In its first home playoff game since 2012, the No.4-ranked St. Thomas football team will seek its 11th home postseason win under coach Glenn Caruso when it hosts the University of La Verne (California) in the first round of the NCAA playoffs at noon Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
The Leopards (8-1 overall, 7-0 conference) recorded their first winning season since 2005, a marked difference from their 2-7 record last season.The last time La Verne appeared in the national playoffs was in 1994 when it lost to fellow MIAC squad St. John’s 51-12 in the first round.
The Tommies are playing a team from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the first time in Caruso’s tenure. Safety Isaac Seering said the unknown factor presents a unique challenge.
“Not playing La Verne or a team from the SCIAC allows us to learn how to prepare in a different way for this game,” Seering said. “We have never seen these guys play, nor do we know what any of their tendencies are yet.”
The feeling of playing a home playoff game for most of the roster is also unknown. The Tommies’ last postseason home game was a 28-14 victory over Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the 2012 national semifinals. The seniors were freshmen, and not many of them saw action. The 2013 squad missed the playoffs, and last season’s team squeaked into the bracket before losing a tight game at Wartburg (Iowa). Caruso said having the game at home gives the team the ability to focus on its opponent.
“In playoff time, where you’re fighting to stay together another week, every winning edge helps, and that’s certainly one of them,” Caruso said. “Maybe (we have) a little bit more focus because it’s not so much as a surprise, and that allows us to utilize our efforts and energies other places.”
One aspect of the Leopards’ offense the Tommies (10-0 overall, 8-0 conference) can’t miss is running back Travis Sparks-Jackson. The senior was second in the SCIAC in both rushing yards per game (151.8 ypg) and touchdowns (18) and was second-team All-Conference last season.
In the last game of the regular season, Sparks-Jackson became the school’s all-time leading rusher with a 41-yard run late in the third quarter; he finished with 159 yards, giving him a total of 2,891 career yards. Matthew Biggers held the previous record with 2,844 rushing yards. Caruso calls La Verne’s ground game unique but sees some similarities with MIAC opponents.
“It’s more spread running game, and they do a really good job with it,” Caruso said. “But they also employ some of the same techniques that teams like Augsburg and St. Olaf have with their run-pass options.”
The man under center for the Leopards is senior William Livingston. In the regular season, he chalked up 1,693 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. The senior shredded George Fox (Oregon) in the first game of the season with three touchdowns in La Verne’s 47-33 victory, and he also tossed a school-record seven touchdowns later in the year against Whitworth (Washington).
Tommie game plan
Seering and the defense recovered two fumbles in the Tommies’ 66-9 victory over Gustavus in the last game of the season but were unable to force any interceptions. He said the defense missed quality turnover opportunities.
“(Gustavus was) forced to check down to shorter throws. There were definitely some missed opportunities that we will clean up,” Seering said. “Come Saturday, we’ll be ready for whatever comes our way.”
St. Thomas threw no interceptions and fumbled just once en route to chalking up a record-breaking 715 total offensive yards last Saturday. Running back Jordan Roberts rolled up a season-high 230 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Saturday’s outing gave him his eighth-straight 100-yard rushing game and a school-record 25 total touchdowns. Roberts concluded the regular season with 24 rushing touchdowns and 1,439 yards on the ground.
The Tommies’ passing game also shined Saturday afternoon, chalking up 319 yards, including 229 yards and one passing touchdown from quarterback John Gould. His top target was wide receiver Jack Gilliland, who hauled in 114 yards on five receptions.
“One of the most important things we focus on throughout the week is not necessarily preparing for a specific team but practicing to be the best team that we can be,” Gilliland said. “I think that’s a big reason why we are able play so consistent every week.”
In two of the last three games, the senior wide receiver registered over 100 receiving yards. Gilliland missed the first five games with an upper-body injury, but he said missing a part of the season has been beneficial to his body.
“Having to sit out the first half of the season was no doubt one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to overcome,” Gilliland said. “We play a long season, which can take a big toll on any player’s body … I’ve really only been playing for about five to six weeks now, so I almost have an advantage because my body is a lot more fresh than most players heading into playoffs.”
Gilliland is originally from Simi Valley, California, and attended Brethren High School, which is nearly two hours west of the Leopards’ campus. Even though Gilliland is from that region of the country, he doesn’t have any strong acquaintances.
Caruso, on the other hand, connected with the Leopards’ wide receiver coach and video coordinator Jamar Johnson last year while speaking at the American Football Coaches Association Convention. Caruso mentioned at the event that his door is always open to talk football, and Johnson, one of the thousands in the crowd, flew to Minnesota and took Caruso up on his offer two weeks later. Caruso said he would’ve taken advantage of the same opportunity when he was in the early stages of his coaching career.
“We’ve formed a really neat relationship, and (Johnson) has become a really great kid to get to know,” Caruso said.
According to weather.com, Saturday is predicted to be partly cloudy with the high reaching only 29 degrees. Caruso said that is definitely going to be a factor in Saturday’s game.
“Weather always plays a role in playoff football; I don’t think this is any exception,” Caruso said. “If we had to go from this to playing in 81 degrees, there would be a learning curve; that learning curve is probably steeper when you drop 50 degrees.”
Jesse Krull can be reached at krul7386@stthomas.edu.