University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, September 2
St. Paul, Minn.
1:00 p.m. Central
36
vs
26
Black Hills State (S.D.)
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
Fifth year senior Johnson Fallah (5) celebrates his pick six in the first quarter of Saturday's game.
Photo by: Rebecca Twite
Tommies sting Yellow Jackets in season opener
9/2/2023 6:22:00 PM | Football
ST. PAUL, Minn. – O'Shaughnessy Stadium continues to be kind to the University of St. Thomas football team. The (RV) Tommies continued their winning ways on their home field, using big plays in the first and fourth quarters to open the season with a 36-26 win over Black Hills State University. The win not only helped St. Thomas open 2023 with a "W" but also extended the Tommies NCAA leading home field win streak to 27 games. Additionally, the win counted as the 150th of head coach Glenn Caruso's career, as his career record improves to 150-37.
RECAP:
To say the first quarter belonged to the Tommies may be a gross understatement. St. Thomas opened the game by scoring 22 unanswered points, with 14 of those being scored in the first quarter. Fifth year senior Johnson Fallah (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo) kicked off the Tommies scoring efforts 47 seconds into regulation, as his pick six on the first Black Hills State offensive possession of the game resulted in a 6-0 lead for St. Thomas. Just over three and two extra point kicks later, the Tommies held a 14-0 lead, as a Yellow Jacket fumble resulted in another St. Thomas touchdown, this time via Amari Powell (Valencia, Calif. / Chamindae College Prep).
However, the ensuing two quarters belonged to Black Hills State. The Yellow Jackets marched down the field multiple times, scoring 13 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to cut the Tommie lead to 22-13, and after another punt by St. Thomas, it looked like Black Hills State was bound to score again. With one minute remaining in the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets looked to close the gap further, until Luke Herzog (Mendota Heights, Minn. / St. Thomas Academy) took matters into his own hands. The junior linebacker came up with a huge third down sack, ending what could have been a fourth consecutive scoring drive for Black Hills State.
After a huge stop by the defense, Powell led the Tommies down field, connecting with Terrance Kamara (Minneapolis, Minn. / North) for a huge completion on fourth down to keep the drive alive. That play eventually led to a 19-yard touchdown run by junior running back Shawn Shipman (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Champlin Park), extending the St. Thomas lead to 29-13 with 9:16 remaining in regulation.
The drive seemingly sparked something for both the Tommies and Yellow Jackets, as the two teams would trade big plays and touchdowns in the final 10 minutes of regulation. Black Hills State managed to score a touchdown on its next offensive possession, once again whittling the lead to 10 points at 29-19. However, the Yellow Jackets simply had no answer for the St. Thomas run game, as a massive run by Shipman set up a Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) touchdown and regained a 36-19 cushion for the Tommies. That cushion would once again be dashed. Black Hills State scored with 2:14 left in the game, making it 36-26 St. Thomas before a successful onside kick put the ball right back in the Yellow Jackets hands.
Things looked tense for Tommie football fans in the waining minutes. Though the St. Thomas defense held firm early in the drive, miscues and penalties proved costly on third and fourth downs, allowing Black Hills State to invade Tommie territory. However, in the end, the St. Thomas defense did exactly what it needed to do. With seconds remaining in the game, Malaki-Milton Jackson (Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata) came up with a huge play in the backfield to end the Yellow Jackets threat. The senior came up with his second sack of the afternoon on fourth and 16, forcing a turnover on downs and securing the 36-26 victory for St. Thomas.
TOP TOMMIES:
QUEST FOR 150
With the win, head coach Glenn Caruso secured his 150th career victory as a head coach, improving his overall record to 150-37. Caruso is 144-27 as the head coach of St. Thomas and 15-0 in home openers throughout his career with the Tommies.
CAN'T STOP THIS
Shipman rushed for over 100 yards in Saturday's game, becoming the first St. Thomas running back in the DI era to rush for over 100 yards in the opener. It's the first time since 2019 that a Tommie running back has rushed for over 100 yards in the season opener, and the last to do so was former standout Tom Loeffler. Additionally, St. Thomas' four rushing touchdowns counts as the most in a season opener since that same game in 2019.
QUOTABLES:
UP NEXT
The Tommies will hit the road for their next contest, as they are set to face the University of South Dakota in their second nonconference game of 2023. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Vermillion, South Dakota.
