University of St. Thomas Athletics
San Diego
Game Notes - Football continues PFL action against San Diego at home
10/27/2022 4:03:00 PM | Football
St. Thomas Football (6-1 overall, 4-0 Pioneer) has won six in a row this season since a 44-13 opening loss at FCS scholarship team Southern Utah (Southern Utah scored game's final 16 points). The Toms are home Saturday to face San Diego in a noon kickoff at O'Shaughnessy Stadium.
The Tommies lead the Pioneer Football League with four games to go, but there are several teams hanging close behind. If San Diego beats the Tommies -- and if Butler beats Morehead State this Saturday -- there will be a four-way tie for first place atop the PFL standings at 4-1, with San Diego then close behind at 3-1... If St. Thomas and Morehead State win, the Toms would have a one-game lead on Davidson and the Dayton-Valpo winner and two-game lead on all others.
San Diego had a home game vs. Stetson cancelled last month after the Florida hurricane. The PFL winner gets the league's automatic berth into FCS playoffs, although St. Thomas is ineligible for NCAA postseason play again this season as a transitioning D-I school (if the Toms win or share the title, another team would take that bid depending on the situation and the tiebreakers).
The Tommies are receiving votes in the latest three FCS top-25 polls. This week they received the third most points of teams not in the top 25... only three non-scholarship teams are among the 39 in the top 25 or the 14 receiving votes: St. Thomas, and Ivy League's Princeton and Penn
The Tommies' have won 24 in a row on their home field, third most consecutive current wins across all of NCAA Football (top six are Clemson 38, Cincinnati 30, St. Thomas 24, Oregon 23, Linfield (Ore.) 22, Alabama 18)
It's been 2,155 days since the Toms lost on their home field, a Dec. 3, 2016 NCAA playoff defeat to UW-Oshkosh, 34-31
The contest can be heard live on AM-1500 Radio Skor North, with Corbu Stathes on the play-by-play call with Ayo Idowu as the color analyst.
Diggin' into San Diego
San Diego enter's Saturday's game with a 3-3 record including an 2-1 record in conference games. San Diego is coming off of a bye week. Their last game was a 28-3 win against Presbyterian, and they have a 3-0 lifetime record against Presbyterian dating back to Presbyterian's joining of the Pioneer Football League in 2021. This will be the second ever game between St. Thomas and San Diego, and San Diego's first trip to St. Paul. The Tommies lost to the Toreros in San Diego last season, 27-24.
San Diego's lead running back this season is Chris Childers. He has run the ball 91 times for 377 yards and 2 touchdowns so far this season. QB Judd Erickson has started every game for San Diego. On the season, Erickson has completed 100-of-185 passing attempts for 1254 yards, ten touchdowns, and five interceptions. In the Toreros last game, Erickson had a superb game as he completed 26-of-40 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
San Diego is allowing 18.7 points per game in addition to allowing 315.2 yards per game. Both of these stats rank inside of the top three for the Pioneer League. Additionally, San Diego is allowing an average of 101.2 rushing yards and 213.3 passing yards per game.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
San Diego's special teams is a sneakily strong point of the team. San Diego leads the Pioneer League in both yards per kick return and yards per punt return. In addition, Hunter Nichols has the longest touchdown of the season in the pioneer league on a 98-yard kick return touchdown.
Most Days Since Home-Field Loss/NCAA Football
2,178, Clemson (FBS) (11-12-2016)
2,157, St. Thomas (D-III/FCS) (12-3-2016)
1,870, Linfield (Ore.) (D-III) (9-13-2017)
1,813, Cincinnati (FBS) (11-10-2017)
1,499, Oregon (FBS) (9-22-2018)
Block Star
Morehead State's Jihad McCall and Holy Cross' Devin Haskins are tied and lead all FBC and FCS players this season in blocked punts with four apiece. Both sit just one short of the FCS season record of five held by Dominic Jones (The Citadel in 2011) and Tevin Richard (South Carolina State in 2015). The FBS season record is seven.
Temple's De'Von Fox has also blocked three punts -- all in one game vs. Layfayette -- and leads all FBS players.
St. Thomas' freshman Ryan Sever (Edina, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) is the fourth D-I player so far in 2022 with at least three blocked punts -- all of his have set up touchdowns (one he blocked and returned for six points t Presbyterian; one he blocked and was returned for six by Ty Barron vs. Lincoln; and another he blocked and was recovered in the end zone for six points by Lucas Torgerson vs. Michigan Tech.
California Dreamin'
The Toreros' 94-player roster has 60 Californians. Their starting QB, grad student Judd Erickson (Colorado State), and backup QB Re-al Mitchell (Iowa State, Temple) joined the team in recent seasons after starting out in FBS programs. Mitchell was featured in season two of the streaming show QB1 with Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields, and was prep teammate at St. John Bosco (Calif.) High of current Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei.
