University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, October 12
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
11:00 a.m. CT
at
Marist
Photo by: Abby Bondi
Football to face Marist in second PFL contest
10/10/2024 8:48:00 AM | Football
ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of St. Thomas football team could not have asked for a better start in Pioneer Football League (PFL) play. The Tommies opened their conference slate with a resounding 34-24 win over Stetson University, scoring 28 unanswered points in the first quarter alone. This weekend, St. Thomas will look to continue its strong play against conference opponents, as the team hits the road for Poughkeepsie, New York to take on Marist College in its second PFL game of 2024.
The Tommies are looking to go 2-0 in PFL play for the third consecutive season and get back to .500 with a 3-3 overall record. In fact, St. Thomas posted a 1-3 record during its nonconference slate for the first time in the Glenn Caruso era, taking on four scholarship programs in its first four games of 2024. Thanks to the win over Stetson, the Tommies are one step closer to .500 and have a chance to open conference play with a prestine 2-0 record.
Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CT in Poughkeepsie, New York and tickets can be purchased at goredfoxes.com. The game will also steam on ESPN+. Subscriptions start at $10.99/month for just ESPN, with the price set to increase on October 17, 2024. Additionally, fans can list to the game on 1500 ESPN and through the Varsity Network App. Live stats will also be available on Marist's athletic website.
LAST TIME OUT: St. Thomas kicked off PFL play in the best way possible, with a 34-24 win over Stetson University. The Tommies were the better team from the get go, scoring on the Hatters firs three offensive possessions of the ball game. Yes, the St. Thomas offense didn't take the field until after the nine minute mark an already had a 14-0 cushion thanks to the Tommies outstanding special teams play. However, Stetson did make things interesting in the second half, outscoring St. Thomas 21-3, but it wasn't enough to overcome an early deficit, resulting in a 34-24 victory for the Tommies.
THE OPPOSITION: Marist struggled in the first month of college football, opening the year with a 0-5 record and a 0-2 mark in PFL play. The Red Foxes faced some stiff competition during nonconference play, squaring off against Georgetown, #18/19 Lafayette and Bucknell before opening conference play at Dayton on September 28. In that nonconference stretch, Marist was outscored 121-42, surrendering an average of 40.3 points per game.
SPECIAL TEAMS: St. Thomas really put the special in special teams in its PFL opener against Stetson last weekend. For the first time in program history, the Tommies opened a game with back-to-back blocked punts returned for touchdowns, racing out to a 14-0 lead over the Hatters mere minutes into regulation. Matthew Guggemos and Logan Cassady came up with the two big block-sixes for St. Thomas, while Grif Wurtz' two points conversion cemented an outstanding first quarter for the Tommies special teams unit. Colin Chase also rushed for 140 yards on kickoffs and punt returns, his best performance of the 2024 season.
WEEKLY AWARDS: Grad senior Matthew Guggemos was named the PFL Special Teams Player of the Week after a career day for the Tommies. In addition to his blocked punt-six, Guggemos recorded two solo tackles and an interception in Saturday's win over Stetson.
GOTTA HAVE HOPE: Senior running back Hope Adebayo has scored an impressive 24 touchdowns in his St. Thomas career, thirty percent of them against the Hatters. In three career games, Adebayo has scored eight total touchdowns against Stetson and scored at least two touchdowns in two of those meetings. He's been (nearly) as successful against Marist. In three career games, Adebayo has rushed for 393 yards against the Red Foxes and scored five career touchdowns, including a 191 yard, two touchdown performance as a freshman in 2021.
IT'S THAT FOX AGAIN!: Adebayo isn't the only Tommie finding success against Marist. The whole St. Thomas football team has. The Tommies are 3-0 in three meetings with the Red Foxes and have outscored their opponent 114-45. Last year was a particularly dominant performance for St. Thomas, as the team defeated Marist 49-14 at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. Adebayo, Gabe Abel and former running back Shawn Shipman accounted for five of the Tommies seven touchdowns and rushed for a combined 252 yards in the victory.
