Tommies drop tight battle at San Diego

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – The University of St. Thomas football team opened the 2025 Pioneer Football League (PFL) season at the University of San Diego on Saturday afternoon. The Tommies played a strong first half, heading into the locker room with a 17-3 lead and extending it to 27-10 midway through the third quarter. However, St. Thomas was unable to leave California with a victory, as San Diego mounted a fourth-quarter comeback to secure a 30-27 win. With the loss, St. Thomas drops to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in PFL play.

QUICK HITS:

St. Thomas built a 17-3 halftime lead behind a strong defensive effort and timely offense. The Tommies held San Diego to just 63 first-quarter yards and forced a fumble to set the tone early.
Ben Hoiland (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) opened the scoring with a 44-yard field goal.
Quarterback Andy Peters (Boise, Idaho / Timberline) connected with Quentin Cobb-Butler (Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury) for touchdown passes of 12 and 51 yards in the second quarter to give St. Thomas control heading into the break.
San Diego opened the second half with a touchdown drive, but the Tommies quickly answered to regain a 24-10 advantage.
The Toreros outscored St. Thomas 20-3 in the final 20 minutes to complete the comeback and secure the win.

SCORING SUMMARY:
First Quarter: St. Thomas managed just 35 offensive yards in the opening quarter, but the defense stepped up by forcing a fumble—recovered by Jordan Pendleton (Memphis, Tenn. / Lausanne Collegiate School)—to keep San Diego in check. A 44-yard field goal by Ben Hoiland gave the Tommies a 3-0 lead late in the frame.

Second Quarter: San Diego tied the game at 3-3 on its first possession of the quarter, but the Tommies responded with two touchdowns. Andy Peters hit Quentin Cobb-Butler for scores of 12 and 51 yards, giving St. Thomas a 17-3 halftime lead.

Third Quarter: San Diego cut the deficit to 17-10 early in the third, but Peters responded with a 53-yard rushing touchdown—his first of the season—capping a 79-yard drive. A blocked punt later set up another 44-yard field goal from Hoiland, extending the lead to 27-10. The Toreros, however, mounted a late push with two touchdowns in the final five minutes of the quarter to close the gap to 27-24.

Fourth Quarter: The Tommie defense held strong for much of the final quarter, but two late San Diego drives shifted the momentum. The Toreros tied the game with 1:52 remaining and then kicked a last-second field goal to complete the comeback and claim a 30-27 win.

TOMMIE TIDBITS:

Quentin Cobb-Butler (Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury) became the first Tommie wide receiver to record 100+ receiving yards in a game since Colin Chase. He hit the milestone in the first half, posting 103 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions. He finished with 132 yards on six catches.
Andy Peters (Boise, Idaho / Timberline) threw for over 200 yards for the third straight game, becoming the first quarterback in St. Thomas' Division I era to achieve that feat.
Defensively, Ryan Sever (Edina, Minn. / Benilde-St. Margaret) led the team with nine tackles, while Jordan Pendleton (Memphis, Tenn. / Lausanne Collegiate School) added seven tackles and two tackles for loss.

UP NEXT:
The Tommies return to action at O'Shaughnessy Stadium on Saturday, October 4, as they host Butler University for Homecoming. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in St. Paul, Minnesota. Tickets are still available at www.tommiesports.com/tickets

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Team Stats

Andy Peters

Gabriel Abel

Players Mentioned

Colin Chase

Quentin Cobb-Butler

Ben Hoiland

Jordan Pendleton

Andy Peters

Ryan Sever

University of St. Thomas Athletics