St. Thomas quarterback Tommy Dolan threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score Saturday, leading the Tommies to a 53-0 victory over Augsburg at Edor Nelson Field.
The No. 11 Tommies (4-1 overall, 3-0 MIAC) outplayed the Auggies (1-5 overall, 0-4 MIAC) in all phases of the game, racking up 487 yards of total offense and recording two safeties and two interceptions.
The victory came one week before St. Thomas plays host to MIAC rival St. John’s at Allianz Field in the historic Tommie-Johnnie game.
“This was a really good performance ahead of St. John’s,” said Dolan, who completed 13 of 17 passes for 168 yards. “Like every week, we take it one game at a time. Even with next weekend, all of our focus was on today at Augsburg.”
Quarterback Tommy Dolan rushed for a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter of Saturday’s game against Augsburg. (Carly Noble/TommieMedia)
The Tommies scored their first four touchdowns from inside the Augsburg 10-yard line, converting from the red zone on every scoring drive of the first half. The Auggies, meanwhile, failed to register a first down before halftime.
The Tommies planned to rotate quarterbacks in the first half, according to Dolan. Backup QB Ronnie Jones was featured on two drives in the second quarter and started for the Tommies in the fourth quarter, completing five of eight passes for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Stephen Wagner led the Tommies with 102 rushing yards, while teammates Josh Komis and Noel Ortiz ran for two touchdowns apiece. 2018 All-America running back Josh Parks and junior receiver Tom Loeffler did not play in Saturday’s game for the Tommies.
Tommie running back Stephen Wagner rushed for 102 yards against the Auggies. (Carly Noble/TommieMedia)
“We have really stable backs, and certainly a lot of eyes turned to Stephen Wagner today. He’s eminently qualified to do the work we need him to do,” said Tommies coach Glenn Caruso. “The other guys, like Ortiz and Komis, did a wonderful job at fullback.”
Tommie running back Josh Komis runs the ball into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game. (Carly Noble/TommieMedia)
Dolan threw back-to-back interceptions toward the end of the second quarter, but recovered by throwing two touchdowns in the third quarter. Tight end Grant Slavik caught a 17-yard touchdown while wide receiver Gabe Green also hauled in a TD pass.
Caruso praised Dolan’s progress this season.
“He’s doing a good job of finding his targets. He threw those two interceptions, but one wasn’t his fault,” Caruso said. “I really like how he’s learning to manage the game.”
Senior defensive back Xavier Roberts recorded the Tommies’ second interception of the game in the fourth quarter, returning it 26 yards into the Auggie red zone. After the Tommies failed to convert a fourth down at the Augsburg 3, they forced an Auggies safety with under three minutes remaining.
The Tommies, who haven’t lost to Augsburg since 2008, held the Auggies to 50 yards of total offense Saturday. In the teams’ previous meeting, in 2018, the Tommies prevailed 73-14.
Caruso said he’s looking forward to next week’s showdown against the Johnnies.
“It’s always exciting, and part of that is because of the great rivalry, but let’s be real. A part of it is because you got two really high-end football teams, and I think that’s something you can’t ignore,” Caruso said.
Jacob Schneider can be reached at schn6923@stthomas.edu.