the second half came by way of a five-yard touchdown scamper by Abel, his third score of the game. The highlight play of the scoring drive was a 33-yard run by Abel, setting up himself up to earn the hat trick on the next play.
The Tommies finished with 249 rushing yards with 173 of them coming from the duo of Abel and sophomore RB Hope Adebayo. Sexuaer completed 15-of-25 passes for 181 yards, one touchdown and an interception. McElroy led the team with 67 receiving yards.
As a team, St. Thomas held Drake to a 4-of-14 (28%) showing on third down attempts, 0-of-1 on fourth down tries and recorded two interceptions.
First Game, First Award
With a next-man-up mentality, freshman RB Gabe Abel was given his first start for Tommies last week against Drake. He made the most of this opportunity on his 18 carries as he rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns. His performance was especially important in the fourth quarter as he ran for 61 yards and touchdown to help put the game away for the Tommies. For his impressive performance, Abel was named Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week.
All-Purpose Andrew
Sophomore WR Andrew McElroy leads the Pioneer Football League in all-purpose yards, averaging 122 all-purpose yards per game.
McElroy has posted 732 total yards including 372 receiving yards, 72 punt return yards, 252 kick return yards and 36 rushing yards.
I'm Honored
After his remarkable 22-tackle performance against Davidson, senior DB Luke Glenna earned FedEx Ground FCS National Defensive Player of the Week on top of being named Co-Defensive Player of the Week by the Pioneer Football League. Davidson, well known for their strong rushing attack seemed like it would be a major challenge for St. Thomas Football, but the team was able to stuff runs well, and Glenna certainly stepped up to the challenge.
Tough Tests
St. Thomas Football has a rare opportunity in 2022 to play two home games in the same month against returning conference co-champion teams.
Highlighting a six-game home schedule, the Toms are set to play the 2021 Pioneer Football co-champions Davidson (27, 16 win) and San Diego (Oct. 29) three weeks apart at O'Shaughnessy Stadium.
Touchdown Talk
St. Thomas did something last season that only two other D-I football programs can claim for 2021: record a .700 or better win percentage despite scoring under 25 ppg.
The Toms finished 7-3 while scoring 24.4 ppg and allowing just 17.8 ppg. Iowa in FBS did it (10-4 record, 23.4 ppg on offense), as did FCS's Columbia (7-3, 24.9 ppg).
The Toms' success was helped as it ranked 13th among all 123 FCS teams in fewest points allowed per game at 17.8. Only 18 of the opponents' 22 TDs in 2021 were scored on the Tommie defense, too, as four TDs came via special teams and defensive scores. The Purple ranked first among all FCS and FBS teams in takeaways per game at 2.7.
St. Thomas averaged scoring nearly six touchdowns a game in Caruso's 12-season D-III chapter (446 TDs in all). Last year's Tommies scored 33 TDs in 10 games in season one of D-I competition.
The Toms recently scored the program's 500th touchdown of the Caruso era, and now have 504 touchdowns in his 15 seasons at the helm.
Offensive Improvements
In 2021, St Thomas did their best in low scoring games with the team scoring an average of 24.4 points per game.
This season the Tommies have averaged 29.8 points per game. For some perspective, the Tommies have scored more than their average last year, 24.4 points, in all of their last 5 games.
Another metric which shows the Tommies improvement is that they currently lead the Pioneer League in touchdowns with 25 in their first six games. This season, the Tommies have averaged four touchdowns per game which is also an improvement from the 3.3 touchdowns per game scored the previous year.
1-2-3 Punch?
St. Thomas has had an impressive four different hundred-yard rushing games by three different players in six games this season. Sophomore Shawn Shipman ran for 157 yards against Michigan Tech, freshma Gabe Abel rushed for 106 yards against Lincoln and 100 yards against Drake. Sophomore Hope Adebayo ran for 132 yards against Marist, it seems whoever totes the rock for the Tommies will have success. The three backs combine for 968 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns and average 5.8 yards per carry.
Fresh Starts
Three Tommie opponents have new head coaches for 2022.
Southern Utah hired DeLane Fitzgerald from the NCAA Division II ranks at Frostburg State.
