University of St. Thomas Athletics
2-1 , 0-0
Northern Michigan
0-3 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Mich. | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| St. Thomas (MN) | 15 | 20 | 0 | 21 | 56 |
Tommies tame Wildcats in 56-14 win
9/12/2026 6:23:00 PM | Football
ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of St. Thomas football team is back to its winning ways. The Tommies defeated Northern Michigan University 56-14 on a beautiful Saturday at O'Shaughnessy Stadium, dominating in every facet of the game. The win bolsters the St. Thomas record to 2-1 entering its final nonconference game against (RV) Southern Utah.
QUICK HITS:
- ·Sophomore quarterback Nick Peipert (Barrington, Ill. / Barrington) made his first career start at the position, throwing for 270 yards with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. He is the first Tommie quarterback to throw for over 200 yards in his first collegiate start in the DI era.
- Jack Wallace (Iowa City, Iowa / West) made his first appearance at quarterback for St. Thomas, throwing for 41 yards with one touchdown. The sophomore was converted to a tight end during the offseason but was recruited out of high school as a QB.
- Gabe Abel (Trenton, N.J. / Salisbury) scored a career-high three touchdowns in Saturday's win, accounting for 18 of the Tommies 56 points. Ben Hoiland (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) also converted a 49-yard field goal in the second quarter, the longest of his career.
- Nash Tichy (Orono, Minn. / Orono) led St. Thomas with 10 tackles, while Evan Tyler (Hudson, Wis. / Hudson) tallied five total tackles, including one sack, with one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
- Roughly 60 Tommies saw action in Saturday's game, the most so far this season for St. Thomas.
SCORING SUMMARY:
First Quarter: St. Thomas opened the first quarter with a 10-play, 65-yard drive capped by Abel's 14-yard touchdown run to take an early 7-0 lead. Just moments later, the Tommies added another six points, as Peipert's found Stefano Giovannelli (St. Louis Park, Minn. / St. Louis Park) for the team's second touchdown of the game. Noah Long's (Liberty Hill, Texas / Liberty Hill) two-point conversion rush give St. Thomas a 15-0 lead just seven minutes into regulation. Still, the Wildcats scored late on a 30-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Tommies lead to 15-7 at the end of the quarter.
Second Quarter: St. Thomas outscored Northern Michigan 20-0 in the second quarter, with the defense forcing two fumbles and the offense turning the second into a quick touchdown. Walker Owens (Wheaton, Ill. / North) forced a fumble that Malachi Boadi-Aboagye (Mound, Minn. / Minnetonka) recovered, eventually turning into the Tommies third touchdown of the day. Two field goals from Hoiland allowed St. Thomas to close the quarter ahead 35-7.
Third Quarter: St. Thomas was held scoreless in the third quarter, and the Wildcats scored the lone touchdown of the quarter to make it 35-14. The Tommies answered by moving from midfield to the Northern Michigan 8, capped by Peipert's 32-yard completion to Pierce McCrary (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy) as the quarter ended.
Fourth Quarter: The Tommies scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, starting with Abel's third touchdown run of the game. Another Wildcat turnover resulted in another St. Thomas touchdown, this time to junior wide receiver Quentin Cobb-Butler (Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury). Wallace added a 17-yard scoring pass to Owen Lyons (Evergreen Park, Ill. / Brother Rice), cementing the Tommies 56-14 win.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
- The Tommies scored 50+ points at O'Shaughnessy Stadium for the first time since Oct. 18, 2025. The Tommies defeated Valparaiso 55-17 in their third consecutive 50+ point performance.
- This game marks the first since the 2019 season the Tommies have scored 50+ points at O'Shaughnessy Stadium vs. a nonconference opponent. It last occurred on Sept. 7, 2019, when the Tommies put up 69 against Trinity International.
UP NEXT:
St. Thomas will return to O'Shaughnessy Stadium to host (RV) Southern Utah in the second of three consecutive home games. Kickoff against the Thunderbirds is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT. in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
NMU 0, UST 7
UST - Abel,Gabriel 14 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 10 plays, 65 yards, TOP 04:08
NMU 0, UST 15
UST - Giovannelli,Stefano 26 yd pass from Peipert,Nicholas (Long,Noah rush) 4 plays, 53 yards, TOP 01:08
NMU 7, UST 15
NMU - Ptacek,Wilson 30 yd pass from Shovald,Duke (McLinden,Sawyer kick) 7 plays, 72 yards, TOP 03:37
NMU 7, UST 22
UST - Abel,Gabriel 4 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 9 plays, 77 yards, TOP 03:39
NMU 7, UST 29
UST - Peipert,Nicholas 9 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 2 plays, 35 yards, TOP 00:26
NMU 7, UST 32
UST - Hoiland,Ben 33 yd field goal 7 plays, 46 yards, TOP 01:27
NMU 7, UST 35
UST - Hoiland,Ben 50 yd field goal 7 plays, 14 yards, TOP 01:02
NMU 14, UST 35
NMU - Ptacek,Wilson 27 yd pass from Oczkowski,Liam (McLinden,Sawyer kick) 10 plays, 88 yards, TOP 06:27
NMU 14, UST 42
UST - Abel,Gabriel 8 yd run (Macke,Aidan kick), 5 plays, 50 yards, TOP 02:28
NMU 14, UST 49
UST - Cobb-Butler,Quentin 32 yd pass from Peipert,Nicholas (Macke,Aidan kick) 4 plays, 48 yards, TOP 01:42
NMU 14, UST 56
UST - Lyons,Owen 17 yd pass from Wallace,Jack (Hoiland,Ben kick) 8 plays, 57 yards, TOP 03:18
