University of St. Thomas Athletics
1-2 , 0-0
Harvard
1-0 , 0-0
Team Stats
STT 0, HAR 7
HAR - McLaughlin,Shane 79 yd run (Canaval,Cali kick), 1 plays, 79 yards, TOP 00:12
STT 0, HAR 14
HAR - Craig,Jaden 4 yd run (Canaval,Cali kick), 3 plays, 52 yards, TOP 01:28
STT 0, HAR 21
HAR - Abbey,Isaiah 25 yd run (Canaval,Cali kick), 3 plays, 32 yards, TOP 00:44
STT 0, HAR 28
HAR - Bartrum,Ty 96 yd interception (Canaval,Cali kick)
STT 0, HAR 31
HAR - Canaval,Cali 43 yd field goal 6 plays, 20 yards, TOP 00:53
STT 0, HAR 38
HAR - DePrima,Charles 69 yd run (Canaval,Cali kick), 2 plays, 69 yards, TOP 00:17
STT 7, HAR 38
STT - Adebayo,Hope 2 yd run (Shagen,Stephen kick), 6 plays, 53 yards, TOP 03:28
STT 7, HAR 45
HAR - Neville,Tyler 18 yd pass from DePrima,Charles (Canaval,Cali kick) 9 plays, 61 yards, TOP 05:43
STT 13, HAR 45
STT - Shipman,Shawn 3 yd run (), 14 plays, 78 yards, TOP 06:22
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Harvard deals Tommies 45-13 loss
9/16/2023 4:18:00 PM | Football
St. Thomas wins time of possession battle in Massachusetts
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. – It was the biggest of stages for the University of St. Thomas football team when it shipped off to Boston, Massachusetts. The Tommies looked to spoil the start of Harvard University football 150th season Saturday afternoon in a historic Minnesota vs. Massachusetts match up. With fresh legs behind them, the Crimson earned a 45-13 victory in Harvard Stadium, as St. Thomas closes its nonconference schedule with a 1-2 record.
RECAP:
The Tommies made quite the first impression in their first offensive possession in Harvard Stadium. Fueled by Andrew McElroy's (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook) return to the starting lineup, St. Thomas marched right down the field, advancing to the Crimson 21-yardline just three minutes into the game. However, on fourth and six, sophomore quarterback Amari Powell (Valencia, Calif. / Chaminade College Prep) held the ball for an extra second, missing Patrick Wagner (Crofton, Maryland / Archbishop Spaulding) in the end zone for what would have been the go ahead touchdown.
After the turnover on downs, the momentum decisively swung to Harvard's side, as the Crimson scored back-to-back touchdowns on their next two offensive possessions. Harvard took a 7-0 lead at 10:25 in the first quarter on a 79 yard rush by Shane McLaughlin, the longest gain the stingy Tommies defense has surrendered this season. Roughly three minutes later, it was 14-0 Crimson after quarterback Charles DePrima snuck past the St. Thomas defense and into the end zone.
Still, there was plenty of time for the Tommies to make up the deficit, and with Powell, McElroy and Gabriel Abel (Trenton, N.J. / Salisbury School) all healthy and back in the lineup, St. Thomas fans felt optimistic. Unfortunately, anytime the Tommies got something going offensively, the Harvard defense would put a stop to it convincingly. A fumble in St. Thomas territory put a stop the team's third offensive possession of the day and eventually led to a 21-0 lead for the Crimson.
The second quarter did not get off to the start the Tommies were hoping for, as another fumble gave Harvard the ball in St. Thomas territory. However, the defense stepped up big time, as two pass break ups by Yusef Leak (Orlando, Fla. / Master's Academy) and a big tackle by Noah Friedt (Lakeville, Minn. / Apple Valley) forced a Crimson turnover on downs. That seemed to be the spark the Tommie offense needed to get back on track. Third down completions to McElroy and Colin Chase (Orange County, Calif. / St. John Bosco) put St. Thomas in Harvard territory and threatening to score. Unfortunately, the Tommies drive to come to an end prematurely, as an interception at the four-yard line turned into a 96-yard touchdown for the Crimson, putting them ahead 28-0.
The St. Thomas defense came up with two huge plays in the waning minutes of the second quarter, once again giving the offensive an opportunity to score before the end of the half. Luke Herzog's (Mendota Heights, Minn. / St. Thomas Academy) near interception set up an actual interception by Leak, returning the ball to Powell and the Tommie offense. Another interception, though, gave the ball right back to Harvard, as the Crimson would add three points to its total, closing the first half with a 31-0 lead.
St. Thomas held its own in the second half, winning the time of possession battle 40-20 by the end of regulation. Additionally, the Tommies scored two touchdowns in the second, as Tak Tateoka (Waukesha, Wis. / South) came off the bench to ignite the St. Thomas offense. In his third career appearance, Takeota completed three passes on third down then used his legs to St. Thomas on the Harvard one yard line. Then, on fourth and one, the freshman QB handed the ball off to Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley), who barreled his way into the end zone, cutting the lead to 38-6. Steven Shagen (Park City, Utah / Park City) converted the extra to make it 38-7 midway through the third.
Shawn Shipman (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Champlin Park) scored the Tommies second touchdown of the day in the fourth quarter, capping off a 13-yard drive with a three yard rush to the end zone. Unfortunately, Tateoka's second half spark off the bench was not enough, as the Crimson went on to win by final score of 45-13.
TOP TOMMIES
· Andrew McElroy (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook) became the first wide receiver in the Division I era to record 1000 career receiving yards Saturday afternoon, eclipsing the mark in the third quarter. The junior closed Saturday with a team and game-leading 147 yards on six receptions, moving to first in the DI record books for career receiving yards.
· Amari Powell (Valencia, Calif. / Chaminade College Prep) led the way with 146 passing yards on Saturday, completing 15 of 25 pass attempts. Tak Tateoka (Waukesha, Wis. / South) closed the game with 63 yards in the air and 11 on the ground.
· Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) led the St. Thomas run attack, closing the game with 62 rushing yards, including one touchdown, on 15 attempts. Shawn Shipman (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Champlin Park) scored the only other touchdown for St. Thomas and closed the game with 44 rushing yards.
· Grif Wurtz (Chaska, Minn. / Chaska) once again led the team in tackles, closing the game with six total (2 solo, 4 assists)
NOTABLES
St. Thomas last gave up 21 points in the first quarter on December 3, 2016. The Tommies surrendered 21 points to UW-Oshkosh in the opening quarter of an NCAA Tournament game, which they eventually lost 34-31. Additionally, St. Thomas was shutout for six consecutive quarters for the first time in the Glenn Caruso era, eventually scoring its first points since the opening in the third quarter against Harvard.
ALL-AMERICAN DEBUT
Junior wide receiver Andrew McElroy (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook) is no stranger to making history. However, he permanently etched his name in the St. Thomas record books Saturday afternoon, becoming the first wide receiver in the Division I era to record 1000 receiving yards. The Preseason All-American would close the game with 147 receiving yards on six receptions. He joins Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) and Shawn Shipman (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Champlin Park) as a member of the 1000 yard club, as both running backs eclipsed the mark earlier this year.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will look to rebound with a win at home on Saturday, September 23, 2023. The Tommies will host Morehead State in their first Pioneer Football League (PFL) contest of the 2023 season. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in O'Shaughnessy Stadium.