Butler's 16th-year head coach Jeff Voris resigned and was replaced by Temple offensive coordinator Mike Uremovich.
Presbyterian's first-year coach Kevin Kelley resigned and was replaced by former Florida Tech head coach Steve Engelhart.
A fourth foe, Lincoln University of Oakland, has a second-year head coach in Desmond Gumbs. Lincoln started its athletics program in 2021 and sponsors five men's sports and three women's sports. Its football team posted a 1-9 record last season and played all 10 games on the road over seven states.
Another PFL opponent, Stetson, also has a second-year head coach in Brian Young.
Tommie QB History
It's been 29 seasons since St. Thomas Football didn't feature a native Minnesotan or native NW Wisconsin athlete as its starting quarterback. The last Tommie starting QB whose hometown was 200 or more miles from campus was Tom Stallings (Chicago Heights, Ill.).
Stallings guided the Purple offense in 1991, sat all of 1992 with an injury, then returned in 1993 for his final year. Stallings had a "Mic Drop" performance on Senior Day in 1993 closing his playing career with a 602-yard passing day and six TD passes in leading a 42-41 victory over Bethel to cap an 8-2 season.
This summer, Coach Glenn Caruso started fall camp with only one Minnesotan among five QBs on his roster: fifth-year senior Cade Sexauer of South St. Paul, who shared the starting job in 2021 and played in all 10 games. The 6-4 Sexauer came into fall practice with the inside track to win the starting role for the Sept. 1 opener at Southern Utah and has shown he is one of the better passers and game managers in the conference through the team's first five games.
Two newcomers with promise are true freshmen: 6-1 Amari Powell of Valencia, Calif., and 6-5 Travis Plugge of Bakersfield, Calif.
Another talented athlete who played some QB last season, 6-3 sophomore Branden Smith of Las Vegas, Nev., has taken game reps at wide receiver and will lineup as a starting defensive back this week.
Opponent QB Talk
Five of the Toms' eight conference opponents graduated their starting QB last spring, including 2021 league co-champs Davidson and San Diego, and 2022 road foes Marist, Presbyterian and Valparaiso.
The Purple's other six opponents will bring back a starter at QB that's either a redshirt junior, senior or graduate student -- Southern Utah, Michigan Tech, Lincoln (Calif.), Drake, Stetson and Butler.
Lefty Leaders
Left-handed Senior QB Cade Sexauer has led an effective, high-scoring offensive attack through the first five games of the 2022 season. With the guidance of Sexauer, the Tommie offense ranks second in the PFL in scoring offense, posting over 30.0 points per game.
The Toms also have a lefty who could contribute on special teams with true freshman left-footed kicker Stephen Shagen. The Park City, Utah native is pushing returning starter Louis Hyde for the No. 1 kicking spot. Hyde won't be easy to unseat: In the 2021 season opener, he kicked a tie-breaking 32-yard field goal with 59 seconds left to give the Toms a 12-9 win at Michigan Tech. Hyde converted 5-of-8 field goals and 25-of-26 PAT kicks on the season.
Shagen has one of the more interesting bios on the roster. A soccer player through his junior season, he's only played one year of high school football (2021). But the inexperience didn't show as he nailed all 30 PATs and 8-of-10 field-goal attempts last season. He's one of the first few -- if not the first -- Utah natives to compete for St. Thomas Football.
Upper Echelon of the Conference
In just its first year as members of the Pioneer Football League, St. Thomas showed it belongs. The Tommies are continuing that trend in 2022, ranking in the upper echelon of the conference in a myriad of statistical categories.
Below are rankings and statistics for all games by the eight conference schools so far this season. These stats and rankings include totals from the Tommies' game against FCS opponent Southern Utah University.
