University of St. Thomas Athletics
Butler
Football hosts Butler in Homecoming showdown
10/3/2023 11:14:00 AM | Football
Tommies, Bulldogs enter contest with a 2-0 record in PFL play
ST. PAUL, MINN. – It may be a homecoming unlike any other for the University of St. Thomas football team. The Tommies return home after earning a thrilling 20-14 victory over Pioneer Football League (PFL) Dayton last Saturday. The road isn't getting any easier for the reigning conference champions, though, as St. Thomas is set to host upset minded Butler University in Saturday's homecoming match up.
The Tommies took the PFL by storm in 2022, and it looks like Butler may be trying to do the same in 2023. Thanks to fifth year running back Jyran Mitchell, the Bulldogs are off to their best start in recent history, entering Saturday's game with a 4-1 record, including a 2-0 mark in PFL play. Likewise, St. Thomas rebounded from a rocky start in nonconference play with two conference wins over Morehead State and Dayton. In a walk off win over the Eagles on September 23, true freshman Tak Tateoka (Waukesha, Wis. / South) found senior wide receiver Jacob Wildermuth (Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata) in the end zone to clinch the 35-28 victory, while a goal line stand and pass breakup by Johnson Fallah (Brooklyn Park, Minn./ Osseo) secured the 20-14 win over Dayton this past weekend.
Kickoff for Saturday's game is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at O'Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at www.tommiesports.com/tickets. Fans who cannot attend Homecoming in person can watch the game in a variety of ways, including broadcast TV. The game will also air on Fox 9+ in the Twin Cities and surrounding metro area, and the game will also be streamed on Midco Sports Plus. Fans can tune into the live radio call on 1500 ESPN and follow live stats as well.
Pregame Festivities:
Purple in the Plaza is back and will open two hours before kickoff for all home Tommie football games. In 2023, Purple in the Plaza will feature a beer garden, popcorn bar and yard games, including an inflatable field goal challenge. Saturday's game is also sponsored by Twin Cities Orthopedics.
TommieTalks Podcast
This past week, Wildermuth was a guest on the TommieTalks Podcast, hosted by the voice of St. Thomas Athletics Corbu Stathes. The duo talks football, the 2020 season and so much more. Listen now on Skor North.
Tommie Tidbits:
St. Thomas improved to 2-0 in PFL play in dramatic fashion, using a goal line stand in the closing minute to hold off Dayton. The Tommies surged ahead to a 20-0 lead in the first half, as Andrew McElroy, Gabe Abel and Jacob Wildermuth all scored touchdowns for St. Thomas in the opening 30 minutes of play. However, the Flyers stepped up in the second half, scoring 14 unanswered points to cut the Tommies lead to 20-14 in the closing minutes. The St. Thomas defense, through, remained calm when it mattered most. In the second half, the Tommies tallied two interceptions (Grif Wurtz, Kam In), three sacks and a huge pass break up with four seconds on the clock to secure their 20-14 victory.
600 CLUB:
Two very storied football programs will meet in O'Shaughnessy Stadium Saturday afternoon, as both the Tommies and Bulldogs own over 600 wins in the history of their respective football programs. St. Thomas won its 643rd game in program history last Saturday, while Butler enters this weekend's contest with 602 program wins. It will be the Tommies third meeting with a member of the 600+ win club this season, as they faced Harvard (893) and Dayton (701) already this year.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK:
St. Thomas may be the new kid on the block in the Pioneer Football League (PFL), but it's been a force to be reckoned with since joining the conference in 2021. Thanks to Saturday's win over the Flyers, the Tommies have now defeated every single team in the PFL at least once and improved to 16-2 against conference opponents. St. Thomas additionally is 2-0 against six PFL teams, including Butler, Drake, Marist, Presbyterian, Stetson and Valparaiso.
WE RUNNIN'
The run game should take center stage on Saturday as two of the top running backs in the PFL square off to prove their dominance. St. Thomas No. 1 running back Shawn Shipman and Butler's Jyran Mitchell have taken the FCS by storm in 2023, as both rank toward the top in the nation in rush yards/game, total rushing yards and single-game rushing yards. Mitchell ranks second in the nation in total rush yards (653) and rush yards per game (128.2), while he and Shipman both rank top-10 in single-game rush yard performance.
DON'T RUN ON US
Mitchell has yet to face a run defense like the Tommies. Entering Saturday's game, St. Thomas ranks ninth in the FCS in run defense, holding opponents to 111.2 rush yards per game. In fact, the Tommies held an opponent to under 100 rushing yards for the third time in 2023, holding Dayton to 88 yards on 34 carries. So far this season, St. Thomas is 3-0 when holding its opponents to under 100 rushing yards and 2-0 in PFL play.
A BIG OL' SACK OF NO
While the Tommies stifling run defense is holding opponents to an average of 111.2 rushing yards per game, they also force their opponents to lose, on average, 34.4 yards per game. Through five games, the St. Thomas defense has tallied 38.0 tackles for loss and 17.0 sacks, both of which rank top-10 in the nation. The Tommies currently rank sixth in team sacks and seventh in team tackles for loss, while three linebackers (Tommy Shelstad, Luke Herzog and CJ Warren) rank just outside the top-30 in total sacks and tackles for loss this season.
OCTOBER SUCCESS
The month of October has treated St. Thomas well since head coach Glenn Caruso took over in 2008. The Tommies are 53-7 in October during Caruso's tenure and 8-1 since making the leap to Division I. In that span, St. Thomas has outscored its opponents 275-152 with its lone loss coming at the hands of San Diego in 2021 (27-24).
TAMING THE BULLDOGS
The Tommies are 2-0 all-time against the Bulldogs in two very historic games. St. Thomas first ever PFL game was against Butler in 2021, which also happened to be the Tommies first ever Division I shutout thanks to a 36-0 victory at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. St. Thomas then defeated the Bulldogs 27-13 to claim its first ever PFL Championship in 2022, this time earning the win in Indiana.
"RUSH"DOWN
Sophomore running back Gabe Abel became the fourth Tommie to score a rushing touchdown this season, joining Shawn Shipman, Hope Adebayo and Amari Powell in the stat category. Through five games, St. Thomas has scored 15 total touchdowns, nine on the ground, four in the air, one pick-six and one blocked punt return. That ratio is very on brand for the Tommies. Since 2010, St. Thomas has scored 763 total offensive touchdowns, 497 on the ground and 266 in the air. In the Division I era, the Tommies have scored 86 offensive touchdowns with a 59/27 breakdown in three seasons.
MR. 1000 THE PUNTER
Elliot Huether has established himself as one of the best punters St. Thomas has seen in the Glenn Caruso era. Thanks to his 328 yard punt performance on Saturday, Huether surpassed the 1000 yard threshold, becoming the first Tommie punter to tally over 1000 punt yards in a season since Kolby Gartner hit the mark in 2021. Huether's 328 yard performance this past weekend also ranks second all-time behind Gartner's 368 yard performance against Northern Iowa in 2021. Huether is also the first punter in the Division I era to punt for over 300 yards in a St. Thomas victory.
