Seconds into the fourth quarter Thursday night at St. Thomas’ O’Shaughnessy Stadium, it became clear to all on hand — friend and foe alike — that the Tommies were actually going to pull it off.
With the Tommies hosting the Lindenwood Lions in the season opener for both teams, the specter of a repeat of last season’s meeting between the teams — a 64-0 blowout by the Lions — hung in the air at kickoff.
But when Joseph Koch carried the ball into the end zone with just under 15 minutes to play, the Tommies were not only holding their own against their opponent from the Ohio Valley Conference, they were on their way to enjoying a rout of their own.
Koch’s touchdown made it a 28-13 game, and the Tommies cruised from there for a 35-13 victory.
The win marked the first time the Tommies have defeated a Division I team that offers athletic scholarships, and until Thursday night, the gulf between those who do and those who don’t seemed quite wide.
“It takes a lot to do what they did tonight,” Tommies head coach Glenn Caruso said of his team’s performance. “There was a lot of pain they had to go through to get there. I’m grateful that they were able to meet a challenge that seems daunting to most.
“And to be up for the task of doing their best, knowing that they can fail.”
Caruso said he never brought up last season’s score to the team in the weeks of preparation. But it was certainly on his mind.
“When you get beat like that — and it could have been a lot more than that — you don’t have to say or do much,” Caruso said. “That one’s branded in you forever.”
Junior safety Nick Hand was on the wrong end of that score last season, and said the game “was on everyone’s mind”, starting in fall camp, knowing Lindenwood was first up on the schedule.
“It was one of the most heart-wrenching losses I have ever suffered in my career,” Hand said. “It never left my mind that we had to make up for it by getting a win. This wasn’t just for us, it was also for the guys who went through it last year and aren’t here anymore.”
The Tommies got major contributions from numerous players on both sides of the ball, but no one stood taller than graduate transfer quarterback Andy Peters, who made the most of his first Division I start after transferring from NAIA College of Idaho.
Peters completed 11 of 18 passes for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also ran the ball seven times for 32 yards.
“I don’t think we can dismiss the efficiency that Andy played with,” Caruso said, “nor the coaching that (offensive coordinator and quarterback coach ) Jay MacIntyre did in getting him to play like that.”
Koch rushed for 154 yards on 18 carries. Quentin Cobb-Butler led the team with six receptions.
The game was tied 7-7 at halftime thanks to some missed opportunities by the Lindenwood. The Lions took the opening kickoff and moved 61 yards on nine plays to set up a 33-yard, field-goal attempt, but the kick was no good.
After stopping the Tommies on their first possession of the game, the Lions reached the Tommies’ 4-yard line only to come up empty on a field-goal attempt. A third field-goal attempt missed the mark from 37 yards out early in the second quarter.
St. Thomas broke the scoreless tie on its next possession. Peters connected with wide receiver Stefano Giovannelli on a 34-yard pass completion to set the Tommies up at the Lions’ 23-yard line.
After Pat Bowen rushed for four yards, Peters found tight end Patrick Wagner in the corner of the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown.
Lindenwood tied the game on its next possession. A 40-yard pass completion set the Lions up at the Tommies’ 1-yard line, and they pushed the ball across two plays later for the touchdown.
The Tommies took advantage of a short field at the start of the third quarter to take a 14-7 lead. A 21-yard pass from Peters to Tyson Schilling gave the Tommies a first down at the Lindenwood 25.
Facing a fourth-and-4 from the Lions’ 8-yard line, the Tommies lined up for a field goal. But Caruso called for the fake, and turned into a touchdown when Giovannelli ran the ball into the end zone.
Once again, the Lions responded with a touchdown of their own on the next possession, with quarterback Nate Glantz throwing a 45-yard touchdown pass, But the Lions missed the extra point.
The Tommies built their lead to 21-13 on their next possession. Peters and wide receiver JaShawn Todd connected on a 24-yard completion early in their drive and capped it off with a 16-yard touchdown pass.
The Tommies were in complete control from that point on.
As for the first win over a scholarship program, Caruso said it was one of the team’s goals.
“It’ a feather in these guys cap,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it.”
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