The Marist Red Foxes became the latest opponent to experience a St. Thomas tidal wave on Saturday afternoon at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
Getting contributions from all three phases of the game, the Tommies, who entered the game having scored 50 or more points in each of their past three games, won the turnover battle 5-0 and the game, 45-0.
“We played well in all three phases,” St. Thomas head coach Glenn Caruso said, “but when there’s s a zero up there at the end of the game that’s something special. Creating turnovers was big, but so was stopping the run and putting pressure on the quarterback.”
Given good field position on a number of occasions, the offense took full advantage. The Tommies have now outscored their opponents 209-40 during their four-game winning streak.
Quarterback Andy Peters continued his stellar play, completing 14 of 19 passes for 248 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and rushing for three more scores.
“He’s been an absolute godsend,” Caruso said of the graduate transfer. “It starts with Andy and the work he’s putting in. But I think the way he is progressing is directly correlated to what Coach (Jay) McIntyre and the offensive staff has been doing with him.”
The Tommies dominated the game from the start. After stopping Marist on fourth down at its own 38-yard line on the Red Foxes’ first possession, the Tommies struck quickly. Peters connected with wide receiver Quentin Cobb-Butler on a 38-yard touchdown pass on first down for an early 7-0 lead.
Forced to punt on its next possession, St. Thomas got the ball back at the Marist 16 when they recovered the ball after it hit a Marist player. Facing a fourth-and-7, Peters ran up the middle to the 2-yard line for a first down.
Peters carried the ball into the end zone on the next play, and a two-point conversion gave the Tommies a 15-0 lead.
A Nick Hand interception midway through the second quarter set the Tommies up at the Marist 36. A 1-yard run by Peters capped the drive for a 21-0 lead.
The Tommies’ fourth forced turnover of the first half — an interception by safety Rod Finley deep in St. Thomas territory— led to another touchdown drive. It ended with Peters’ third 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Tommies a 28-0 lead.
The added another touchdown in the closing seconds of the first half when Peters connected with tight end Luke Schuler on a 7-yard touchdown pass.
The win kept the Tommies’ hopes of winning the Pioneer Football League alive as they improved to 4-2 league play and 6-3 overall. It also sets up a crucial game at Drake next Saturday. The league-leading Bulldogs improved to 5-0 on Saturday with a win over Butler.
“Coach Caruso always talks about how we have to go 1-0 every single week,” said Tommies senior linebacker Jordan Pendelton. “This next game is the most important at the time, and we’re not going to look forward to anything that is not next week.
“We’re going go keep the pressure, keep the faith in our coaches’ game plan and go in and execute.”
Briefly
Starting left tackle Jason Laliberte, the anchor of the Tommies’ offensive line, sustained a right arm injury late in the first quarter and did not return. He spent the majority of the remainder of the first half in the injury tent, and was consoled by teammates when he exited the tent. … Caruso coached his 200th game for the Tommies. He improved to 37-16 on the Division I level.
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