University of St. Thomas Athletics
6-3 , 5-1
Marist
4-4 , 4-2
Team Stats
MAR 0, UST 7
UST - Chase,Colin 41 yd pass from Powell,Amari (Shagen,Stephen kick) 2 plays, 40 yards, TOP 00:46
MAR 0, UST 14
UST - Adebayo,Hope 1 yd run (Shagen,Stephen kick), 3 plays, 57 yards, TOP 01:09
MAR 0, UST 21
UST - Adebayo,Hope 43 yd run (Shagen,Stephen kick), 2 plays, 49 yards, TOP 00:39
MAR 0, UST 28
UST - Abel,Gabriel 5 yd run (Shagen,Stephen kick), 2 plays, 45 yards, TOP 00:37
MAR 7, UST 28
MAR - Bagozzi,Brock 11 yd run (Gardi,Chase kick), 8 plays, 30 yards, TOP 03:51
MAR 7, UST 35
UST - McElroy,Andrew 9 yd pass from Powell,Amari (Shagen,Stephen kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:17
MAR 7, UST 42
UST - Shipman,Shawn 2 yd run (Shagen,Stephen kick), 14 plays, 65 yards, TOP 07:10
MAR 14, UST 42
MAR - Shannon,Tristan 2 yd run (Gardi,Chase kick), 12 plays, 74 yards, TOP 05:01
MAR 14, UST 49
UST - Abel,Gabriel 7 yd run (Huether,Elliot kick), 3 plays, 17 yards, TOP 01:17
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Tommies outfox Marist in 49-14 win
10/28/2023 5:58:00 PM | Football
St. Thomas scored five rushing touchdowns in the victory
ST. PAUL, MINN. – The fans at O'Shaughnessy Stadium were treated to a good, old fashioned University of St. Thomas football game on Saturday, complete with touchdowns and Hall of Fame worthy plays to boot. The Tommies dominated from start to finish in their win over the visiting Marist Red Foxes, earning a 42-14 win on their home field. The victory is the 30th consecutive win for St. Thomas at O'Shaughnessy Stadium and allowed the team to improve to 6-3 on the year and 5-1 in Pioneer Football League (PFL) play.
RECAP:
Though the final stats may not show it, it took the Tommies a bit to get things moving on the offensive side of the ball. The Tommies first two drives of the game ended in a 36-yard punt by Elliot Huether (Minnetonka, Minn. / Benilde-St. Margaret's) and an interception thrown by Andrew McElroy (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook). However, third time proved to be the charm for St. Thomas. After McElroy's interception on a trick play, Johnson Fallah (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo) turned the tables on the Red Foxes, pulling in his second interception of 2023 and putting the ball right back in the hands of Amari Powell (Valencia, Calif. / Chaminade College Prep). The sophomore QB made the turnover hurt for Marist, as he connected with fellow Californian Colin Chase (Orange County, Calif. / St. John Bosco) for a 41-yard touchdown reception, giving the Tommies their first lead of the game at 6-0.
Stephen Shagen (Park City, Utah / Park City) connected on the PAT, extending the lead to 7-0 with six minutes remaining in the first quarter. However, St. Thomas wasn't done scoring in the opening 15 minutes of play. Junior running back Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) would score two touchdowns in the first quarter, the first set up by a beautiful 53-yard rush by fellow running back Shipman (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Champlin Park). The second would be a long rush by Adebayo himself, as he ran for 43-yards to the back of the end zone to make it 21-0 Tommies at the end of the opening quarter.
St. Thomas most explosive half of the season wasn't over after the first, though. The Tommies scored 14 points in the second to take a 35-7 lead into the locker room at halftime. A third running back got in on the scoring action, as Gabe Abel's (Trenton, N.J. / Salisbury School) 40-yard rush eventually produced a Gabe Abel touchdown, making it 28-0 St. Thomas with 12:49 left to go in the half. Marist responded with a touchdown of its own two drives later, but the Tommies had a perfect answer. After the Red Foxes cut the lead to 28-7 with 1:18 to go on the clock, Powell ate up both the clock and yardage, leading St. Thomas to the Marist nine with five seconds left on the clock. After changing the play call, the sophomore connected with his favorite target, McElroy, in the end zone, giving the Tommies a 35-7 halftime lead.
With a significant lead, St. Thomas very easily could have sat back and watched the clock run out to secure victory. Instead, the Tommies put any hope of a Red Fox comeback to bed, scoring another touchdown in the closing seconds of the third quarter. It was Shipman, this time, who found the back of the end zone, making it 42-7 St. Thomas at the end of the third quarter. Marist managed to score its second touchdown of the game, but it was too little, too late against the Tommies. With a significant advantage, Abel scored his second touchdown of the game, securing the 49-14 victory for St. Thomas.
TOP TOMMIES
- All three St. Thomas running backs had significant performances on Saturday, as all three found the end zone for the Tommies. Shawn Shipman (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Champlin Park) was the top running back in terms of yardage, leading the way with 121 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown. Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) and Gabe Abel (Trenton, N.J. / Salisbury School) both scored two touchdowns Saturday afternoon.
- Amari Powell (Valencia, Calif. / Chaminade College Prep) put together his best performance of 2023, throwing for 127 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. His favorite target was Andrew McElroy (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook) who finished the game with 55 receiving yards and one touchdown.
- Grif Wurtz (Chaska, Minn. / Chaska) led the team in tackles on Saturday, closing with a season-high 10 (3 solo, 7 assists), while Nick Hand (Rogers, Minn. / Totino-Grace) had a hand in seven tackles.
NOTABLES
The Tommies saw three different running backs and student-athletes score touchdowns Saturday afternoon. The last time St. Thomas had three different individuals score at least one rushing touchdown in a game occurred in the season opener against Black Hills State on September 3. The last time the Tommies saw three or more running backs score at least one touchdown occurred on November 20, 2021, when four different St. Thomas running backs scored in a 54-15 win over Presbyterian (at home). The Tommies also set the Division I program record for team rushing touchdowns in that game with seven total.
RUSHING DOMINANCE
This is not the first time St. Thomas has found offensive success against Marist. In the Tommies 38-24 win over the Red Foxes last season, three student-athletes scored a rushing touchdown in the win. Both Shipman and Adebayo scored touchdowns in the victory, and Adebayo also scored two rushing touchdowns against Marist in 2021. In total, the duo has scored seven touchdowns against the Red Foxes, scoring 42 points for St. Thomas in three years. The duo has also rushed for 600 yards against Marist in the last three years, averaging 100 yards per game each.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Tommies extended their nation-leading home field win streak on Saturday, winning their 30th consecutive game at O'Shaughnessy Stadium.
QUOTABLES
Hear from head coach Glenn Caruso, junior offensive lineman Alec Rasmussen and fifth year safety Grif Wurtz after Saturday's win:
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will finally enjoy a bye week, as the team will be off November 4 before hitting the road for sunny California. The Tommies will face San Diego in their second to last PFL game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CT in San Diego, California.
