The 2012 St. Thomas football team produced the best season in program history and will look to a talented young squad to lead it back to Salem, Va. With its first national title game appearance complete, let’s step back and look at what made this fall memorable.

Team accomplishments

St. Thomas made its deepest run in the NCAA Division III football playoffs, culminating in a 28-10 defeat at the hands of perennial powerhouse Mount Union, Dec. 14, in Salem. The Purple Raiders were no strangers to the national title game, winning their 11th national title in 16 appearances since 1993. It was Mount Union’s eighth straight trip to the Stagg Bowl. The Tommies trailed by four points midway through the third quarter before two long Purple Raider drives put the game away for good. Although coming up short, coach Glenn Caruso vowed that the team would use this experience for future playoff runs.

The Tommies finished a program-best 14-1; the 14 wins ties a conference record. St. Thomas also won its third consecutive MIAC title. The last Tommie teams to complete that task was during the 1947-1949 seasons. The 2012 Tommies also became the first MIAC institution to complete three straight 10-0 seasons. St. Thomas went undefeated in conference play at 8-0.

St. Thomas became the second MIAC institution (St. John’s) to reach the national championship game and set a record for most home wins in a season (nine). In the postseason, the Tommies moved to 12-5 all-time (.706 winning percentage), which is third best in Division III behind Mount Union 78-13 (.857 percent) and Wisconsin-Whitewater 33-6 (.846 percent). Caruso is now 11-4 in the postseason at St. Thomas’ helm.

The Tommies finished the season No. 2 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 3 according to d3football.com. The No. 2 ranking is a program best.

Individual accomplishments

Quarterback Matt O’Connell broke a 19-year old school record for total offense in a season, accumulating 3,590 yards (819 rushing and 2,771 passing). The national title game loss was O’Connell’s first loss as a starter.

Two St. Thomas seniors broke the school record for games played in a career, previously held by wide receiver Fritz Waldvogel’s 50 games played (‘12). Center Curtis James played in 54 games while tight end Logan Marks appeared in 52.

James was also named a first-team All-American by three different media entities (d3football.com, American Football Coaches Association and AP Little All-American). The senior made the AFCA list for the second consecutive year and also was part of an AP list that features players from both Division II and Division III institutions.

Three defensive players were voted All-Americans by d3football.com: defensive end Ayo Idowu (third team defense), linebacker Tremayne Williams (fourth team defense) and safety Chinni Oji (fourth team defense).

Caruso was named MIAC coach of the year, while the team had nine first-team All-Conference selections (Offense: Marks and James; Defense: Idowu, Williams, Oji, defensive lineman Riley Dombek, linebacker Mike Valesano, linebacker Harry Pitera and cornerback Ryan Deitz). Linebacker Dan Bedor was named to the conference’s Sportsmanship Team.

Six Tommies made the second team All-Conference squad (Offense: O’Connell, wide receiver Dan Ferrazzo, running back Brenton Braddock, offensive lineman Jason Flesher; Defense: safety Tyler Erstad; Special Teams: punter Garrett Maloney).

What’s next?

The 2013 Tommies will likely be near the top of the polls next fall. The offense will remain mostly intact, while the defense will welcome many new faces to the starting lineup.

The Tommies will graduate eight starters on both sides of the ball. St. Thomas will say goodbye to James and Marks on offense while the defense will look to newcomers to continue its strong play. Graduating from the Tommies’ defense are: Idowu, Valesano, Erstad, Oji, Deitz, defensive back Jack Gavin, linebacker Paul Carlson and linebacker Dan Bedor.

The astonishing part of the 2012 Tommies’ season was the number of underclassmen who made significant contributions throughout the year after opening day starters suffered injuries.

Offensively, the team will look to junior tight end Matt Allen to fill the big shoes left by Marks’ departure. Allen had 15 catches for 178 yards and six touchdowns this season. At the center spot, the position appears to be up-for-grabs. The Tommie offense will have the likes of sophomore O’Connell, redshirt freshman Braddock, sophomore Ferrazzo, freshman running back Jack Kaiser and freshman wide receiver Matt Misiewicz lining up against opponents. St. Thomas will also welcome back junior wide receiver Dan Noehring, who was lost mid-season to an injury.

Defensively, the Tommies will look to the experience garnered by some of its younger players to fill the large voids. Look for junior John Connelly to start at safety and freshman Mozus Ikuenobe, junior Walter Franklin and sophomore Kyle Coyne to battle for the other corner spot opposite sophomore defensive back/punt returner Sean Hamlin. St. Thomas’ linebacker corps welcomes back junior Pitera but will also look to sophomore Rutger Heffelfinger and junior Steve Dejewski to take over the middle linebacker spots.

Barring any off-season departures, the Tommies will also welcome back freshman kicker Paul Graupner and junior punter Maloney.

With a wealth of talent from a now experienced team returning in 2013, the future looks bright for St. Thomas to make a push for its second consecutive trip to Salem. Who knows, maybe next year a different shade of purple will be lifting the national championship trophy.

Ross Schreck can be reached at schr8250@stthomas.edu.