The undefeated St. Thomas football team looks for redemption Saturday as it heads to Arden Hills to play Bethel University, the team that ended the Tommies’ postseason run last December.

Senior linebacker Tony Danna said the loss to Bethel was especially tough on the team.

“The loss really got to us,” Danna said. “It was hard to see them advance over us.”

A rematch with major implications

Saturday’s game is arguably the biggest of the season for the Tommies. It affects both conference standings and playoff contention. St. Thomas holds the top spot in the MIAC with a 5-0 conference record, but Bethel is in second place with a 3-1 conference record. Both teams are nationally ranked; St. Thomas is No. 3 in the nation and Bethel is No. 10.

If the Tommies win, they clinch the conference championship and could potentially knock Bethel out of the playoffs.

“It’s the most important game of the year,” Danna said. “We’ve wanted this game for a long time.”

With so much at stake, sophomore wide receiver Dan Noehring said his teammates must keep their emotions in check.

“We will go into this game like it’s any other game,” he said. “We know it has huge implications, but we have to leave it in the back of our heads.”

Coach Glenn Caruso believes his team is not nervous about playing Bethel.

“I don’t think it’s a case of easing their nerves as much it is making sure we aren’t too hyped up for this game,” he said. “We’ve been looking forward to it for a very long time.”

Still on the run

Much like last year, Bethel relies heavily on its running game. Even though Bethel graduated All-American running back Logan Flannery last spring, the Royals have had several players step-up and fill his spot.

Bethel has rushed for 1,720 yards this season, with the majority coming from freshman running back Brandon Marquardt, senior quarterback Josh Aakre and sophomore running back Jesse Phenow. The three players each average more than 76 yards per game. In comparison, the Tommies have rushed for 1,443 yards this season, and senior running back Colin Tobin averages 90 yards per game.

Caruso expects Bethel to run the ball a lot on Saturday.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that they’re going to come out and establish and continue the run,” he said.

Danna credits a lot of Bethel’s rushing success to its offensive line.

“Their offensive line does a really good job,” he said. “Any running back playing behind them will be successful because their line plays well together as a unit.”

While Bethel dominates at running the ball, its defense does a solid job at stopping the opponent’s running game.

“They’re as good as they’ve ever been at stopping the run,” Caruso said.

The Royals have also defended against the pass successfully this season, forcing five interceptions.

“We expect to see a lot of hard-nosed athletic football players that fly around to the ball,” Noehring said.

Tommie preparation

After playing Bethel twice last year (a rare occurrence), the Tommies know what to expect from their conference rival.

“There’s no secrecy,” Caruso said. “It all comes down to execution.”

But the Tommies have several new starters this year, and Danna believes that this current St. Thomas team is playing a lot better than the one that lost to Bethel in December.

“A lot of young guys had to jump into roles this year,” he said. “They all waited their turns to get a chance to start and now they’re making the most of their opportunities.”

Noehring is one of these players. As a sophomore, he has started every game this season. He said that while he gets excited to play every game, the Bethel game holds more emotion.

“When big games come along like this one, you just get more excited for the opportunity to play in front of a crowd with your teammates,” Noehring said.

“Bethel … has always been our favorite game to play,” Caruso said. “I think the kids are excited for 1:10 on Saturday.”

Hayley Schnell can be reached at schn3912@stthomas.edu.