RECAP:
To say the first quarter belonged to the Tommies may be a gross understatement. St. Thomas opened the game by scoring 22 unanswered points, with 14 of those being scored in the first quarter. Fifth year senior Johnson Fallah (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo) kicked off the Tommies scoring efforts 47 seconds into regulation, as his pick six on the first Black Hills State offensive possession of the game resulted in a 6-0 lead for St. Thomas. Just over three and two extra point kicks later, the Tommies held a 14-0 lead, as a Yellow Jacket fumble resulted in another St. Thomas touchdown, this time via Amari Powell (Valencia, Calif. / Chamindae College Prep).
However, the ensuing two quarters belonged to Black Hills State. The Yellow Jackets marched down the field multiple times, scoring 13 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to cut the Tommie lead to 22-13, and after another punt by St. Thomas, it looked like Black Hills State was bound to score again. With one minute remaining in the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets looked to close the gap further, until Luke Herzog (Mendota Heights, Minn. / St. Thomas Academy) took matters into his own hands. The junior linebacker came up with a huge third down sack, ending what could have been a fourth consecutive scoring drive for Black Hills State.
After a huge stop by the defense, Powell led the Tommies down field, connecting with Terrance Kamara (Minneapolis, Minn. / North) for a huge completion on fourth down to keep the drive alive. That play eventually led to a 19-yard touchdown run by junior running back Shawn Shipman (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Champlin Park), extending the St. Thomas lead to 29-13 with 9:16 remaining in regulation.
The drive seemingly sparked something for both the Tommies and Yellow Jackets, as the two teams would trade big plays and touchdowns in the final 10 minutes of regulation. Black Hills State managed to score a touchdown on its next offensive possession, once again whittling the lead to 10 points at 29-19. However, the Yellow Jackets simply had no answer for the St. Thomas run game, as a massive run by Shipman set up a Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) touchdown and regained a 36-19 cushion for the Tommies. That cushion would once again be dashed. Black Hills State scored with 2:14 left in the game, making it 36-26 St. Thomas before a successful onside kick put the ball right back in the Yellow Jackets hands.
Things looked tense for Tommie football fans in the waining minutes. Though the St. Thomas defense held firm early in the drive, miscues and penalties proved costly on third and fourth downs, allowing Black Hills State to invade Tommie territory. However, in the end, the St. Thomas defense did exactly what it needed to do. With seconds remaining in the game, Malaki-Milton Jackson (Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata) came up with a huge play in the backfield to end the Yellow Jackets threat. The senior came up with his second sack of the afternoon on fourth and 16, forcing a turnover on downs and securing the 36-26 victory for St. Thomas.
TOP TOMMIES:
- Junior running back Shawn Shipman (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Champlin Park) was the top offensive weapon for St. Thomas Saturday afternoon. After a relatively quiet first half, the junior closed the game with 140 rush yards on 21 attempts, including a 44 yard run in the fourth quarter. He also scored one of four rushing touchdowns for the Tommies Saturday afternoon.
- In his first career start, Amari Powell (Valencia, Calif. / Chaminade College Prep) completed 12 of 24 passes for 105 and rushed for two touchdowns. First year quarterback Tak Tateoka (Waukesha, Wis. / South Waukesha) also made his first career appearance in Saturday's game.
- Defensively, the Tommies were led by Luke Herzog (Mendota Heights, Minn. / St. Thomas Academy) and Johnson Fallah (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo). Herzog led the team with eight total tackles and 1.5 sacks, while Fallah's pick six jump started the Tommies' scoring efforts.
- Malaki-Milton Jackson (Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata) recorded a career-high and team-leading two sacks in the victory.
QUEST FOR 150
With the win, head coach Glenn Caruso secured his 150th career victory as a head coach, improving his overall record to 150-37. Caruso is 144-27 as the head coach of St. Thomas and 15-0 in home openers throughout his career with the Tommies.
CAN'T STOP THIS
Shipman rushed for over 100 yards in Saturday's game, becoming the first St. Thomas running back in the DI era to rush for over 100 yards in the opener. It's the first time since 2019 that a Tommie running back has rushed for over 100 yards in the season opener, and the last to do so was former standout Tom Loeffler. Additionally, St. Thomas' four rushing touchdowns counts as the most in a season opener since that same game in 2019.
QUOTABLES:
UP NEXT
The Tommies will hit the road for their next contest, as they are set to face the University of South Dakota in their second nonconference game of 2023. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Vermillion, South Dakota.
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