COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — Despite All-American running back Jordan Roberts’ absence, fourth-ranked St. Thomas scored in the first four minutes and recovered three St. John’s fumbles in the first half on its way to a 33-21 victory over the No. 6 Johnnies on Saturday afternoon at Clemens Stadium in front of more than 16,500 fans.
It was the second-largest crowd in Tommie-Johnnie history, after last year’s game.
Running back Josh Parks broke loose for 46 yards and a touchdown to secure the victory for the Tommies with 2 minutes left in the game. Parks rushed for 109 yards and scored two touchdowns.
MIAC SCOREBOARD
- St. Thomas 33, St. John’s 21
- Bethel 44, St. Olaf 7
- Hamline 42, Gustavus 40
- Augsburg 49, Carleton 17
“The way Josh played today … ‘admirable’ would be an understatement,” coach Glenn Caruso said.
Parks said playing in his first Tommie-Johnnie was a memorable experience, and he was excited about the outcome.
Quarterback Alex Fenske scored the first touchdown of the game and had a hand in other scoring plays for the Tommies. The fifth-year senior passed for 114 yards on nine completions in 18 attempts with one interception.
The Tommie quarterback admitted he wasn’t perfect but complimented his team on starting the game strong.
“Getting up on the board right away, that really helped our momentum for the rest of the game, and our defense made a great play getting the ball,” Fenske said.
Before Saturday’s game, former Penn State walk-on and Johnnie quarterback Jackson Erdmann had thrown 56 passes without an interception, but defensive back Michael Alada broke this streak with his third and fourth interceptions of the season.
Caruso was impressed with Alada’s commitment to the team over the past four years, even early in his career as a non-starter.
“He has labored and waited and now it is his time,” Caruso said. “He is producing. I am very proud of who he is becoming as a man.”
Defensive linemen Ryan Winter and Anthony King-Foreman and linebacker Matt Mitchell recovered Johnnie fumbles, with King-Foreman running his fumble back 57 yards for a touchdown as St. Thomas converted four St. John’s turnovers into touchdowns. Running back Tucker Trettel added a four-yard scoring run.
Caruso is not sure when Roberts will return but said the depth of the Tommies’ running back position is as good as it has been in his 21 years of coaching.
And Fenske was confident in the team’s ability to draw strength from its other members.
“That’s what we do,” Fenske said. “We just have guys step up. I mean, Jordan Roberts is a great running back, but we’ve got two other studs in Josh and Tucker.”
St. Thomas (4-0) will play its homecoming game against Augsburg (1-3) at 1:10 p.m. next Saturday.
Carolyn Meyer can be reached at cameyer@stthomas.edu.