Rank Category Stat
Defense
1st Rushing TD Allowed 3 total touchdowns
2nd Scoring Defense 18.3 points per game
2nd Total Defense 317.7 yards per game
Offense
1st Touchdowns Scored 25 total touchdowns
2nd Scoring Offense 29.8 points per game
2nd Passing Touchdowns 11 total touchdowns
2nd Rushing Offense 200.3 yards per game
Team
1st Opponent Penalties Committed 54 penalties (9 per game)
1st Field Goal % 100% made
1st Punt Return TD 2 total touchdowns
Individual
1st All-Purpose Yards Andrew McElroy - 122.0 yards per game
T-1st Passing Touchdowns Cade Sexauer - 11 passing TDs
T-1st Receiving TDs 4 receiving TDs
2nd Total Offensive TDs Cade Sexauer - 12 total TDs
2nd Rushing Yards per Game Shawn Shipman - 73.8 rushing yards per game
2nd Rushing TDs Shawn Shipman - 5 rushing TDs
2nd Pass Efficiency Cade Sexauer - 131.42 eff. rating
4th Pass Yards per Attempt Cade Sexauer - 6.83 per attempt
4th Receiving Yards Andrew McElroy - 372
5th Total Offense Cade Sexauer - 195.8 yards per game
5th Tackles for Loss Trent Meyer - 8.5 tackles for loss
Hope is on the Way
Sophomore RB Hope Adebayo raced out to a fast start in the 2022 season opener at Southern Utah - the sophomore took a handoff 60 yards on the first play from scrimmage in his second collegiate season. That drive was capped off one play later when fellow running back Shawn Shipman capped off the 2-play, 75-yard opening drive with a touchdown. After a two-game hiatus, Adebayo rushed back onto the scene when the Tommies opened conference play at Marist, the sophomore finished with 132 yards on 16 carries, averaging 8.3 yards per rush. On the season, Adebayo has posted 303 yards rushing on 42 attempts and averages 7.2 yards per carry.
Adebayo led the St. Thomas rushing attack with 699 rushing yards on 110 attempts in 2021. Adebayo averaged 6.0 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns on the ground a season ago.
Last 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.
Righting the Ship(man)
Sophomore running back Shawn Shipman rushed for 157 yards and two short touchdowns in his first collegiate start against Michigan Tech on Sept. 10 in the Tommies 2022 home opener.
In the first six games of the 2022 season, Shipman has rushed the ball 67 times amassing 369 yards on the ground and is averaging 5.5 yards per rushing attempt. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native has scored five touchdowns on the year and is averaging 74 yards rushing per game this season.
Gabe is Abel
In his first collegiate start, freshman RB Gabe Abel posted his second 100-yard rushing outing with 100 rushing yards on 18 carries with three touchdowns against Drake. Following his first collegiate start, Abel was named the PFL Offensive Player of the Week.
The New Jersey native has 296 rushing yards on 58 carries this season, and he has scored 3 touchdowns for the Purple. n.
Notable Performances in First Career Starts by Tommie RBs
2022: Gabe Abel, 18 carries, 100 yards, 3 TD vs. Drake
2022: Shawn Shipman, 23 carries, 157 yards, 2 TD vs. Michigan Tech
2021: Hope Adebayo, 20 carries,182 yards, 4 TD vs. Stetson
2016: Josh Parks, 14 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD vs. Gustavus
2016: Tucker Trettel, 6 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD vs. Carleton
2015: Jordan Roberts, 16 carries, 92 yards, 3 TD vs. UW-La Crosse
2014: Nick Waldvogel, 14 carries, 67 yards, 2 TD, vs. Hamline
2013: Jack Kaiser, 17 carries, 60 yards, 1 TD, vs. UW-River Falls
2012: Brenton Braddock, 13 carries, 79 yards, 0 TD vs. Augsburg
2010: Colin Tobin, 14 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD vs. St. Olaf
2008: Ben Wartman, 11 carries, 84 yards, 2 TD vs. Macalester
Pioneers in the Pioneer League
St. Thomas posted a 6-2 record against Pioneer Football League teams in its first year in the conference. The Tommies two losses came at the hands of the top-two ranked teams in the conference - Davidson (7-1 PFL) and San Diego (7-1 PFL).
Tommie D
The Tommie's Defense has had a strong start to the year allowing two touchdowns a game this season. However, in St. Thomas' last 5 games the defense has only allowed a total of 7 touchdowns. From the start of the Michigan Tech Game until halftime against Marist, a 10-quarter stretch, the Purple didn't allow their opponents to find the endzone in any form or fashion.
