ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Offensive penalties, a slippery field and ball and the undefeated St. Thomas football team all opposed the Bethel Royals in a 27-6 Tommie victory in the rain Saturday at Royal Stadium.
MIAC STANDINGS
| St. Thomas | 6-0 | 8-0 |
| St. John’s | 5-1 | 7-1 |
| Concordia | 5-1 | 6-2 |
| Hamline | 3-3 | 5-3 |
| Bethel | 3-3 | 3-5 |
| Gustavus | 2-4 | 4-4 |
| Augsburg | 2-5 | 2-7 |
| St. Olaf | 1-5 | 2-6 |
| Carleton | 1-6 | 1-8 |
SATURDAY’S SCORES
- St. Thomas 27, Bethel 6
- Concordia 40, Carleton 3
- Gustavus 23, St. Olaf 3
- Hamline 35, Augsburg 14
NEXT WEEK
- St. Thomas at Gustavus
- Concordia at St. Olaf
- Hamline at St. John’s
- Bethel at Augsburg
St. Thomas (6-0 MIAC, 8-0 overall) had a 7-0 lead over Bethel University (3-3 MIAC, 3-5 overall) at halftime. Wide receiver Nick Waldvogel ran 44 yards on a pass from quarterback Alex Fenske for the game’s first touchdown. With his touchdown, Waldvogel reached 200 points as a Tommie.
Head coach Glenn Caruso said he was disappointed in the low-scoring first half, but not discouraged.
“It was just about staying the course and working the process,” Caruso said. “We understand that it isn’t just the scores that make you feel like you’re doing well, it’s moving the ball.”
The Tommie offense turned things around when wide receiver Joe Reed added to the Tommies’ score in the third quarter with a 74-yard touchdown run.
Running back Tucker Trettel starred in the fourth quarter, rushing one yard for a touchdown and then 92 yards to cap off the game.
Trettel said the team’s halftime recharge helped improve his offense in the second half.
“At halftime, we just kinda reset and came out and ran our game plan,” Trettel said about the offensive improvement, “and that’s all we changed.”
Caruso added that offensive changes were necessary across the board after the first half.
“This is probably the most adjustments we’ve made on the offensive side in a game all year long,” Caruso said.
The Tommies held the Royals scoreless in the first three quarters, but Bethel wide receiver Bryce Marquardt found a hole early in the fourth quarter and ran 23 yards for the team’s first touchdown.
The Royals reached the end zone on two additional drives — once in the first quarter and once in the fourth — but both were deemed no good for offensive penalties.
Bethel also struggled with the weather throughout the game, most notably when wide receiver Jon Pytlak’s lost the slippery ball as he reached the red zone on a run, while the Tommies seemed more composed in the rain.
“Coach Caruso always says that we do well in rain because we practice in it,” Trettel said.
Caruso explained that because the Tommies have a turf field, they have the opportunity to practice in the rain when it comes. Because Bethel plays on a grass field, they don’t have the same luxury.
St. Thomas cornerback Michael Alada highlighted the St. Thomas defense in the first half with an interception in the first quarter, his eighth of the season.
Caruso complimented the Tommie defense’s game-long hard work under pressure.
“I think our defense did a fantastic job to defend 97 plays against a very explosive offense and have nine drives defended in the first half,” Caruso said. “They were put in some really precarious situations and they just kept working.”
Bethel quarterback Jake Marsh passed for 276 yards to lead the offense for both teams.
St. Thomas has won 30 of its last 32 games in October dating back to 2009, but both losses came on the road against Bethel, in 2013 and 2014.
The Tommies head to St. Peter, Minn. next Saturday to face Gustavus Adolphus College in their second-to-last regular season game.
Lauren Andrego can be reached at lauren.andrego@stthomas.edu.