Wide receiver Nick Waldvogel said the No. 18-ranked St. Thomas football team’s depth will be a key factor in attempting to hand Augsburg College its fourth MIAC loss Saturday in Minneapolis.

“We have so many different people that can do so many different things for our team,” Waldvogel said. “We’re not one dimensional anymore like a lot of teams are and our team used to be.”

The Tommies (5-2 overall, 3-2 MIAC) have won their last five contests against the Auggies (4-3 overall, 3-3 MIAC), and coach Glenn Caruso said the strong Augsburg offense will challenge his defense.

“I think the biggest thing is to stay focused and balanced on our individual tasks,” Caruso said. “Certainly their offense and their big play capability is always going to have to keep our defense on their toes, making sure we’re covering all our bases.”

Posting 343.5 total tackles to the Auggies’ 595, defensive back Sean Hamlin said the team’s defense will rely on the players’ strong dynamic for success.

“We usually come in with the same mindset- everyone just doing their job,” Hamlin said. “Just having trust in each other and doing our jobs to the best of our ability.”

The Tommie offense averages 34.9 points per game, while the Auggies average 34.57. The Tommies will look to their strong offensive players under the leadership of a quarterback duo.

With quarterbacks Matt O’Connell and Ben Duncan out for the season, Caruso said the Tommie offense is adjusting well to the shift in leadership as the team rotates between quarterbacks Alex Fenske and John Gould.

“That’s a big benefit for our team to have two guys, both very good players but so different in so many ways,” Caruso said. “Obviously every quarterback brings a different skillset: Johnny Gould has a made a lot of plays with his feet, and Alex Fenske has made a lot of plays with his arm.”

St. Thomas out-rushes Augsburg 1,518 to 1,299 yards on the season.

Facing the Auggies on their home turf, Waldvogel said the atmosphere can shift the team’s play, but the mentality remains consistent.

“It’s a different atmosphere. You’re right next to the highway, and then all the sound is contained to the actual field,” Waldvogel said. “I’m more focused about what we’ll do as a team play-to-play and not what field we’re at.”

Sean Crotty can be reached at crot0230@stthomas.edu.