The Tommies celebrate in the end zone after running back Stephen Wagner scored the final touchdown of the game on a 26-yard run. Wagner recorded 81 all-purpose yards against the Red Devils. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Caruso’s Crew and the Tommie cheerleaders sing the St. Thomas victory song after defeating Eureka College 47-8 Saturday in the first round of the NCAA D-III playoffs. The Tommies made their seventh appearance in the tournament since 2009. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Safety Isaac Seering and linebacker Matt Mitchell chase after quarterback Nick Holman in the second half. Holman recorded 33 yards on eight completions in 19 attempts. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Defensive back Chris Fondakowski pushes a Red Devil offensive player. St. Thomas will take on Berry College in the second round of tournament play. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Linebacker Luke Swenson tackles Eureka running back LeAnthony Reasnover short of the first down. Reasnover rushed for 41 yards on 27 carries. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Linebacker Steve Harrell, safety Isaac Seering and defensive back Chris Fondakowski tackle a Red Devil player in the first half. (Justine Bowe/TommieMedia)
The Tommie front seven face off against the Eureka defense. St. Thomas outgained the Red Devils 397 yards to 155 yards. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Defensive back Jordan Lundell tackles running back Rhett Rondinelli in the second half. Lundell recorded five solo and two assisted tackles against the Red Devils. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
The Tommie special teams blocks for kicker Bryan Steinsapir on a PAT. (Justine Bowe/TommieMedia)
Tight end Matt Christenson breaks through two defensive players. Christenson tallied 33 yards on 3 carries in the game Saturday. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Quarterback Ronnie Jones stiff arms a Eureka defensive player en rout to a first down. Jones replaced Jacques Perra in the second half and recorded 24 yards. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Wide receiver Tanner Vik and running back Josh Parks race Eureka defensive lineman Joe Scott race to recover a fumble. (Justine Bowe/TommieMedia)
Safety Isaac Seering tackles LeAnthony Reasnover, the second-leading rusher in Division III. The Tommie held the Eureka offense to 46 net rushing yards. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
Quarterback Jacques Perra throws the ball down the field during the second quarter. (Justine Bowe/TommieMedia)
The team huddles before taking on Eureka College. (Justine Bowe/TommieMedia)
An unstoppable force met an immovable object Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
Eureka College football, led by the NCAA Division III second-leading rusher, running back LeAnthony Reasnover, clashed with D-III football’s best total defense and best defense against the run in the Tommies.
“There’s no question he poses a lot of threats,” coach Glenn Caruso said after the game. “He’s a guy who is as good a running back as their league as seen in a long time. If he was in our league, he would be a very good running back as well.”
In the end, the immovable Tommie defense held Reasnover and the Red Devil offense to 155 total yards and yielded only one score as St. Thomas (8-0 MIAC, 10-1 overall) advanced to the second round of the NCAA playoffs with a 47-8 victory against the Eureka Red Devils (8-1 UMAC, 8-3 overall).
For the seventh time this season, the Tommie run defense held an opposing rushing attack to under 50 yards. Coming into the game, Reasnover averaged 183.4 yards and just over three touchdowns a game. He was limited to 41 yards Saturday and was unable to find the endzone.
Leading the defense effort for St. Thomas was linebacker Adam Brant, who had a team-leading eight tackles and personal season-high two tackles for a loss. He also forced a fumble and returned an interception 28 yards for the team’s fourth defensive touchdown of the season.
“We’re a high energy team and we like to feed off that energy,” Brant said. “When one part of our team is struggling, we like to get those big energy plays, pick them up get that energy going. We’re always there for each other … it’s fun to watch.”
The defense’s stout performance was mirrored by St. Thomas’ special teams, a unit which allowed only 60 yards on four returns by the Red Devils. The effort was capped in the third quarter when defensive back Jack Dummer blocked a punt at the 4-yard line. Defensive back Andrew Inserra scooped the loose ball and punched it in for six.
The blocked punt capped off a three consecutive-drive scoring run, which also included a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jacques Perra to tight end Jackson Hull and Brant’s pick six.
The Tommie offense, which Caruso said had been steadily improving over the course of the season, took a while to establish a rhythm against the Red Devils. Through four offensive drives in the first quarter, the Tommies were only able to find the endzone once.
Part of the frustration came from the Tommies’ inability to convert on third- and fourth-down situations, only getting a first down on four of its 16 third down and four of its eight fourth down situations.
“I think anyone who knows us knows that we go for it on fourth down more than the average bear,” Caruso said. “We feel supremely confident … to go for it on fourth down. It didn’t really work out today.”
Despite the struggles to find rhythm early and keep momentum going on offensive drives, the Tommies were able to hit pay dirt more often as the game wore on. Running back Josh Parks credits part of that turnaround to the other units.
“Our defense played really, really well and they set us up in very good situations,” he said. “We left points (off) the board, but it’s all about finding our rhythm … I think in the second half we did that much better.”
The offense will have at least one more week to continue to find its rhythm. With the win, the Tommies advance to the second round of the NCAA playoffs to take on the Berry College Vikings.
Berry, located in Rome, Georgia, just over an hour north of Atlanta, was 10-0 in the regular season and took first place in the Southern Athletic Association conference.
The Vikings’ football program has only existed since the 2013 season, with this postseason marking their first national playoff berth.
“I think they have a very impressive coach who has a strong belief in what he wants his culture to look like,” Caruso said. “It reminds me a lot of where we were as a program six or seven years ago when we started having some success here.”
The host of the Tommie-Viking clash will be determined by Monday, Nov. 20. Should the Tommies go on the road, Caruso said it would be the first time in his tenure that the team has traveled into the Deep South.
“Playoff success is dealing with unknown and what team can make some intuitive adjustments,” he said. “It’s tougher to do when you’re facing a team you don’t know, and that’s the beauty of the playoffs.”
Noah Brown can be reached at brow7736@stthomas.edu.
Brady Halbmaier contributed to this report.