With the St. Thomas football team’s defense struggling to contain the high-octane offense of San Diego Saturday, the Tommies’ offense needed its best performance of the season at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
“When the defense isn’t playing well, we have to pick it up as an offense,” said senior quarterback Cade Sexauer, whose four-touchdown performance lifted his team to a 49-42 win over San Diego to keep the Tommies atop the Pioneer Football League standings.
After last year’s 24-27 loss on the road to San Diego (3-4, 2-2 Pioneer League), the team faced one of its toughest home tests of the season thus far against the Toreros. However, the Tommies (7-1, 5-0) withstood the pressure and extended their regular season home win streak to 36 games.
“Last year versus this team we failed,” coach Glenn Caruso said. “I don’t know how else to put it, but you overcome it.”
Against a team that won eight conference championships between 2012-19 and holds a 50-5 record in its last 55 conference games, the Tommies came up with big plays when they needed it most.
With the score tied at 35, Sexauer took matters into his own hands early in the fourth quarter when he ran in a 14-yard touchdown through traffic. After stopping San Diego on their ensuing drive, Sexauer marched his team down the field before launching a 41-yard pass to senior receiver Wesley Juszczak to make it 49-35.
However, the Toreros were not finished. Graduate student quarterback Judd Erickson threw a 17-yard TD to bring it to a one-score game with 3:50 remaining.
The Tommies did their best to run the clock down, but could not manage enough first downs to do so, giving the ball back to the Toreros with one minute remaining. However, clutch defense by the Tommies forced a turnover-on-downs with six seconds remaining.
Beyond Sexauer, sophomore receiver Andrew McElroy also had a standout performance, making up for an early error on special teams with three touchdowns.
After the defense made a stop, McElroy bobbled the ball on a punt return opportunity, giving the Toreros the ball at the St. Thomas 3-yard line. On the next play, the Toreros ran it in for a short score.
“Muffed punt on my first time touching the ball this game just wasn’t the best, but every play is a new opportunity,” McElroy said. “I understood that and so did my brothers, so everyone made sure I stayed up and then a couple of plays later it turns all around.”
Two plays later, McElroy caught a 75-yard TD pass from Sexauer to tie the game in the first quarter at 7-7.
He followed that touchdown with a 95-yard kick return in the third quarter before finishing off his day with a 57-yard reception from Sexauer for another TD.
“We don’t quit,” McElroy said. “We will play the whole game and understand that some games will be longer than others, but every down we are together we are for each other and doing the best we can.”
The Tommies take on Valparaiso on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. Central in Valparaiso, Indiana. The Beacons currently sit in a three-way tie for third place in the PFL.
Cam Kauffman can be reached at kauf8536@stthomas.edu.