University of St. Thomas Athletics
8-3 , 5-2
Drake
3-8 , 3-5
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drake | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 35 |
| St. Thomas (MN) | 27 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 55 |
11/14/2026 6:45:00 PM | Football
ST. PAUL, MINN. — The University of St. Thomas football team found the perfect way to honor its 15 seniors on a chilly Saturday at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. The Tommies beat their Pioneer Football League (PFL) rival Drake 55-35 on Senior Day, keeping their hopes for a conference title alive. St. Thomas closed the game with 269 rushing yards and eight total touchdowns, improving to 8-3 overall and 5-2 in PFL play.
QUICK HITS:
- Joseph Koch (Menomonee Falls, Wis. / Menomonee Falls) put up monster numbers on Saturday, becoming the first Tommie to rush for over 200 yards since Hope Adebayo in 2024. Koch rushed for 243 yards on a DI record 32 carries with five touchdowns, accounting for 35 of St. Thomas' 55 points.
- Anthony Policare (Endwell, N.Y. / Maine-Endwell) threw for a career and season-high 283 yards on Saturday, completing 12 of 20 passes with two touchdowns and one interception. Policare also rushed for a touchdown in the in.
- Policare and Koch are the first Tommie duo with 200 rushing and 200 passing yards in the same game in the DI era, according to available records.
SCORING SUMMARY:
First Quarter: The Tommies took control of the first quarter with four touchdown drives, building a 27-0 lead while holding Drake to zero first downs. Koch capped the opening 50-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, and after a Sam Shaughnessy (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) interception led to an 80-yard touchdown pass from Policare to Quentin Cobb-Butler (Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury), the longest pass of the season for St. Thomas. Policare added a 69-yard touchdown pass to AJ Boarman (Minneapolis, Minn. / Academy of Holy Angels) and later finished an 81-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring run to secure a 27-0 lead for the Tommies.
Second Quarter: St. Thomas opened the second quarter by turning Policare's 40-yard completion to Chase Williamson (Highwood, Ill. / Loyola Academy) into a 1-yard Koch touchdown run and a 34-0 lead. The Bulldogs answered with a touchdown and a late threat, but Preston Franklin's (Kansas City, Mo. / Liberty) late pass breakup held Drake at bay, allowing the Tommies to walk into the locker room with a 34-7 halftime lead.
Third Quarter: St. Thomas defense supplied the key third-quarter moments, with Franklin tallying two interceptions, and Shaughnessy recovering a fumble at the Drake 23. Koch turned the turnover into Tommie points with a 23-yard touchdown run, and Ben Hoiland's (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) extra point made it 41-7 with 4:48 remaining in the quarter. The Bulldogs answered with a touchdown in the final minute, but St. Thomas led 41-14 at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter: Drake outscored the Tommies 21-14 in the fourth, but it was no harm, no foul for the home team. Koch scored his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the game in the fourth quarter, the latter coming after the Bulldogs whittled the lead to 48-35 with roughly five minutes to go. The defense came up clutch in the closing five minutes, and St. Thomas converted on a key fourth down in the final minute to secure the 55-35 win.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
- St. Thomas concluded its home schedule with a pristine 7-0 record at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. It's the Tommies first perfect record at home since 2023 and the first time the team has won 7+ games at home since 2016.
- Policare and Koch are the first Tommie duo with 200 rushing and 200 passing yards in the same game in the DI era, according to available records.
- In addition to breaking the DI era record for single-game rushing touchdowns, Koch broke Shawn Shipman's record for single-game carries, tallying 32 total in the game. He is also the second Tommie with 5+ total touchdowns this season, joining Nick Peipert (Barrington, Ill. / Barrington), who threw for four TDs and rushed for two in a win over Stetson earlier this season.
UP NEXT:
Up next, St. Thomas will travel to Valparaiso, Indiana for its final game of the regular season. The Tommies and Beacons will kick off at 1:00 p.m. CT. With a St. Thomas win and losses by Butler and Dayton, the Tommies will win a share of the PFL title.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
DRA 0, UST 7
UST - Koch,Joseph 10 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 5 plays, 50 yards, TOP 01:54
DRA 0, UST 13
UST - Cobb-Butler,Quentin 80 yd pass from Policare,Anthony () 4 plays, 95 yards, TOP 02:07
DRA 0, UST 20
UST - Boarman,Aaron 69 yd pass from Policare,Anthony (Hoiland,Ben kick) 2 plays, 71 yards, TOP 00:49
DRA 0, UST 27
UST - Policare,Anthony 1 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 9 plays, 81 yards, TOP 03:56
DRA 0, UST 34
UST - Koch,Joseph 1 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 4 plays, 49 yards, TOP 02:03
DRA 7, UST 34
DRA - Blicharz,Cody 1 yd run (Kollhoff,Griffin kick), 7 plays, 76 yards, TOP 02:22
DRA 7, UST 41
UST - Koch,Joseph 23 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 1 plays, 23 yards, TOP 00:06
DRA 14, UST 41
DRA - Foley,Hank 8 yd pass from Warzynski,Riley (Kollhoff,Griffin kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:51
DRA 21, UST 41
DRA - DeLaere,Lincoln 7 yd pass from Warzynski,Riley (Kollhoff,Griffin kick) 5 plays, 54 yards, TOP 00:59
DRA 21, UST 48
UST - Koch,Joseph 9 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 5 plays, 36 yards, TOP 02:12
DRA 28, UST 48
DRA - Fidone,Lucci 93 yd kickoff return (Kollhoff,Griffin kick)
DRA 35, UST 48
DRA - DeLaere,Lincoln 12 yd pass from Warzynski,Riley (Kollhoff,Griffin kick) 11 plays, 99 yards, TOP 03:10
DRA 35, UST 55
UST - Koch,Joseph 5 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 5 plays, 40 yards, TOP 02:30