HE COULD. GO. ALL. THE. WAY!: Ryan Calcagno's pick-six may have gone slightly unnoticed during St. Thomas' 34-24 win over Stetson last weekend. However, the pick-six was historic in its own right. After picking Brady Meitz off in Tommie territory, Calcagno ran 66 yards to score a touchdown, boosting the St. Thomas lead to 28-0 in the first quarter. His 66-yard run broke Luke Glenna's record for longest pick-six in the DI era by nearly 40 yards.
AIR RAID?: The Tommies passing/receiving game has struggled through the first month of the season. St. Thomas has recorded just 512 total passing yards through five games, averaging 102.4 per game, and just two receiving touchdowns. Of those 512 yards, 146 belong to junior tight end Patrick Wagner. As a sophomore in 2023, Wagner led the Tommies in total receiving touchdowns with four and could do the same in 2024 with a big performance on Saturday.
TOUCHDOWN TOMMIES!: The PFL schedule seemingly inspired something in St. Thomas' scoring efforts. The Tommies scored just 36 points on six touchdowns through the first four games of 2024, all of which game in the first three games of the season. In the team's first conference game, St. Thomas nearly doubled its touchdown total, scoring four in the first 15 minutes of play. The Tommies also scored six points on field goals for their highest scoring game of the 2024 season.
ROAD WOES?: It's no secret St. Thomas is nearly unbeatable at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. The Tommies won 42 consecutive regular season games on their home field before Sioux Falls ended the streak earlier this season. St. Thomas, and head coach Glenn Caruso, are almost as dominant on the road. In 17 seasons, Caruso has compiled a record of 60-21 on the road, including a 50-13 mark in Division III play. Since making the leap to Division I, though, the Tommies are just 10-8 in road contests and 0-1 this year.
NOT SO SPOOKY SEASON: October isn't exactly a scary month for St. Thomas. The Tommies are 12-2 during the month since making the leap to Division I in 2021. In fact, St. Thomas has only lost two PFL games during the month of October, falling to San Diego in 2021 and Drake in 2023. Similarly, Marist has found plenty of success during the spookiest season of the year. The Red Foxes are 32-22 during the month of October since joining the PFL in 2009.
Of note: October is the only month where Marist holds a winning record against PFL opponents. The Red Foxes are 9-13 in 24 September conference games, 17-20 in November and 0-1 in December. In conference play, Marist is 28-30 all-time at Tenney Stadium.
The Tommies are looking to go 2-0 in PFL play for the third consecutive season and get back to .500 with a 3-3 overall record. In fact, St. Thomas posted a 1-3 record during its nonconference slate for the first time in the Glenn Caruso era, taking on four scholarship programs in its first four games of 2024. Thanks to the win over Stetson, the Tommies are one step closer to .500 and have a chance to open conference play with a prestine 2-0 record.
Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CT in Poughkeepsie, New York and tickets can be purchased at goredfoxes.com. The game will also steam on ESPN+. Subscriptions start at $10.99/month for just ESPN, with the price set to increase on October 17, 2024. Additionally, fans can list to the game on 1500 ESPN and through the Varsity Network App. Live stats will also be available on Marist's athletic website.
LAST TIME OUT: St. Thomas kicked off PFL play in the best way possible, with a 34-24 win over Stetson University. The Tommies were the better team from the get go, scoring on the Hatters firs three offensive possessions of the ball game. Yes, the St. Thomas offense didn't take the field until after the nine minute mark an already had a 14-0 cushion thanks to the Tommies outstanding special teams play. However, Stetson did make things interesting in the second half, outscoring St. Thomas 21-3, but it wasn't enough to overcome an early deficit, resulting in a 34-24 victory for the Tommies.
THE OPPOSITION: Marist struggled in the first month of college football, opening the year with a 0-5 record and a 0-2 mark in PFL play. The Red Foxes faced some stiff competition during nonconference play, squaring off against Georgetown, #18/19 Lafayette and Bucknell before opening conference play at Dayton on September 28. In that nonconference stretch, Marist was outscored 121-42, surrendering an average of 40.3 points per game.
