[slidepress gallery=’footballcarleton-video-102409′]

Video by Jordan Osterman

The Tommies put up 34 points in the second half to give St. Thomas (6-1, 5-1 in MIAC) a 48-24 victory over the Carleton Knights (3-4, 1-4).

The Tommies’ high-powered offense was led by sophomore quarterback Dakota Tracy who came in early in the second half in place of Greg Morse.

The victory gives St. Thomas a good rebound win after falling to St. John’s Oct. 17. Topping Carleton also keeps the Tommies in second place in the MIAC with a 5-1 conference record with two conference games left to play.

Tracy relied on his feet on his first drive at the helm as he tucked the ball in and ran for a 48-yard touchdown, giving the Tommies a 27-14 lead.

“It was a pretty simple play,” Tracy said. “I saw the play break down and had to attack it. Luckily I had blockers in front of me to take care of that one guy.”

Tracy rushed the ball four times for a total of 66 yards and two touchdowns. Tracy also flashed his arm with a 59-yard pass to sophomore Nick Gleisner, setting up Tracy’s second touchdown run from the 12-yard line.

Tommie rushing game runs all over Knights

The rushing attack was running smoothly for the Tommies as sophomore Colin Tobin and junior Ben Wartman both ran for two scores. Wartman’s day was highlighted by a 34-yard carry, which set him up for a 2-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

In addition to the strong running game, the Tommies threw for 128 yards. Greg Morse threw for 59 yards in the first half but was pulled from the game after throwing two interceptions. Tracy had 69 yards on just two completions in the second half.

A bright spot for Carleton was sophomore quarterback Vaughn Schmid who stayed poised for most of the game completing 55 percent of his passes and throwing for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

“He is a real good player,” junior defensive linemen Danny Kane said. “And to finally get some pressure and disrupt that passing game is a good feeling.”

Knights’ quarterback Schmid kept it close for a bit

Schmid kept the Knights in the game the best he could throwing for two fourth quarter touchdowns including a 46-yard dart to sophomore wide-receiver Anthony Kemper. The strike got the Knights to within 13 points with just under four minutes to play.

But any hope that the Knights had ended when Wartman and the “hands team” recovered the onside kick and returned it to the Knight’s 12-yard line.

Tobin ran some time off the clock and then scored his second touchdown of the game with just under two minutes left in the game, wrapping up St. Thomas’ sixth win on the season.

The Knights fall to 1-4, putting the team in a three-way tie with Concordia and St. Olaf for sixth place in the MIAC. The Tommies take on Augsburg next week at home before traveling to Bethel.