San Diego is 50-4 in its last 54 Pioneer Football League games losing two games in 2021 spring Covid season; once last season to Davidson; and 28-21 at Valpo earlier this season. USD won or shared eight Pioneer championships from 2012-19 (2013 co-title was later vacated)
Veteran USD coach Dale Lindsey (78-28 in 11 seasons at USD) is three months shy of his 80th birthday.
Lindsey graduated in 1965 at Western Kentucky and went on to play eight seasons at linebacker for the Browns before finishing out his nine-year NFL career with the New Orleans Saints in 1973. He played in 111 career NFL games, including 71 starts, and was teammates of Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown, Lou Groza, Leroy Kelly and Gene Hickerson. He coached with seven different NFL teams and had two stints each with the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers. In his two stints with the Chargers, Lindsey was the defensive coordinator on the 2002 and 2003 teams as well as the linebackers coach on the defensive staff from 1992 to 1996. During that mid-1990s run, Lindsey helped guide the Chargers to a pair of AFC West titles (1992 and 1994), three playoff appearances (1992, 1994 and 1995) and a trip to Super Bowl XXIX after winning the AFC Championship in 1994.
Most Division I Touchdowns off Blocked Punts in 2022
3, St. Thomas (FCS)
2, South Carolina (FBS)
2, San Diego State (FBS)
2, North Dakota (FCS)
Longest Current Win Streaks/FCS Football
8, Princeton
7, Sacramento State
7, Holy Cross
7, Jackson State
7, South Dakota State
6, St. Thomas
6, Penn
6, Southeast Missouri
Longest Current D-I Football Win Streaks/FBS or FCS
14, Clemson
9, Georgia
8, Ohio State
8, Princeton
7, Tennessee
7, Michigan
7, TCU
7, Sacramento State
7, Holy Cross
7, Jackson State
7, South Dakota State
6, St. Thomas
6, Oregon
6, Cincinnati
6, Penn
6, Southeast Missouri
Last Time Out
After trailing 17-14 at halftime, St. Thomas posted 22 unanswered points in less than nine minutes to start the second half to push its lead to 36-17 and didn't look back from there.
After trailing the Blue Hose 10-0 after one quarter of play, and 17-7 with less than a minute to play in the first half, the Tommies rattled off 39-unanswered points to spoil the Presbyterian homecoming game and earn their sixth-straight win and improve to 4-0 in conference play.
Presbyterian took the opening kick and marched down the field on an 11-play 61-yard drive before the St. Thomas defense shored up and held the Blue Hose to a field goal attempt, giving Presbyterian a 3-0 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
After scoring a touchdown on all five of their first drives of the season, the Tommies saw their opening drive stall in each the last two games. On their second drive of the game, the Blue Hose pushed their lead to 10 points after a 53-yard touchdown strike through the air.
The Tommies responded with a touchdown drive of their own. St. Thomas found pay dirt 18 seconds into the second quarter as senior RB Joshua Komis bullied his way into the endzone cutting the lead to 10-7 in favor of the home team.
With 8:40 remaining in the first half, Presbyterian pushed its lead to 17-7. St. Thomas battled its way to a score of 17-14 heading into the locker room by way of a rushing touchdown by sophomore RB Shawn Shipman with 53 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
The Tommies were outgained 236 to 171 in the opening half. Sexauer led the rushing attack with 30 yards on five carries. Senior WR Wesley Juszczak posted 39 receiving yards in the first half.
St. Thomas received the second half's opening kick and marched right down the field, highlighted by a 40-yard strike from Sexauer to Juszczak, and capped off by a QB plunge from Sexauer.
With 10:40 remaining in the third quarter, freshman LB Ryan Sever blocked his third punt of the season, this time he returned it to pay dirt himself pushing the lead to 29-17. Sexauer scored his first passing touchdown of the game, this time to senior TE Max Zimmerman opening up a 36-17 lead with 6:22 to play in the third.
Sophomore LB Luke Herzog posted his first collegiate interception with 1:45 remaining in the third. Freshman QB Amari Powell then took over the reins of the offense at that time, that drive ended in a 40-yard field goal by fellow freshman Stephen Shagen to push the lead with 39-17 with 12:41 to play.
Later in the fourth, Powell scored his first collegiate touchdown after leading a 14-play, 72 yard scoring drive that drained over seven minutes off the clock to give the Tommies the 46-17 win.
When the dust settled, the Tommies outgained the Blue Hose, 369 yards to 302, including 172 yards by St. Thomas and only 50 rushing yards by Presbyterian.
Individually, Sexauer finished the game completing 14-of-19 passing attempts for 173 yards and one touchdown and 31 rushing yards. Powell completed 3-of-6 passing attempts for 24 yards two rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
Defensively, the a dui of sophomores in Jonathan Bunce, Herzog and senior DB Luke Glenna all finished with six total tackles. As a team, the Tommies finished with 6.0 sacks, by seven different players.
