After avenging last season’s playoff loss to Linfield College in a double overtime thriller last Saturday, No.1 seeded St. Thomas (12-0) will set its sights on a team seeking some revenge of its own: MIAC rival Bethel (11-1).

Earlier in the season, the Tommies handed Bethel its only loss of the year, defeating the Royals 10-6 at home. The loss prevented Bethel from winning a conference title, but the Royals received an at-large playoff bid.

“I knew there was a distinct possibility if we both (Bethel and St. Thomas) did our work that we could play,” coach Glenn Caruso said. “I think that they are a very good team, and I knew we were going to have an opportunity if we continued that hard work.”

Winning its first two playoff games on the road, Bethel will travel to St. Paul Saturday to take on the Tommies. St. Thomas is currently riding a 15-game winning streak at home; the ninth longest home winning streak in NCAA football.

“I think just to be [at home] where our kids have a lot of belief and confidence is a big part of it,” Caruso said. “[Bethel is] going to feel very fortunate that they have a chance to avenge their earlier loss.”

Revenge is not something unfamiliar to Bethel. Last week, the Royals defeated Wheaton College 15-10 after losing to Wheaton in close games the past two seasons.

The Tommies have not faced a MIAC opponent twice in the same season since taking on St. John’s in back-to-back games in 1946. Neither team has ever faced a MIAC opponent in the playoffs.

Junior running back Colin Tobin said “the anticipation for Saturday’s grudge match is high.”

“I think there’s going to be a lot of people there excited to see another match-up between two great MIAC opponents,” Tobin said. “It’s another big game and another step toward accomplishing our goals.”

Tommie defense vs. Bethel offense

During the regular season, St. Thomas and Bethel were near the top of virtually every statistical category. The Royals, led by senior running back Logan Flannery, boast the MIAC’s most explosive rushing attack, averaging 255.5 yards a game. Bethel was able to rush for an outstanding 244 yards against St. Thomas when the two teams met in October.

Averaging a MIAC-best 138.1 yards a game, including 15 rushing touchdowns, Flannery is at the top of every MIAC rushing category. In last week’s game, Flannery exploited a tough Wheaton rushing defense for 143 yards and one receiving touchdown. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in his last four games.

The Tommie defense has dominated against the run all season, holding teams to about 100 yards rushing a game. Last week, it held Linfield to 57 yards rushing. But in its last meeting against Bethel, Flannery had 141 yards alone.

“He’s a very dynamic player who can have success in many ways,” Caruso said. “Even when you have him bottled up, there’s a lot of good 1- or 2-yard runs that he has that get overlooked. I don’t know if you stop a guy like that. You kind of hope to keep him in check and contain him a little bit.”

Flannery isn’t Bethel’s only rushing threat. Junior quarterback Josh Aarke is the MIAC’s best scrambler, averaging 49.8 rushing yards a game. Aarke finished near the bottom of the conference in both passing efficiency and passing average, but his 598 yards rushing puts him at number 10 in the MIAC.

“They do a nice job of putting him in situations where they utilize the play action to make a defense feel like they have to over-play the run game,” Caruso said.

One major advantage for St. Thomas is its ability to defend the pass. Led by senior Brady Ervin’s five interceptions, the Tommies are the MIAC’s top-ranked passing defense, holding opponents to 151.4 yards passing per game. In their last meeting, the Tommies intercepted two passes, and Bethel, the MIAC’s worst passing offense, was only able to throw for 77 yards.

“Although they only had 77 yards passing, I’m sure that they’ll do their best to balance that out a little bit more,” Caruso said. “The bottom line is they still want to run the ball, and we’ll be prepared for that.”

Tommie offense vs Bethel defense

They say offense wins games but defense wins championships, and if the old adage is true, the MIAC-best Bethel defense may have more games in store for it this season.

Led by junior linebacker Billy Morgan’s 97 tackles and 4 sacks, Bethel’s defense has held opponents to a mere 228 yards per game. Bethel held the Tommies to 256 yards last time.

The Tommie rushing attack, led by Tobin and senior All-American Ben Wartman, has anchored the Tommie offense this season. Tobin’s 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave St. Thomas the edge last time, but the duo was held to 112 total yards rushing.

“We have something to prove,” Tobin said. “We take a lot of pride in our offensive prowess, and being held to 10 points and only 112 rushing yards last time, we’re going to want to come out and prove that we can move the ball against any defense.”

Bethel’s defense was also able to shut down junior quarterback Dakota Tracy and the Tommie passing attack. In October’s game, Tracy threw for only 112 yards, 60 of which came on a single pass to junior wide receiver Fritz Waldvogel. The Royals also intercepted Tracy two times.

Last week, Tracy threw four interceptions against Linfield, which led to 10 of the Wildcat’s points. Like every week, Caruso said “ball security will be a premium.” He said he believes Tracy will bounce back.

“[Tracy] knows he didn’t play his “A” game last week with his arm, but he did some very impressive stuff with his feet,” Caruso said. “He’s got more mental toughness then just about anybody I know. He’s always responded and rebounded extremely well from an outing like he had, and I don’t expect anything different on Saturday.”

Ryan Shaver can be reached at shav7005@stthomas.edu.