University of St. Thomas Athletics
2-3 , 1-0
Stetson
2-3 , 0-1
Team Stats
STE 0, UST 6
UST - Guggemos,Matthew 0 yd punt return ()
STE 0, UST 14
UST - Cassady,Logan 13 yd punt return (Wurtz,Grif rush)
STE 0, UST 21
UST - Adebayo,Hope 12 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 4 plays, 27 yards, TOP 02:01
STE 0, UST 28
UST - Calcagno,Ryan 66 yd interception (Hoiland,Ben kick)
STE 3, UST 28
STE - Holbrook,Daniel 52 yd field goal 11 plays, 34 yards, TOP 04:20
STE 3, UST 31
UST - Hoiland,Ben 21 yd field goal 11 plays, 60 yards, TOP 01:47
STE 10, UST 31
STE - Feliciano,Aanjay 16 yd pass from Meitz,Brady (Holbrook,Daniel kick) 13 plays, 65 yards, TOP 04:09
STE 17, UST 31
STE - Johnson,Ronnel 15 yd pass from Meitz,Brady (Holbrook,Daniel kick) 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:14
STE 17, UST 34
UST - Hoiland,Ben 40 yd field goal 5 plays, 24 yards, TOP 02:15
STE 24, UST 34
STE - Dryden,Malik 13 yd run (Holbrook,Daniel kick), 9 plays, 73 yards, TOP 02:29
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Tommies topple Hatters to open PFL play
10/5/2024 6:23:00 PM | Football
ST. PAUL, MINN. – There was something special in the air at O'Shaughnessy Stadium Saturday afternoon. Thanks to strong play by the special teams and defensive units, the University of St. Thomas football opened Pioneer Football League (PFL) play with a 34-24 win over Stetson University. It's the Tommies fourth consecutive victory over the Hatters, as they improve to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in PFL play.
RECAP:
St. Thomas offense didn't see the field until the nine-minute mark in the first quarter, yet the Tommies scored 14 points not even five minutes into the game. Thanks to St. Thomas' special teams unit, the Tommies blocked two punts on the Hatters first two offensive possessions of the game, returning both for touchdowns for a 14-0 St. Thomas lead. Matthew Guggemos (Eden Prairie, Minn. / Benilde-St. Margaret) blocked the first punt and scored the first touchdown for the Tommies, giving them an early 6-0 lead. On Stetson's next offensive possession, Logan Cassady (Truro, Iowa / Interstate 35 High) came up with the block-six, and Grif Wurtz (Chaska, Minn. / Chaska) added two on the two-point conversion, bolstering St. Thomas' lead to 14-0 just four minutes into the game.
The Tommies went on to score 14 more points in the first quarter, as Hope Adebyo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) and Ryan Calcagno (St. Charles, Ill. / St. Francis) both found the end zone to boost the St. Thomas lead to 28-0 by the end of the first quarter. The Tommies would extend it to 31-3 by halftime, as Ben Hoiland (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) connected on a 21-yard field goal as time expired.
With a significant lead, it seems like everything was going St. Thomas' way, but the Hatters made things interesting in the third quarter. Stetson scored 14 unanswered points, cutting the lead to 31-17 by the end of the third quarter, and were driving at the start of the fourth. The Hatters crossed well into Tommie Territory, putting themselves within striking distance of yet another touchdown when Den Juette (Chicago, Ill. / Fenwick) put his old wide receiver skills to use. The junior came up with a huge interception in the end zone, halting Stetson's drive in its track.
Juette's interception eventually turned into a Hoiland field goal and a 34-17 Tommie lead. However, the Hatters were not done scoring. With four minutes remaining in the game, Stetson scored yet another touchdown, whittling the St. Thomas lead to 34-24 with 3:57 left in the ball game. Down 10, head coach Brian Young opted to onside kick and was ultimately unsuccessful. Thanks to the efforts of Patrick Wagner (Crofton, Md. / Archbishop Spaulding) and Mitchell Schares (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy), the Tommies ended up with the ball, staving off another potential scoring drive by the Hatters.
St. Thomas was forced to punt, as the team was unable to come up with a first down on the ensuing offensive possession. The Tommies defense, though, held strong, as Calcagno nearly intercepted Brady Meitz' pass on fourth and eight. The near interception cemented the St. Thomas victory with a final score of 34-24.
TOP TOMMIES
- The special teams unit was outstanding for St. Thomas Saturday afternoon, with Matthew Guggemos (Eden Prairie, Minn. / Benilde-St. Margaret) and Logan Cassady (Truro, Iowa / Interstate 35 High) both scoring touchdowns on blocked punts. Collin Chase (Orange County, Calif. / St. John Bosco) tallied 53 yard on punt returns Saturday afternoon.
- Ben Hoiland (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) went 2-2 on field goal attempts in his collegiate debut and tallied 366 yards on kickoffs.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
According to available records, Saturday marked the first time in the DI era the Tommies opened the game with back-to-back blocked punts returned for touchdowns. St. Thomas' defense also tipped two passes for interceptions in the first quarter, and both tips were made by junior Ryan Sever (Edina, Minn. / Benilde-St. Margaret).
UP NEXT
The Tommies will trek to Poughkeepsie, New York for their next PFL contest, as they take on Marist in their second conference game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CT.