A season ago, St. Thomas' defense also only allowed an impressive 17.8 points per game. They have performed similarly this year allowing 18.3 points per game through six games this season, which includes a 44-point outing by Southern Utah and a 16-point effort from perennial PFL offensive powerhouse, Davidson. In the last five games the defense has only allowed 13.2 points per game.
Proud Program Builder
15-year Head Coach Glenn Caruso has an 12-4 record 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 143-37 career record (.794). 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.
A Balanced Offense
St. Thomas Football has put together a strong season so far, despite not having any superstar performances.
The Tommies have won despite these totals by category leaders:
• The leading passer, Cade Sexauer, has averaged 167 yards per game.
• The leading receiver, Andrew McElroy, has averaged 61 yards per game.
• The leading rusher, Hope Adebayo, has averaged 74 yards per game.
• Their leading scorer, Shawn Shipman, has averaged 6 points per game.
Starting Strong
The Tommies have scored a first-quarter touchdown in each of their first six games. In the first five games of the season, St. Thomas went five-for-five on scoring touchdowns in its first offensive possession of the game, showing that Coach Caruso and his staff enter every game well prepared to put their team in the best position to win.
Home Sweet Home
St. Thomas has begun its Division I era with an 8-0 home record – which builds on its 39-1 record in its last 40 DIII games played on campus. The only loss in that span was to eventual NCAA Division III runner-up UW-Oshkosh 34-31 in the 2016 NCAA playoffs.
The Tommies are currently on a 35-game home-field regular-season win streak, including a mark of 8-0 in the program's DI era.
Halftime is Always Right
Across the Tommies last 15 games, the score at halftime has had nearly perfect correlation with the final result. In the 11 games that St. Thomas football has led at halftime, they have gone on to win. In the three games that they were behind at half and the one game that was tied at halftime, the Tommies couldn't complete the comeback.
Did You Know?
• This fall St. Thomas will make program history by traveling to play its first games in the states of Utah, New York, South Carolina and Indiana.
• The Tommies' three dozen newcomers for 2022 come from 14 different states.
• The Purple have their first graduate students in program history in veteran LB Trent Meyer, LB Ty Barron (2022 Minnesota transfer) and DL Mark O'Reilly (2022 Concordia-St. Paul transfer).
• St. Thomas' 30 seniors include 13 who are 2018 high school grads and now starting their fifth season of eligibility. Besides the three graduate students, other fifth-years are 2021 transfer LB Kellan McKeag; offensive lineman Matt Weimann and Mark Schmitz; defensive linemen Seth Bickett, Noah Borgeson and Brent Robley; QB Cade Sexauer; TE Max Zimmerman; FB Joshua Komis; and DB Luke Glenna.
• The Toms just missed their magic scoring number in the 27-24 loss at San Diego. They are 92-0 in regular-season games in the Glenn Caruso era when they score 25 or more points.
• In 127 games last decade (2010-2019), St. Thomas defenders recorded 21 interception return touchdowns.
• Last season, Jonathan 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.
• Jr. K Louis Hyde, went 5-of-8 on field goal attempts a season ago. 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 15 of its last 16 conference games (MIAC, Pioneer). The only conference game in that span in which the Tommies didn't hold a second-half lead was at Davidson.
St. Thomas Returning Academic All-Conference honorees
Defense
• #91 – DL Seth Bickett, Actuarial Science major 4.00
• #90 -- DL Noah Borgeson, Political Science major 3.93
• #41 -- LB Jonathan Bunce, Business Admimistration 3.91
• #49 – DL Brent Robley, Biology major 3.87
Offense
• #14 – QB Cade Sexauer, Mechanical Engineering major, 3.63
Pioneer Football League by the Numbers
11: Members for 2022 season with the addition of Presbyterian and St. Thomas in 2021
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 Bulldogs as nickname (Drake, Butler)
1: Team 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
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 Presbyterian
Location: Clinton, South Carolina (pop. 7,633)
Distance to St. Paul: 1145 miles
Founded: 1,880
Athletics Website: https://gobluehose.com
Undergrad Enrollment: 991
Nickname: Blue Hose
Colors: Blue, White, and Red
FB Stadium: Bailey Memorial Stadium (6,500)
Surface: Artificial Turf
2022 FB Record: 1-6
FB Head Coach: Steve Englehart (1st season)