24 is the Magic Number
In the D-1 era, St. Thomas Football has posted an undefeated 13-0 record when either scoring more than 24 points, or holding their opponents to 24 or less points. All four of the Tommies D-1 losses have come in games where they both failed to score more than 24 points, and allowed more than 24 points.
Sacking a Win
In 2021, an interesting trend emerged for the Tommies. In the seven games where they recorded two or more sacks, they ended up winning, but in the three games where they recorded one or no sacks, they ended up losing. This season St. Thomas Football has gone 2-1 in games where they recorded one or fewer sacks, but have kept the undefeated record, going 4-0 in games with multiple sacks.
All-Purpose Andrew
Sophomore WR Andrew McElroy ranks second the Pioneer Football League in all-purpose yards, averaging 118 all-purpose yards per game.
McElroy has posted 832 total yards including 404 receiving yards, 105 punt return yards, 287 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 510 touchdowns in his 15 seasons at the helm.
This season the Tommies already have a total of 31 TDs in seven games, and the offense has only improved as the season has gone on.
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 32.1 points per game. For some perspective, the Tommies have scored more than their average last year, 24.4 points, in all of their last 6 games.
Another metric which shows the Tommies improvement is that they currently have 31 touchdowns over their first seven games of this season. That number is only two away from the 33 they scored in 2021.
1-2-3-4 Punch?
St. Thomas has had four different leading rushers across the first seven games of the season. Sophomore Shawn Shipman's best performance came against Michigan Tech when he ran for 157 yards, freshman Gabe Abel best game was when he rushed for 106 yards against Lincoln, Sophomore Hope Adebayo's top game came when he ran for 132 yards against Marist, and Landon Reed had his top performance against Presbyterian when he led the team with 55 rushing yards. It seems whoever totes the rock for the Tommies will have success. The four backs have combined for 1106 rushing yards, ten rushing touchdowns, four one-hundred yard game, and an average 5.7 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 seven games. Sexauer has shown improvement over the last five games, his touchdown to interception ratio over that time is 10 touchdowns to 2 interceptions.
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 32.1 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 4 total touchdowns
1st Scoring Defense 18.1 points per game
3rd Total Defense 315.4 yards per game
Offense
2nd Touchdowns Scored 31 total touchdowns
2nd Scoring Offense 32 .1 points per game
2nd Rushing Touchdowns 16 total touchdowns
2nd Rushing Offense 196.3 yards per game
Team
1st Opponent Penalties Committed 60 penalties (8.6 per game)
1st Field Goal % 100% made
1st Punt Return TD 3 total touchdowns
Individual
T-1st Passing Touchdowns Cade Sexauer - 12 passing TDs
T-1st Receiving TDs Andrew McElroy 4 receiving TDs
2nd All-Purpose Yards Andrew McElroy – 118.9 yards per game
2nd Total Offensive TDs Cade Sexauer - 14 total TDs
T-2nd Rushing TDs Shawn Shipman – 6 rushing TDs
3rd Rushing Yards per Game Shawn Shipman - 69.8 rush yards per game
3rd Pass Efficiency Cade Sexauer – 135.5eff. rating
4th Pass Yards per Completion Cade Sexauer – 12.41 per attempt
4th Total Offense Cade Sexauer - 197 yards per game
3rd Tackles for Loss Trent Meyer - 10.5 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 RB 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 77 times amassing 419 yards on the ground and is averaging 5.4 yards per rushing attempt. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native has scored six touchdowns on the year and is averaging 70 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.
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 Tommies defense has had a strong start to the year allowing two touchdowns a game this season. However, in St. Thomas' last 6 games the defense has only allowed a total of 9 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 18.1 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 six games the defense has only allowed 13.8 points per game.
Proud Program Builder
15-year Head Coach Glenn Caruso has an 13-4 record in FCS after building a 127-21 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 144-37 career record (.796). 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 170 yards per game.
• The leading receiver, Andrew McElroy, has averaged 58 yards per game.
• The leading rusher, Hope Adebayo, has averaged 70 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 Almost Always Right
Across the Tommies first 17 games of Division 1 play, the Tommies were behind or tied at halftime four times. These four games were also St. Thomas's only losses over the last two seasons. Last week, St. Thomas found themselves down 17-14 at half, but they outscored Presbyterian 32-0 over the second half in order to 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 San Diego
Location: San Diego, California (pop. 1,386,932)
Distance to St. Paul: 1,992 miles
Founded: 1949
Athletics Website: usdtoreros.com
Undergrad Enrollment: 5,702
Nickname: Toreros
Colors: Dark Blue, Light Blue, and White
FB Stadium: Torero Stadium (6,000)
Surface: Grass
2022 FB Record: 3-3
FB Head Coach: Dale Lindsey (10th season)
