A case can be made that St. Thomas’ opening Pioneer Football League game against the Stetson Hatters on Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium was won in the first quarter.

It also wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the Tommies spent the remainder of the afternoon doing just enough things right, as a 28-0 lead to turn into a 34-24 victory.

Coach Glenn Caruso entered the game looking for consistency from a team that lost three of its first round games, and it proved elusive for at least another week despite the win.

“Playing well is the ultimate goal,” Caruso said. “If we do that, the scoreboard takes care of itself.

“Simple answer: Yes, we have to be more consistent.”

Special teams and defense led the early charge with blocked punts on Stetson’s first two possessions and a pair of interceptions. The Tommies’ defense held Stetson to 56 yards of
offense in the first half, and the rout appeared to be on as St. Thomas took a 31-3 into halftime.

But the Hatters made a game of it from that point on, finishing with 304 yards of total offense to the Tommies’ 216.

“We had a tougher time stopping them on defense in the second half,” Caruso said. “What we did well in the first half was change the quarterback’s internal clock a little bit. I think at halftime, they were able to get him reset. After then he placed some nice balls.

“They attacked us vertically, and our pass rush didn’t get home as much. They did a nice job to go on two extended drives to get within 14 points.”

The Tommies’ offense continued to appear out of sync, although it was buoyed by the return from injury by Hope Adebayo, who rushed for 95 yards on 19 carries.

“You just have to keep doing the little things,” Adebayo said, when asked what the offense needs to do to get going. “We’re working on that, and we’ll get it figured out. We’re thankful for how the defense and special teams played today, but, yeah, we will get it figured out.

“That’s a must.”

Tak Tateoka started at quarterback for the Tommies. Michael Rostberg replaced him in the third quarter but left in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a lower-leg injury. Tateoka finished 7 for 17 for 66 yards while also rushing for 41 yards. Rostberg missed on all three of his pass attempts and was sacked three times.

Caruso said the quarterback play again was inconsistent, as he went on to detail three throws in the first half when open receivers were missed.

“When you talk about consistency, that’s where it has to start,” Caruso said. “Just simply doing the routine things routinely. It’s going to be really tough sledding if we’re going to have to
continue to manufacture ways to win like this.

“You’re not going to count on three non-offensive touchdowns.”

They certainly were welcome on Saturday. Matt Guggemos blocked the first punt at the Stetson 11-yard line and fell on the ball in the end zone.

Logan Cassady blocked the second one at the Stetson 34 and ran the ball in for the score.

The Hatters’ third possession of the game ended on an interception by Guggemos, giving the Tommies the ball at the Stetson 22. A 12-yard touchdown run by Adebayo gave the Tommies a 21-0 lead.

The defense got on the board before the end of the first quarter when safety Ryan Calcagno returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown.

Caruso acknowledged that the coaches saw something on tape that gave them reason to believe that the Tommies could get to the Hatters’ punter.

“The thing that was beautiful about the first punt block was that a formation that was not their normal punt,” Caruso said. “I loved that our guys didn’t panic, stuck with their base rules and getting off the ball.

“The other things is that they didn’t come from the same area; one was from the kicker’s right and one came from the kicker’s back side. It’s nice to bring pressure from different places.”

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The Gophers football program will have a double dip into the newly expanded Big Ten Conference over a two-week span.

After their first conference home game against Southern Cal on Saturday, the U will travel to the Rose Bowl Stadium to face UCLA next Saturday.

The Gophers won’t face Oregon or Washington this season, but those former Pac-12 teams are coming soon. The conference shared a year ago each team’s future opponents and locations through the 2028 season, but not the future dates for those games.

In 2025, the U will play the Ducks at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. Minnesota last played in Oregon against Oregon State in 2018.

In 2026, the Gophers will play Washington at Husky Stadium and on the banks of Lake Washington in Seattle. The U will also host UCLA at Huntington Bank Stadium.

In 2027, the Gophers head back out to Los Angeles, but this time against the Trojans at L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The U will host Washington in Minneapolis that year, too.

In 2028, the Gophers will host Oregon and again visit the Rose Bowl Stadium to play UCLA.

The Gophers’ athletics department is anticipating a big crowd in Pasadena, Calif., next weekend, possibly in excess of 10,000. The Gophers estimated 8,000-10,000 fans were in Boulder, Colo., for a 30-0 win over Colorado in September 2021 and roughly 6,000-8,000 fans in Chapel, Hill, N.C., for the 31-13 loss to North Carolina in September 2023.

Legacy offers

The Gophers offered a scholarship Saturday to Daylen Sharper, the son of former Vikings and Packers safety Darren Sharper, and Devin Fitzgerald, the son of former Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald of Minneapolis.

“Excited to be heading back home today to Minnesota for a game day visit at the University of Minnesota!” Sharper wrote on X.

Daylen is a three-star receiver out of Phoenix; he has offers from Wisconsin, Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State, Iowa State and others. Devin is a three-star receiver in Phoenix; he has offers from Washington State and Pittsburgh, where his father attended college.

Helping O’Brien

With former Gophers placeholder Casey O’Brien in the throes of another cancer fight, his former team wore Team One Four Fund lapel pins on their suits to bring attention to fundraising for cancer research.

“Love ya @caseyob14!!” coach P.J. Fleck posted on X.

