Running back Jack Kaiser found the endzone three times for the No. 18-ranked St. Thomas football team as it defeated No. 21-ranked Concordia-Moorhead 34-20 Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.

Kaiser, who has scored the third most touchdowns among MIAC players during the 2013 season, was a force for the Tommies, rushing for 134 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries in the victory.

With the win, the Tommies (7-2 overall, 5-2 MIAC) kept their name in the mix for an at-large playoff berth.

Linebacker Tremayne Williams said the team redeemed itself in the second half after struggling early in the game.

“I can’t explain how it feels; it’s priceless,” Williams said. “You know you can never replace a feeling like that last home game as a senior.”

Coach Glenn Caruso agreed that his team didn’t get a big start against the Cobbers.

“They’re a top 20 team in the country—a one loss team,” Caruso said. “I thought emotionally we kind of stayed even-keel. Then once the tide started turning our way, that’s where we kind of pick up a little bit more momentum.”

Early in the game, St. Thomas didn’t get pressure on Concordia quarterback Griffin Neal, giving him plenty of time to read the defense. Linebacker Harry Pitera said the Tommie defense focused on limiting first down yardage to force Concordia into passing situations.

“We weren’t doing that the first and second drives, but later in the game and later in the first half, we got them to throw the ball,” Pitera said. “And when they do that, it’s a fun day for us because we get to come free and blitz.”

St. Thomas got a feel for Concordia’s offensive style early when Neal found wide receiver Brandon Zylstra on 20-yard fly route for a touchdown with 11:04 left in the first quarter.

Caruso credited Neal and the Cobber receivers for making big plays on the first two drives.

“In a game where a team is going to line up in a lot of empty sets, there’s a lot of things you have to think about when you’re bringing the pressure,” Caruso said. “But a couple of the ones he even got out early— I’m thinking of the touchdown to Zylstra—we even got good pressure on that, but he got it out so quick. Some of those tall receivers made a couple plays early.”

After quarterback Alex Fenske fumbled, Neal broke free on a triple option for a 29-yard touchdown run to put the Cobbers up 13-0 over the Tommies with 8:17 left in the first quarter. Fullback Willie Schneider said even though the Tommies got off to a slow start, they stuck to the gameplan.

“We started a little slow,” Schneider said. “We don’t try to do that, but we like the adversity; we come back from it all the time. We played hard, ran the ball real well, and the defense stopped them running the ball and forced the pass, and we pulled it out.”

After nearly diving across the pylon, Kaiser finished the 6-play, 81-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to put the score at 13-7 with 5:33 left in the first quarter. Kaiser added another 6-yard touchdown run in the first half.

Schneider said the offense was effective throughout the game.

“We were able to move the ball well. We really pounded the ball today, which was nice,” Schneider said. “A lot of upside runs work well for us, and then they were giving us coverages down low where we could throw the ball over the top, and Alex played well.”

After Pitera recovered a Cobber fumble, running back Nick Waldvogel’s patience for an opening paid off allowing him to break through for an 8-yard touchdown run with 4:16 left in the first quarter to give the Tommies a 14-13 lead.

Fenske connected with wide receiver Charlie Dowdle on an out-and-up route for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 8:21 left in the first half to put the Tommies ahead 21-13. Fenske completed 14 of 26 passes for 225 yards and one touchdown.

With 2:41 remaining in the first half, Neal dove across the goal line on a quarterback sneak for a 1-yard touchdown run to put the score at 21-20.

Those were the last Cobber points of the game. Two more Kaiser touchdowns gave the Tommies a 34-20 victory on Senior Day.

St. Thomas honored 21 seniors, a class that went 46-5 as Tommies. Caruso said he was proud to recognize the seniors in two ways—during the pregame field ceremony and with how the team played Saturday.

“They’re mentally tough kids who were well-raised. They really put a lot into this family, so we’re all grateful for them,” Caruso said.

St. Thomas will play St. Olaf College (1-8 overall, 0-7 MIAC) next weekend in its final regularly scheduled game of the 2013 season.

Kyle Jonas can be reached at jona7984@stthomas.edu.