Thanks to defensive back Sean Hamlin’s key interception on the game’s final drive, the St. Thomas football team escaped with a 22-17 victory over the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
Trailing by 5 late in the fourth quarter, the Blugolds were moving toward the end zone when Hamlin’s interception with 36 seconds remaining in the game secured victory for the Tommies, their seventh straight in Week 1.
“They were picking on me on that last drive. I let up quite a few catches, and I wasn’t happy with myself,” Hamlin said. “They kept throwing that back-shoulder fade, and I just knew it was coming again, so I thought I’d bait them into it that time.”
Coach Glenn Caruso – who improved his St. Thomas record to 66-10 with the win – said the defense may not have played as crisp as he would have liked. But he added that a few players, Hamlin in particular, learned throughout the game.
“What I’m very happy with is (that) every play we have an opportunity to learn,” Caruso said. “Sean learned and … he saw a little key, ended up jumping in front of it and made the play.”
The Tommies dictated the tempo in the first half of the game. Running back Jack Kaiser ran for 58 yards in the half and scored the game’s first two touchdowns.
After defensive back Kyle Coyne intercepted Eau Claire quarterback Mark Munger’s pass and returned the ball to the 43-yard line, St. Thomas opened the scoring with a 5-play, 43-yard scoring drive capped off by Kaiser’s 5-yard touchdown plunge with 3:18 remaining in the first quarter. Kicker Paul Graupner’s extra point made the score 7-0 in favor of the Tommies.
Kaiser added another touchdown run with 7:03 remaining in the second quarter to finish a 9-play, 71-yard touchdown drive. Instead of going for the extra point, the Tommies tried for a 2-point conversion. Wide receiver Dan Ferrazzo lined up as the extra point holder, but he took the direct snap and tiptoed into the end zone to extend the St. Thomas lead to 15-0.
The Blugolds managed to cut into the St. Thomas lead with 2:57 remaining in the second quarter on a 30-yard field goal by kicker Parker LeMire. The field goal gave Eau Claire some much-needed points after a lengthy 13-play, 62-yard drive just before halftime.
The Tommies extended their lead to 22-3 in the second half on quarterback Matt O’Connell’s 11-yard touchdown run with 9:56 remaining in the third quarter. O’Connell said his first game back from injury felt natural, even though there is still room for improvement.
“Everything just came back,” O’Connell said. “Obviously it was a first-game struggle … but the team did really well.”
Eau Claire closed out the third quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run by running back Jake Neis to cut the St. Thomas lead to 22-10.
After a back-and-forth final quarter, the last four minutes of the game saw the action pick up, and Tommie fans were on edge.
After Graupner missed a 45-yard field goal, Eau Claire began the ensuing drive from its own 28-yard line. The Blugolds marched down the field on a 7-play, 72-yard drive culminating in a 3-yard touchdown pass from Munger to wide receiver Cody Gerver. LeMire’s extra point cut the St. Thomas lead to 5 points.
With just 2:11 remaining in the game, Eau Claire elected to try an onside kick following the touchdown. The kick pinballed off multiple players before the Blugolds recovered at their own 41-yard line. Eau Claire went 39 yards in the next 9 plays to the St. Thomas 20 before Hamlin’s game-saving interception along the sideline at the St. Thomas 3-yard line gave the Tommies the win.
St. Thomas will play at 1:10 p.m. next Saturday against Wisconsin-La Crosse at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
Tom Pitzen can be reached at pitz2014@stthomas.edu.