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It wasn’t its prettiest game of the year, but St. Thomas handled its business Saturday and defeated Gustavus 43-6 in St. Peter.

The Tommies are 9-0 for the first time since 1923 and have clinched the MIAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA playoffs. Senior Ben Wartman and junior Colin Tobin combined for 162 yards and three touchdowns to lead the St. Thomas ground attack. Junior Fritz Waldvogel had 66 receiving yards and a touchdown for the Tommies. Waldvogel also ran back the second half opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.

Ninety-two penalty yards blemished an otherwise impressive offensive performance. Gustavus played tough in the second half, but fell apart in the final 30 minutes. Junior quarterback Logan Becker led the Gusties with 58 rushing yards and 54 passing yards.

Jordan Osterman can be reached at jrosterman@stthomas.edu.