University of St. Thomas Athletics
4-1 , 1-0
San Diego
1-3 , 0-1
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| St. Thomas (MN) | 14 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 50 |
Tommies throttle Toreros in PFL opener
9/26/2026 5:48:00 PM | Football
ST. PAUL, MINN. — It was certainly a Homecoming to remember for the University of St. Thomas football team. The Tommies celebrated homecoming, and opened Pioneer Football League (PFL) play with a statement win, defeating conference favorite San Diego 50-17 at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. St. Thomas scored 22 unanswered points across three second-quarter scoring drives, moving the score from 14-7 to 36-7 before securing the 50-17 victory. The Tommies are now 4-1 overall and 1-0 in PFL play.
QUICK HITS:
- Sophomore quarterback Nick Peipert (Barrington, Ill. / Barrington) became the first quarterback in the DI era to record a passing touchdown, rushing touchdown and reception, all in the same half. He also threw for 200+ yards for the second consecutive game, throwing for 239 with three touchdowns.
- Gabriel Abel (Trenton, N.J. / Salisbury) ran for 100+ yards for the second straight week, tallying 148 total on 15 carries. He also recorded his fifth rushing touchdown of the season.
- Stefano Giovannelli (St. Louis Park, Minn. / St. Louis Park) put together a career day on the field, recording a career-high 110 receiving yards and a touchdown on two receptions. He also recorded one two-point conversion.
- Kyle Winchester (Atlanta, Ga. / Centennial) recorded his first interception of the season, a 38-yard pick six in the second quarter.
SCORING SUMMARY:
First Quarter: St. Thomas turned a fourth-down stop into an immediate score late in the first quarter, as Nash Tichy (Orono, Minn. / Orono) broke up San Diego's pass at the Tommies' 25 to force a Torero turnover on downs. Peipert hit Giovannelli for a 75-yard touchdown on the very next play, extending the St. Thomas lead to 14-0. Earlier, Peipert capped an 84-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Pierce McCrary (Cedar Rapids, Minn. / Kennedy), and Ben Hoiland (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) made both extra points. The Tommies finished the quarter with a 14-0 lead.
Second Quarter: After San Diego scored in the opening seconds of the second quarter, St. Thomas answered with 22 unanswered points, starting with Abel's 57-yard touchdown run at 14:17. Peipert added a 25-yard rushing touchdown, and Winchester returned an interception 38 yards for another score as the Tommies entered halftime with a 36-7 lead.
Third Quarter: St. Thomas fans were all too aware of what happened back in 2025 at the start of the first quarter. Last season, the Tommies led the Toreros 17-3 at the half and 27-10 midway through the third. However, San Diego scored 20 unanswered points in the closing seconds to win the game 30-27. That was simply not happening at O'Shaughnessy Stadium on Saturday. St. Thomas answered the Toreros opening third-quarter touchdown with a 63-yard drive, capped by Peipert's 17-yard touchdown pass to Eli Paulson (Ramsey, Minn. / Anoka). With a 43-14 lead, San Diego added a 30-yard field goal, but the Tommie defense forced a punt on the final possession of the quarter and carried a 43-17 advantage into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter: St. Thomas opened the fourth quarter with a 76-yard drive, capped by Peipert's 7-yard touchdown run and Aidan Macke's (St. Paul, Minn. / Cretin-Derham Hall) PAT for a 50-17 lead. The defense kept San Diego scoreless with two red-zone stops, including a fourth-and-14 incompletion at the Tommie 14. Brent Rowe (Henderson, Tenn. / Hendersonville) provided a key stop for the Tommies, halting a Torero drive deep in St. Thomas territory with 14 seconds on the clock. The Tommies then kneeled out the final seconds to clinch a 50-17 win.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
- Head coach Glenn Caruso improves to 14-4 and four all-time in conference openers as the Tommies head coach. He also avenges last year's disappointing 30-27 loss at San Diego, where the Tommies led 27-10 midway through the third quarter.
- Abel and Giovannelli became the second St. Thomas duo to record 100+ yard games. Abel closed Saturday's game with 148 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Giovannelli was credited with 110 receiving yards on two receptions. He also recorded a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
- The Tommies were credited with Totaled 304 rushing yards in the game, well above their season average of 142.5.
UP NEXT:
For the first time in forever, St. Thomas will play on the road. Up next, the Tommies travel to Clinton, South Carolina for a PFL showdown with Presbyterian. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, October 3.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
USD 0, UST 7
UST - McCrary,Pierce 4 yd pass from Peipert,Nicholas (Hoiland,Ben kick) 7 plays, 84 yards, TOP 03:01
USD 0, UST 14
UST - Giovannelli,Stefano 75 yd pass from Peipert,Nicholas (Hoiland,Ben kick) 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:11
USD 7, UST 21
UST - Abel,Gabriel 57 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 2 plays, 68 yards, TOP 00:31
USD 7, UST 28
UST - Peipert,Nicholas 25 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 5 plays, 40 yards, TOP 01:56
USD 7, UST 36
UST - Winchester,Kyle 38 yd interception (Giovannelli,Stefano rush)
USD 14, UST 36
USD - Nankil,Dom 16 yd run (Salazar,Emiliano kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:14
USD 14, UST 43
UST - Paulson,Eli 17 yd pass from Peipert,Nicholas (Hoiland,Ben kick) 5 plays, 63 yards, TOP 02:06
USD 17, UST 43
USD - Salazar,Emiliano 30 yd field goal 9 plays, 53 yards, TOP 03:30
USD 17, UST 50
UST - Peipert,Nicholas 7 yd run (Macke,Aidan kick), 7 plays, 76 yards, TOP 04:51