Brutal, Bruins

Before facing Minnesota next week, UCLA (1-4, 0-3 Big Ten) ended a nearly 10-quarter drought without an offensive touchdown by finally scoring a TD with 16 seconds left in a 27-11 loss to No. 7 Penn State on Saturday.

The Bruins did not score a TD across the second half of a 37-17 loss to No. 16 LSU two weeks ago and throughout a 34-13 defeat to No. 8 Oregon last week.

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The Gophers defense will continue to be affected by injuries in the USC game at Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday night.

Cornerback Justin Walley was upgraded to questionable on the team’s unavailable list. After missing the last two games with a knee injury, Walley’s return would be huge against the Trojans’ potent passing game.

Linebacker Maverick Baranowski is listed as out; he leads the team with 36 tackles in all five games. Devon Williams is expected to make his first start after playing in the first five games.

Defensive tackle Jalen Logan-Redding is listed as questionable but is doubtful to play against Trojans. If Logan-Redding can’t play, the Gophers defensive line could move some players around, possibly Anthony Smith and Darnell Jefferies.

Tight end Pierce Walsh remained listed as out. He will miss the first half of the season. Tight end Jameson Geers, who was listed as questionable last week, was not listed on report after playing five snaps against Michigan last week.

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Jakub Lauko is an interesting cat, so it’s difficult to know where to begin when discussing the Wild’s new winger.

Do you start with his love of cinema? The young Czechian was at a film festival with friends in Prague when he learned he had been traded from Boston to Minnesota this summer. Or is it his obsession with fantasy fiction, the reason for a left arm covered in impressive tattoos of his favorite characters?

“A little fantasy sleeve,” he called it.

Then there is his love of grapes, which sounds fairly mundane but is so pervasive that he earned the nickname “Grapes” for sharing his favorite intermission snack with Bruins teammates last season.

Now in St. Paul, he noted, “I might become the grape dealer again.”

The reason we already know so much about Lauko? He’s demanded attention by making his presence felt in training camp and preseason games as the Wild prepare for Thursday’s regular-season opener against Columbus on Thursday at Xcel Energy Center.

“He’s been very consistent. I think that would be the word for it,” coach John Hynes said this week. “He’s impacting the game the same way every time; with his speed, he’s been able to score for us, but he’s put himself in good situations to be able to do it.”

In four preseason games, including Friday’s 6-1 victory at Chicago in the preseason finale, Lauko has three goals and an assist and helped solidify what has been a productive fourth line with rookie center Marat Khusnutdinov and veteran wing Freddy Gaudreau.

That set him apart competitively with several forwards hoping to earn a spot with the NHL club in camp, and his personality and interests — and willingness to talk about it — has set him apart from all of his new teammates. One topic in particular puts that into stark relief, and it’s not the movies, books or grapes.

“It should be pushed for everyone,” Lauko said after a practice on Thursday at TRIA Rink, “to wear a neck guard.”

Lauko is the first Wild player to wear the cut-proof protective gear that has yet to catch on at the NHL level, even in the wake of Adam Johnson’s death from a cut suffered during a professional game in England last fall, which prompted the IIHF and AHL to make them mandatory starting this fall.

Neck laceration protection also is mandated in Minnesota youth hockey under the auspices of USA Hockey.

On Oct. 24 last fall, an opponent’s skate got under Lauko’s visor in Chicago and hit him hard above the bridge of his nose, fracturing his skull in four places and missing his left eye by centimeters. In the immediate aftermath, Lauko wasn’t sure that was the case.

“There was so much blood I couldn’t see,” he said.

Lauko clearly doesn’t love talking about it — “I was freaking out. I was scared, too,” he said — but he does.

Four days later, Johnson died after being injured in a game between his Nottingham team and Sheffield in England’s top professional league. That tragedy hasn’t convinced many NHL players to wear protective neck gear. But after learning first-hand how dangerous a skate blade can be, Lauko didn’t have to think twice.

A post from Lauko’s social media account on x.com shows how close the young forward came to losing an eye.

“I know someone said (the guard) is uncomfortable and you get hot. It took me three practices to get used to it, then I was fine to play with it,” Lauko said. “It’s better to have something there; it’s the most vulnerable spot on your body, especially when the blades, they’re so sharp. It can slice you pretty quick. I’m wearing those cut-proof wrist guards, too.”

The NHL and its players union would have to work together to mandate the use of any protective gear. Visors didn’t become mandatory until 2013.

“The joint NHL/NHLPA Protective Equipment Subcommittee provides education to players and teams regarding cut-resistant equipment that is available to them,” said Jonathan Weatherdon of the NHLPA. “The NHLPA focuses on making sure players have the necessary information to make informed choices about their equipment.”

Lauko, in true hockey fashion, returned to the ice on Nov. 11, 18 days after he was hurt, wearing a full cage on his helmet for the better part of two months. His next injury happened in the playoffs when he broke a foot blocking a shot in the closing seconds of playoff win. He returned from that to play five more postseason games.

The neck guard hasn’t stopped Lauko from having one of the best camps of any Wild player this fall.

“I mean, you’ll get used to it,” he said. “I just don’t want to risk it anymore.”

Briefly

The Wild reassigned defenseman Daemon Hunt to Iowa and placed forward Ben Jones on waivers for the purpose of sending him to Des Moines, cutting the roster to 27. The NHL deadline to cut to 23 is Monday at 4 p.m. CDT.

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