After his team gave up a 14-0 first-quarter lead Saturday and lost to archrival St. John’s for the second consecutive time, Tommie senior running back Josh Parks said, “It’s tough, obviously.”
How tough? The 38-20 loss before an announced crowd of 19,508 at Allianz Field almost certainly dooms the Tommies’ playoff hopes for the second time in a row.
The No.11 Tommies (4-2 overall, 3-1 MIAC) watched the fourth-ranked Johnnies hoist the Holy Grail trophy in perhaps one of the final meetings of their 89-year rivalry.
“Here’s what you saw today. This is two really good football teams, two great universities, passionate fans on both sides,” St. John’s head coach Gary Fasching said. “We like playing them, and we really like beating them.”
St. Thomas running back Tom Loeffler runs the ball gaining offensive yards for the Tommies. (Jack Stanek/TommieMedia)
The Tommies had no answer for the Johnnies’ senior quarterback Jackson Erdmann, who threw for 440 yards on 31-of-46 passing. The former Penn State walk-on also had a monster game last year against the Tommies, throwing for 470 yards in the Johnnies’ 40-20 win.
Erdmann capitalized on stellar pass protection, saying, “I felt like I had six or seven seconds back there.”
Kai Barber’s 29-yard run gave St. John’s (6-0, 5-0) the lead for good, 25-20, with 9:11 left in the third quarter.
The Tommies opened the fourth quarter by driving deep into Johnnies territory. Faced with fourth-and-inches at the 6-yard line, the Tommies failed to convert when running back Stephen Wager was stuffed in the middle.
“I don’t think we finished well today whether that’s the play, the drive, the game,” coach Glenn Caruso said.
St. Thomas quarterback Tommy Dolan escapes Johnnie defenders. (Jack Stanek/TommieMedia)
Erdmann then marched the Johnnies 94 yards down the field on a drive capped by Barber’s second touchdown, a one-yard scamper that gave St. John’s a 31-20 lead with 6:47 remaining.
“There comes a point where we have to play big-boy football and just shove it down their throats like we did at the end,” Erdmann said.
Things looked hopeful after the Tommies scored the first two touchdowns of the game. The first came on a 6-yard TD reception by Tommie tight end Grant Slavik midway through the first quarter.
On the Tommies’ next offensive possession, Parks scored on a 32-yard run to put his team up 14-0 with 3:23 left in the first quarter. Parks finished the day with 147 yards on 13 carries.
“Certainly, the start was a good one,” Caruso said.
Tommie running back Josh Parks runs the ball for 32-yards scoring for St. Thomas. (Jack Stanek/TommieMedia)
But then the Tommies’ offense stagnated, giving the Johnnies a chance to fight back.
Erdmann connected with running back Kenneth Udoibok for a 29-yard touchdown with one second left in the first quarter to close within 14-7.
Then, with 1:36 remaining in the first half, Johnnie running back Henry Trost scored on a 1-yard run, but the Johnnies’ extra point attempt was blocked to preserve the Tommies’ razor-thin lead.
Three quarters later, the optimism was gone along with most of the St. Thomas student section.
“This is a big rivalry game, but it doesn’t matter what game it is when you lose,” Parks said. “It’s not a good feeling.”
Carly Noble can be reached at nobl1781@stthomas.edu.