Two touchdowns apiece by senior running back Nick Rice and sophomore running back Hope Adebayo propelled the St. Thomas football team to a 54-15 pounding of Presbyterian College Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.

The senior day matchup marked the final game for St. Thomas (7-3, 6-2 Pioneer Football League) in its inaugural NCAA Division I season. The victory over the Blue Hose (2-9, 0-8 PFL) also boosted St. Thomas’ home regular-season win streak to 31 games.

The Tommies began the third quarter with an opening drive touchdown by senior running back Tom Loeffler. The score capped a Tommies 28-point onslaught within 7 minutes over the second and third quarters.

The Tommies’ scoring run started with 5:22 left in the second quarter as Rice rushed 40 yards down field, putting the Tommies up 21-15.

Senior defensive back Luke Glenna returned a pick-six 27-yards for the Tommies’ second score of the run, just 1:01 after Rice’s TD. The score was followed by a successful two-point conversion by sophomore placeholder Kolby Gartner, putting St. Thomas up 29-15.

Adebayo ended the first half with a 1-yard rush for his team-leading 12th TD of the season. His first TD of the game came on a 4-yard rush through traffic on the first play of the second quarter.

With 9:10 remaining in the second quarter, first-year wide receiver Jalyn Witcher scored on a 6-yard pass from sophomore QB Ren Hefley. The St. Thomas defense did not allow another Blue Hose score for the remaining 39:10 of the game.

St. Thomas first-year QB Branden Smith rushed in for an 8-yard score of his own halfway through the third quarter. Senior running back Wyatt Draper ended the Tommies’ scoring on a 2-yard rush through a sea of Blue Hose jerseys.

In the first quarter, Rice opened the scoring on the Tommies’ first possession with a 16-yard TD run where he went basically untouched. Rice’s two touchdowns on Saturday equaled his season-total TDs.

However, the Blue Hose responded with a 37-yard touchdown pass and run of their own by sophomore wide receiver Matthew Rivera. First-year quarterback Jake Davis came in for Hefley and connected with Rivera for the score. A successful two-point conversion put Presbyterian up 8-7 to end the first quarter.

The victory marked a feat for the 2022 seniors, who will remain undefeated at home in regular-season games over the last five years. The Tommies also remain undefeated on senior day in the coach Glenn Caruso era.

Cam Kauffman can be reached at kauf8536@stthomas.edu.