Running back Nick Waldvogel’s three touchdowns propelled the St. Thomas offense to 28 first-quarter points and a 45-27 Homecoming victory over Augsburg College Saturday.

Quarterback Matt O’Connell started the scoring for the Tommies (4-1 overall, 2-1 MIAC) with a 10-yard touchdown run to cap off St. Thomas’ opening possession of the game.

On the Auggies’ (2-3 overall, 1-2 MIAC) first play after the O’Connell touchdown, Tommie linebacker Jesse Addo forced Augsburg running back Jerise Washington to fumble, giving St. Thomas the ball back at the Augsburg 24-yard line.

“(Turnovers) were big,” coach Glenn Caruso said. “The first 25 minutes of the game, we were basically playing football (in Augsburg territory). The turnovers put the offense on a lot of short fields, so when you only have to go 42 yards for a touchdown, that’s a pretty good situation to be in.”

The Tommies couldn’t capitalize on Washington’s turnover as kicker Paul Graupner’s 35-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

After forcing an Augsburg punt, the Tommies put together a 76-yard touchdown drive. Waldvogel ended the drive with a 19-yard touchdown scamper, giving St. Thomas a 14-0 lead. The St. Thomas offense amassed 283 yards on the ground, 106 of which came from Waldvogel, and Caruso said the team “ran the ball effectively.”

“There are a couple things that make you feel good as a coach, and running the ball and stopping the run are two of the big ones,” Caruso said.

The Tommie defense continued to stifle the Auggie offense when lineman Sam Pokornowski forced another fumble with 3:17 left in the first quarter. Defensive back Kyle Coyne recovered the ball and gave the Tommies good field position on Augsburg’s 25-yard line.

This time, St. Thomas was able to translate the turnover into points, capping off the drive with a 2-yard Waldvogel touchdown – his second of the afternoon – for a 21-0 St. Thomas lead.

“It brings huge momentum on both sides of the ball if we as a defense can make turnovers and get our offense the ball,” Coyne said. “We definitely have an experienced group, and that’s what helps us. If we can keep (creating turnovers) week by week, I think we’ll be successful.”

The Tommies forced three Auggie fumbles, recovering two, and added an interception, for three takeaways.

After recovering an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, the Tommie offense struck once more in the first quarter, this time through the air. Wide receiver Pete Fitzsimmons took a lateral from O’Connell and threw it deep to fellow wide receiver Jack Gilliland for a 38-yard touchdown – St. Thomas’ second touchdown in eight seconds – giving the Tommies a 28-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

After a couple of empty possessions by both teams to start the second quarter, Waldvogel found the end zone for the third time, taking a 31-yard run to the house, putting St. Thomas up 35-0.

“The tempo in which we get to the line and the way we carried ourselves throughout the game is really the way that opened up the holes,” Waldvogel said. “The offensive linemen did a great job of that, and the fullbacks did a great job of that as well.”

The Auggies found the end zone with 32 seconds remaining in the half for their first touchdown of the game. Led by Augsburg quarterback Ayrton Scott’s 37-yard run, the Auggie offense drove down the field for a touchdown, capped off by Scott’s 5-yard run.

The Tommies countered the Auggies’ touchdown, getting into field goal range with seconds remaining, and Graupner drilled a 43-yard field goal as time expired to extend the Tommie lead to 38-7 at the half.

“There were a lot of tempo changes, and that puts the control of the game in the offense’s hands,” Caruso said.

“I think it’s the type of energy, especially in the first half, that we expect to have. That pride and passion is the thing … the fans deserve to watch and that we should play with to be successful,” Waldvogel said.

The Tommies found their way into the end zone on their second drive of the second half with a 7-yard pass from O’Connell to tight end Cole Kelly, increasing the lead to 45-7.

The Augsburg offense got things rolling after that, effectively changing the momentum of the remainder of the game.

The Auggies drove down the field on their next possession when Scott hit wide receiver Joey Sonnenfeld for a 46-yard touchdown pass, making the score 45-14.

“(Scott is) definitely one of the best in the MIAC, if not the country. He’s a great player and tough to take down,” Coyne said. “The game plan our coaches came up with today and the way we executed helped contain him and helped us get a victory.”

The St. Thomas defense was able to hold Scott, who averages about 250 passing yards per game, to 181 yards Saturday.

After a botched St. Thomas punt, the Auggies regained possession on the Tommie 13-yard line, where Scott and Sonnenfeld connected again, this time for a 4-yard score to start the fourth quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, an Auggie squib kick attempt struck a Tommie player and Augsburg recovered the loose ball.

“We had some major special teams errors,” Caruso said. “Anytime that you have two turnovers, it’s bad, but when you have them on special teams it’s even worse because there is so much field position that is lost.”

The Auggies worked their way back into the red zone, where they were faced with a fourth-and-goal situation. Coyne jumped the route and intercepted Scott, returning the ball to near midfield, giving momentum back to St. Thomas.

But it didn’t last long. Two plays after the interception, St. Thomas wide receiver Joe Reed caught a pass from quarterback John Gould over the middle and fumbled the ball, giving possession back to Augsburg with eight minutes left in the game.

“It’s unacceptable,” Caruso said of the late-game performance. “When you’re given an opportunity to play, whether you’re a one, two, three or four, you need to make the most of it.”

With 3:05 remaining in the game, Augsburg’s Scott-Sonnenfeld duo struck for a third time, completing a 16-yard touchdown pass, and after a failed two-point conversion, the score stood at 45-27.

After safely fielding an Augsburg onside kick, St. Thomas ran out the remaining time, sealing the Tommies’ 45-27 victory.

“I’m really looking forward to looking at the film,” Caruso said after the up-and-down performance.

The Tommies are back in action next Saturday as they travel to Hamline (2-3 overall, 0-3 MIAC) to take on the Pipers.

Scott Sikich can be reached at siki3549@stthomas.edu.