SPECIAL TEAMS: St. Thomas really put the special in special teams in its PFL opener against Stetson last weekend. For the first time in program history, the Tommies opened a game with back-to-back blocked punts returned for touchdowns, racing out to a 14-0 lead over the Hatters mere minutes into regulation. Matthew Guggemos and Logan Cassady came up with the two big block-sixes for St. Thomas, while Grif Wurtz' two points conversion cemented an outstanding first quarter for the Tommies special teams unit. Colin Chase also rushed for 140 yards on kickoffs and punt returns, his best performance of the 2024 season.
WEEKLY AWARDS: Grad senior Matthew Guggemos was named the PFL Special Teams Player of the Week after a career day for the Tommies. In addition to his blocked punt-six, Guggemos recorded two solo tackles and an interception in Saturday's win over Stetson.
GOTTA HAVE HOPE: Senior running back Hope Adebayo has scored an impressive 24 touchdowns in his St. Thomas career, thirty percent of them against the Hatters. In three career games, Adebayo has scored eight total touchdowns against Stetson and scored at least two touchdowns in two of those meetings. He's been (nearly) as successful against Marist. In three career games, Adebayo has rushed for 393 yards against the Red Foxes and scored five career touchdowns, including a 191 yard, two touchdown performance as a freshman in 2021.
IT'S THAT FOX AGAIN!: Adebayo isn't the only Tommie finding success against Marist. The whole St. Thomas football team has. The Tommies are 3-0 in three meetings with the Red Foxes and have outscored their opponent 114-45. Last year was a particularly dominant performance for St. Thomas, as the team defeated Marist 49-14 at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. Adebayo, Gabe Abel and former running back Shawn Shipman accounted for five of the Tommies seven touchdowns and rushed for a combined 252 yards in the victory.
HE COULD. GO. ALL. THE. WAY!: Ryan Calcagno's pick-six may have gone slightly unnoticed during St. Thomas' 34-24 win over Stetson last weekend. However, the pick-six was historic in its own right. After picking Brady Meitz off in Tommie territory, Calcagno ran 66 yards to score a touchdown, boosting the St. Thomas lead to 28-0 in the first quarter. His 66-yard run broke Luke Glenna's record for longest pick-six in the DI era by nearly 40 yards.
AIR RAID?: The Tommies passing/receiving game has struggled through the first month of the season. St. Thomas has recorded just 512 total passing yards through five games, averaging 102.4 per game, and just two receiving touchdowns. Of those 512 yards, 146 belong to junior tight end Patrick Wagner. As a sophomore in 2023, Wagner led the Tommies in total receiving touchdowns with four and could do the same in 2024 with a big performance on Saturday.
TOUCHDOWN TOMMIES!: The PFL schedule seemingly inspired something in St. Thomas' scoring efforts. The Tommies scored just 36 points on six touchdowns through the first four games of 2024, all of which game in the first three games of the season. In the team's first conference game, St. Thomas nearly doubled its touchdown total, scoring four in the first 15 minutes of play. The Tommies also scored six points on field goals for their highest scoring game of the 2024 season.
ROAD WOES?: It's no secret St. Thomas is nearly unbeatable at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. The Tommies won 42 consecutive regular season games on their home field before Sioux Falls ended the streak earlier this season. St. Thomas, and head coach Glenn Caruso, are almost as dominant on the road. In 17 seasons, Caruso has compiled a record of 60-21 on the road, including a 50-13 mark in Division III play. Since making the leap to Division I, though, the Tommies are just 10-8 in road contests and 0-1 this year.
NOT SO SPOOKY SEASON: October isn't exactly a scary month for St. Thomas. The Tommies are 12-2 during the month since making the leap to Division I in 2021. In fact, St. Thomas has only lost two PFL games during the month of October, falling to San Diego in 2021 and Drake in 2023. Similarly, Marist has found plenty of success during the spookiest season of the year. The Red Foxes are 32-22 during the month of October since joining the PFL in 2009.
Of note: October is the only month where Marist holds a winning record against PFL opponents. The Red Foxes are 9-13 in 24 September conference games, 17-20 in November and 0-1 in December. In conference play, Marist is 28-30 all-time at Tenney Stadium.
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