University of St. Thomas Athletics
1-1 , 0-0
North Dakota
2-0 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas (MN) | 0 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| North Dakota | 20 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 62 |
#8/9 North Dakota hands Tommies first loss of 2026
9/5/2026 7:28:00 PM | Football
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The University of St. Thomas football faced its first ranked opponent of 2026. The Tommies traveled to Grand Forks, North Dakota, to take on the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in the 60th Annual Potato Bowl USA. Walking away with a victory would be no small potatoes for St. Thomas, which fell to its hosts by a final score 62-26. With the loss, the Tommies are now 1-1 on the season.
QUICK HITS:
- Malachi Boadi-Aboagye (Mound, Minn. / Minnetonka) recorded the first touchdown of his collegiate career thanks to a 74-yard pick-six in the second quarter. The St. Thomas defense also set up the Tommies first field goal of the day thanks to a forced fumble by Rod Finley (Farmington, Minn. / Farmington) recovered by Nash Tichy (Orono, Minn. / Orono).
- Ben Hoiland (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) was 2-2 on field goal attempts, converting from 39 and 41 yards in the first half.
- Nick Peipert (Barrington, Ill. / Barrington) made his collegiate debut in the third quarter of Saturday's game and connected with Patrick Wagner (Crofton, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) for the first touchdown of his St. Thomas career.
- Will Carlson (Glenview, Ill. / Loyola Academy) recorded the first interception of his career in the third quarter, setting up Wagner's TD.
SCORING SUMMARY:
First Quarter: The Tommies fell behind early, as the Fighting Hawks scored 20 unanswered points in the first quarters. However, there were bright spots for St. Thomas, as Anthony Policare (Endwell, N.Y. / Maine-Endwell) completed seven passes for 80 yards, including a 25-yard gain to Quentin Cobb-Butler (Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury). However, penalties proved costly for the Tommies, as they were unable to capitalized on their offensive chances.
Second Quarter: St. Thomas' second-quarter points came largely from defense and special teams, highlighted by Boadi-Aboagye's 74-yard interception return for a touchdown. Hoiland converted two field goals of 49 and 40 yards, the first following Finley's forced fumble and Tichy's recovery. The second field goal was converted after Mordecai Ford's (Toms River, N.J., / Toms River North) 59-yard kickoff return and a North Dakota personal foul. The Fighting Hawks, though, scored three passing touchdowns in the second quarter, including one with 24 seconds left, and the Tommies entered halftime down 41-12.
Third Quarter: In the third quarter, St. Thomas turned Carlson's interception into irs only points of the quarter. Peipert hit Wagner for a 27-yard touchdown, and Ben Hoiland's PAT made it 48-19.
Fourth Quarter: In the fourth quarter, the Tommies answered North Dakota's early touchdown with a four-play, 75-yard drive. Peipert hit Stefano Giovannelli (St. Louis Park, Minn. / St. Louis Park) for 55 yards to the 1 before Noah Long (Liberty Hill, Texas / Liberty Hill) scored from a yard out. St. Thomas' final drive reached the North Dakota 16 before a fourth-down incompletion ended it, resulting in the 62-26 final.
TOMMIE TIDBITS
- The Tommies scored 20+ points against a Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) opponent for the first time in the DI era. St. Thomas' previous high against a team from the prestigious football conference was 10 points, which it scored in a near upset of (RV) Northern Iowa at O'Shaughnessy Stadium.
- Boadi-Aboagye's 74-yard interception return is the longest pick-six of the DI era for the Tommies, according to available records.
UP NEXT:
St. Thomas will return to O'Shaughnessy Stadium to host Northern Michigan in the first of three consecutive home games. Kickoff against the Wildcats is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT. in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
UST 0, UND 7
UND - Dixon,Avery 34 yd interception (Laughman,Kenten kick)
UST 0, UND 14
UND - Tai,Korey 8 yd pass from Kaminski,Jerry (Laughman,Kenten kick) 10 plays, 95 yards, TOP 04:25
UST 0, UND 20
UND - Deng,Deng 6 yd pass from Kaminski,Jerry () 5 plays, 52 yards, TOP 02:03
UST 0, UND 27
UND - South,Mason 5 yd pass from Kaminski,Jerry (Laughman,Kenten kick) 5 plays, 69 yards, TOP 02:03
UST 3, UND 27
UST - Hoiland,Ben 49 yd field goal 4 plays, 2 yards, TOP 00:52
UST 3, UND 34
UND - Tai,Korey 11 yd pass from Kaminski,Jerry (Laughman,Kenten kick) 5 plays, 74 yards, TOP 01:52
UST 9, UND 34
UST - Boadi-Aboagye,Malachi 74 yd interception ()
UST 9, UND 41
UND - Strandell,Sam 6 yd pass from Kaminski,Jerry (Laughman,Kenten kick) 13 plays, 60 yards, TOP 04:12
UST 12, UND 41
UST - Hoiland,Ben 40 yd field goal 3 plays, yards, TOP 00:15
UST 12, UND 48
UND - Langama,Charles 15 yd run (Laughman,Kenten kick), 10 plays, 72 yards, TOP 05:17
UST 19, UND 48
UST - Wagner,Patrick 27 yd pass from Peipert,Nicholas (Hoiland,Ben kick) 1 plays, 27 yards, TOP 00:06
UST 19, UND 55
UND - Broderick,Griffin 1 yd run (Laughman,Kenten kick), 10 plays, 47 yards, TOP 04:42
UST 26, UND 55
UST - Long,Noah 1 yd run (Hoiland,Ben kick), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:49
UST 26, UND 62
UND - Tupou'ata-Johnson,Javance 1 yd run (Laughman,Kenten kick), 6 plays, 44 yards, TOP 02:21
