University of St. Thomas Athletics
5-3 , 4-1
Stetson
3-4 , 1-3
Tommies run away with 38-6 win over Stetson
10/21/2023 3:27:00 PM | Football
Hope Adebayo rushes for 197 yards and two TDs in the win
DELAND, FLA. – The University of St. Thomas football certainly looked like its old self Saturday afternoon. After a disappointing loss to Drake University last weekend, the Tommies flew to Florida and made quite a statement in their Pioneer Football League (PFL) win over Stetson. St. Thomas rushed for over 300 yards as a team for the first time in the Division I era, running away with a dominant 38-6 win over Stetson University. With the win, the Tommies are now 5-3 overall and 4-1 in PFL play.
RECAP:
The Tommies and Hatters were unable to score on their first offensive possessions of the game, but penalties proved costly for St. Thomas on Stetson's second drive of the game. A personal foul penalty on third down allowed the Hatters to enter Tommie territory, threatening to score the opening touchdown of the game. St. Thomas defense once again came up when it mattered, as Malaki-Milton Jackson (Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata) broke up a pass at the 25-yard line, forcing Stetson to attempt a field goal. The Hatters kicker missed wide left, turning the ball over and giving the Tommies possession at their own 25.
St. Thomas made the Stetson turnover hurt, as Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) may have caused a little déjà vu for Hatter fans. The junior running back broke out for a 66-yard touchdown run, giving the Tommies a 6-0 lead in the first. Stephen Shagen (Park City, Utah / Park City) quickly made it 7-0, giving St. Thomas its first lead in a football game since the second quarter against Drake. It looked, though, like Stetson might respond with its own touchdown, but the Tommies defense came up big again, causing another turnover on downs after a different Hatters kicker missed a field goal wide right, preserving the 7-0 St. Thomas lead.
By the 13 minute mark, the Tommies had extended their lead to 10-0, as Shagen connected for a 40-yard field goal to give St. Thomas a 10 point cushion. That seemed to be a spark for the Tommie defense. Refreshed and rested, St. Thomas held Stetson to 31 rushing yards in the first half and zero points, shutting out and opponent in the first half for the first time all season. The Tommies also added an extra seven points to their total, as Amari Powell (Valencia, Calif. / Chaminade College Prep) connected with Patrick Wagner (Baltimore, Maryland / Archbishop Spalding) in the end zone to make it 17-0 St. Thomas entering the locker room at the half.
There will still plenty of questions for the Tommies, even with a 17-0 lead entering the second half. In the past three games, St. Thomas has tallied just three first downs and scored zero points since its 35-28 walk off win over Morehead State. That was simply not the case in DeLand, Florida Saturday afternoon. Adebayo and Shawn Shipman (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Champlin Park) punished Stetson's defense, setting up a beautiful 20-yard touchdown reception between Powell and Wagner. Then, with a 24-0 lead, the Tommies kicked off the fourth quarter in the perfect way, as Adebayo rushed for his second TD of the day, putting St. Thomas up 31-0.
The Hatters were able to score a touchdown in the closing minutes of regulation, but it wasn't enough to catch up to the Tommies. Fueled by its three-headed running back monster, and a late touchdown by Travis Plugge (Bakersfield, Calif. / Garces Memorial), St. Thomas ran away with the victory Saturday afternoon, downing Stetson 38-6.
TOP TOMMIES
- Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) broke his nine-game streak without a 100-yard rushing performance, once again proving he's the best running back in DeLand, Florida. The junior rushed for 200 yards, 197 net, on 13 attempts and added two touchdowns, including a 67 yarder in the first half.
- Amari Powell (Valencia, Calif. / Chaminade College Prep) threw for 88 yards and two touchdowns in his first start at quarterback since the game against Harvard on September 16. His favorite receivers were tight end Patrick Wagner (Baltimore, Maryland / Archbishop Spalding) and wide receiver Jacob Wildermuth (Wayzata, Minn. / Plymouth).
- Jonathan Bunce (Edina, Minn. / Edina) and Noah Friedt (Lakeville, Minn. / Apple Valley) both recorded sacks for the Tommies Saturday afternoon, while Luke Herzog (Mendota Heights, Minn. / St. Thomas Academy) led the team with nine tackles.
NOTABLES:
Thanks to Saturday's win, St. Thomas has now outscored Stetson 61-14 in three meetings between the two teams. It's the fewest points the Tommies have allowed in three meetings against a PFL team and the fewest they've allowed to any single opponent in the Division I era.
OFFENSIVE SURGE
In their five wins this season, the Tommies have rushed for over 100 yards as a team, which includes three 200+ rushing yard performances. St. Thomas rushed for 225 yards in its season opening win over Black Hills State then recorded 200+ performances in wins over Morehead State and Butler. On Saturday, the Tommies rushed for 309 team yards, their first 300+ rushing yard performance since 2019. The team rushed for 500 yards in a win over Hamline on September 21, 2019.
COACHING DOMINANCE
Head coach Glenn Caruso proved he is one of the best coaches in the country once again on Saturday afternoon. The veteran improved to 27-1 all-time in games following a loss thanks to the 38-6 win over Stetson Saturday afternoon.
UP NEXT
After a long few weeks on the road, St. Thomas will return to O'Shaughnessy Stadium on October 28, 2023, as the Tommies host Marist University in a key PFL match up. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Team Stats
UST 7, STE 0
UST - Adebayo,Hope 67 yd run (Shagen,Stephen kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:29
UST 10, STE 0
UST - Shagen,Stephen 40 yd field goal 10 plays, 48 yards, TOP 03:52
UST 17, STE 0
UST - Wagner,Patrick 11 yd pass from Powell,Amari (Shagen,Stephen kick) 7 plays, 34 yards, TOP 03:55
UST 24, STE 0
UST - Wagner,Patrick 20 yd pass from Powell,Amari (Shagen,Stephen kick) 8 plays, 85 yards, TOP 04:08
UST 31, STE 0
UST - Adebayo,Hope 49 yd run (Shagen,Stephen kick), 3 plays, 79 yards, TOP 00:54
UST 31, STE 6
STE - Brewer,Devon 1 yd run (), 9 plays, 86 yards, TOP 03:56
UST 38, STE 6
UST - Plugge,Travis 22 yd run (Huether,Elliot kick), 6 plays, 48 yards, TOP 03:34
