University of St. Thomas Athletics
6-6 , 5-3
Dayton
6-5 , 4-4
Tommies honor seniors with 32-9 win over Dayton
11/23/2024 6:00:00 PM | Football
ST. PAUL, MINN. – It was a picture perfect ending to a not so picture perfect season. The University of St. Thomas football team closed its 2024 campaign with a resounding victory in Pioneer Football League (PFL) play, as the Tommies upended the University of Dayton 32-9 at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. With the victory, St. Thomas avoid its first losing season in the Glenn Caruso era, closing 2024 with an overall record of 6-6 and a 5-3 mark in PFL play.
RECAP:
Things did not look good for the Tommies at the start of the first quarter, as Dayton dominated the game in multiple facets. The Flyers forced a three-and-out on St. Thomas' first possession of the ball game before marching themselves down to the Tommie 14-yard line. However, the St. Thomas defense held firm, forcing Dayton to kick a 24-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.
The Tommies finally broke through at 6:34 in the quarter, as Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) found the back of the end zone for the eighth time this season. Ben Hoiland (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) then converted the extra point attempt, securing a 7-3 lead for St. Thomas. From that point on, the Tommies never looked back, as they outscored the Flyers 7-3 in the first quarter and 18-0 in the second to secure the 25-3 halftime lead.
Thanks to touchdowns by Colin Chase (Orange County, Calif. / St. John Bosco), Ryan Calcagno (St. Charles, Ill. / St. Francis) and a field goal by Hoiland, St. Thomas didn't have much to worry about in the second half. While the Tommies offense did not score in the third quarter, neither did Dayton, as the St. Thomas defense was absolutely stifling. In fact, the Tommies held the Flyers to just 28 net rush yards as a team and recorded three interceptions and one forced fumble in the contest. St. Thomas also did not allow Dayton to convert a single third down through the first 45 minutes of play, allowing the Tommies to enter the fourth and final quarter of the season with a 25-3 advantage.
Adbeyo scored his second touchdown less than a minute into the fourth quarter, extending the St. Thomas lead to 32-3 with 14 minutes remaining in regulation. While the Flyers managed to cut the lead to 32-9, the Tommies were simply too much to overcome. Thanks to a Rod Finley (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) interception, St. Thomas took over with 1:20 remaining, and Langston Robinson (Milwaukee, Wis. / Marquette) took a knee on the final play of his collegiate career, securing the 32-9 victory for the Tommies.
TOP TOMMIES
- Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) rushed for over 100 yards for the sixth time this season, as he closed the game with 123 yards on 22 careers and two touchdowns. The senior closes his St. Thomas career with 3020 career rushing yards, becoming the first running back in the DI era to eclipse both the 1000 and 2000 career yards threshold. According to available records, he ranks top-5 all-time in career yards at St. Thomas.
- Colin Chase (Orange County, Calif. / St. John Bosco) recorded his third 100+ receiving yard game this season, closing Saturday's contest with 101 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. Tak Tateoka (Waukeshak, Wis. / Waukesha South) threw for 136 yards, completing 12-21 passes, with one touchdown and one interception.
- Grif Wurtz (Chaska, Minn. / Chaska) led the team in tackles with eight Saturday afternoon, while Ryan Sever (Edina, Minn. / Benilde-St. Margaret's), Den Juette (Chicago, Ill. / Fenwick) and Rod Finley (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) were all credited with interceptions.
- Ryan Calcago (St. Charlies, Ill. / St. Francis) was credited with a fumble recovery and touchdown in the second quarter.
Team Stats
DAY 3, UST 0
DAY - Baker,Danny 24 yd field goal 5 plays, 12 yards, TOP 01:48
DAY 3, UST 7
UST - Adebayo,Hope 11 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 9 plays, 78 yards, TOP 04:39
DAY 3, UST 14
UST - Chase,Colin 42 yd pass from Tateoka,Tak (Hoiland,Ben kick) 5 plays, 50 yards, TOP 03:06
DAY 3, UST 22
UST - Calcagno,Ryan 34 yd fumble recovery (Wurtz,Grif rush)
DAY 3, UST 25
UST - Hoiland,Ben 31 yd field goal 4 plays, 5 yards, TOP 01:05
DAY 3, UST 32
UST - Adebayo,Hope 1 yd run (Huether,Elliot kick), 8 plays, 66 yards, TOP 03:52
DAY 9, UST 32
DAY - Coleman,Jake 13 yd pass from VanVleet,Drew () 7 plays, 70 yards, TOP 02:20
