ST. PETER, Minn. – Quarterback John Gould chalked up 247 total yards and two rushing touchdowns to pilot the No.4-ranked St. Thomas football team to a 66-9 victory over Gustavus Saturday afternoon at Hollingsworth Field.
Gould wasn’t the only standout performer for the Tommies. Running back Jordan Roberts recorded 230 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries, and his second score made him the single-season-rushing touchdowns leader for any running back during coach Glenn Caruso’s tenure. Roberts blew past Gustie tacklers all afternoon, accumulating a significant chunk of yardage after contact. Offensive guard Richie Donovan said Roberts’ personality changes once he touches the turf.
“He’s such a sweet guy off the field, and then once he gets on the field he’s just a totally different animal who can just run all over people,” Donovan said.
Even though Roberts dominated Gustavus’ defense, the Gusties (7-3 overall, 5-3 MIAC) got an early advantage when quarterback Mitch Hendricks connected with wide receiver Gabriel Boyce for a 38-yard reception on their first offensive play of the game. The series stalled though, and the Tommies (10-0 overall, 8-0 MIAC) took over on their own 3-yard line.
Gould and the offense marched down the field, and the drive was capped off with Gould scampering for a 6-yard score at the 7:14 mark in the first quarter. Gould’s second rushing score, a 9-yard run, came at the 2:34 mark of the second quarter.
Gustavus relied on its strong passing game to respond to St. Thomas’ first score. Hendricks connected with a wide-open Matt Boyce for a 7-yard touchdown. The Gusties’ success continued when they forced Tommie running back Jordan Roberts to fumble on the 15-yard line. Gustavus scooped up the ball on its own 2-yard line despite mishandling the recovery. This was the first fumble for Roberts in five weeks, but the turnover resulted in zero points.
Safety Isaac Seering said the defense re-focused after Gustavus’ lone touchdown.
“We were able to settle in a little bit. It’s not the first time we’ve experienced something like that,” Seering said. “We all knew what our jobs were, and we knew we had to execute them. Going into the next drive, that was the plan.”
St. Thomas answered with a 4-yard rushing touchdown from Roberts with 10:32 left in the first quarter. Roberts’ second 4-yard rushing score, his 23rd touchdown of the season on the ground, vaulted him past former Tommie back Colin Tobin’s mark set in 2011. Roberts rumbled from two yards out for his third and final touchdown on the afternoon. This Roberts’ third game during which he had over 230 rushing yards and his fourth game with three or more touchdowns. Caruso said he loves Roberts’ toughness.
“He’s tremendously resilient and I love watching him; we might block him for six and he gets eight, and he does that consistently,” Caruso said.
A 29-yard field goal from kicker Brendan Boche notched Gustavus’ first points since the 2:34 mark of the first quarter with 57 seconds left in the third. St. Thomas responded with a 45-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Fenske to tight end Wolfgang Dvorak. Fenske and Dvorak connected again later on a 25-yard score with 7:33 left in the fourth quarter. A 20-yard rushing touchdown from running back Tucker Trettel capped off the blowout.
A positive for Gustavus from the season-ending loss came late in the third quarter when Hendricks became Gustavus’ all-time leader in completions with 698. He surpassed Jordan Stolp, who was the back judge in Saturday’s contest. Hendricks finished Saturday’s contest with 188 passing yards on 16 completions.
Hendricks, who’s sixth in the nation in passing yards and fourth in touchdowns, averaged 306.4 passing yards per game this year. With him at the helm, Gustavus’ offense rattled off nearly 43 points per game.
“It all starts in the front line, getting pressure on him,” Seering said. “When we get pressure on him, it kind of forces him to look down at the pocket, as opposed to looking up at the receivers. We were able to flush him out a little bit; it made our job in the back a lot easier.”
Hendricks’ top target, wide receiver Matt Boyce, was the only wide receiver who pushed through the Tommies’ defense, rolling up 106 yards and one touchdown on eight receptions. All other wide receivers were held to a combined 91 receiving yards. Matt Boyce is ranked second in the nation in receiving yards and fifth in touchdowns. Caruso knew his defense was disrupting Gustavus’ fast-paced offense because he sensed a change in tempo.
“I kind of thought we were in good shape when they were in the no-huddle and bring(ing) the play clock down to three and four before they were getting it off,” Caruso said.
With Saturday’s win, the Tommies clinched their first outright MIAC crown since 2012. This is the first time St. Thomas concluded the regular season undefeated since the 2012 campaign, which ended with a 21-10 loss to Mount Union (Ohio) in the Stagg Bowl. An unblemished season was an important motivation for Donovan and the team Saturday.
“It’s huge on a personal level, because it was one of our goals. Also on a team level, that was one of our goals,” Donovan said. “Also playoff-wise, that gives us a huge advantage going into it.”
Jesse Krull can be reached at krul7386@stthomas.edu.