Coming off an emotional 35-14 victory over St. John’s, the No.9-ranked St. Thomas football team will host St. Olaf Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.

The Oles (1-3 overall, 0-2 MIAC) have dropped three straight games, including a 37-7 loss to Concordia-Moorhead last Saturday.The odds of snapping the streak don’t look good either. St. Thomas (3-0 overall, 1-0 MIAC) has beat St. Olaf the past seven seasons, including a 69-7 dismantling last year. Defensive back Bennett Celichowski believes the MIAC is the deepest conference in Division-III football.

“We cannot take a week off mentally or physically because even if we get away with doing things the wrong way against a lower-tier opponent, it may not show on the scoreboard, but it hurts us as a team,” Celichowski said.

The Tommie defense held the Johnnie offense to 297 total yards and tallied four sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. St. Olaf’s offensive line has been steady the past two weeks against Bethel and Concordia-Moorhead, allowing a combined one sack after allowing eight in the first two games against Northwestern and Luther. Celichowski said the defensive front’s pressure is a cornerstone for the Tommie defense.

“Those guys are relentless pass rushers and pit bulls in stopping the run,” Celichowski said. “It always feels good as a defensive back to look into the backfield and see the opponent’s quarterback on his back. Quarterback hits may not always be sacks, but they get those guys rattled and off their game.”

Last week against the Cobbers, the Oles chalked up 257 yards, compared to last year’s matchup, during which the Oles mustered just 99 total yards.

Despite the weak offensive output last season, the offense returned both its top passer and leading rusher. An All-MIAC honorable mention winner last year, quarterback Nate Penz has tallied 546 yards and three touchdowns through three games. Last year’s All-MIAC honorable mention running back J.J. Strnad is off to a slow start though, recording just 145 yards and one touchdown.

The biggest hole to fill on offense is wide receiver Joel Reinhardt, who was an All-MIAC honoree and led the team with 55 receptions for 514 yards and five touchdowns. Coach Glenn Caruso said the amount of formations St. Olaf features causes some uncertainty.

“I think one of the best things they have going for them is I don’t know exactly what to expect,” Caruso said. “They are an improved team compared to last year.”

The defense may prove to be the Oles’ weakness. It’s allowing just over 33 points per game, while conceding over 426 yards per game this season. Last season, the Oles surrendered 685 yards to a potent St. Thomas offense.

From last season’s squad, the Oles lost some force up front with the departure of defensive linemen Colin Brown and Chad Wagner. Brown was an All-MIAC honoree and led the conference with 16.5 tackles for loss, while Wagner’s sack total ranked third in the MIAC. Offensive tackle Will Hillbert said the unfamiliarity with St. Olaf’s defense will be one of St. Thomas’ chief concerns this Saturday.

“The hardest part of the Ole defense will be facing a new scheme that we have not seen this year,” Hillbert said. “They run a stack defense with three linebackers in the box. It will be a good challenge but I’m excited to see what our offense can do against it.”
Jesse Krull can be reached at krul7386@stthomas.edu.