Tommie senior tight end Patrick Wagner and Bulldog senior defensive back Will Mason dive through the end zone in overtime. The Bulldogs defeated the University of St. Thomas 21-14 in overtime at O’Shaughnessy Stadium October 4, 2025. (Evan Neubauer/The Crest) 
The UST and Butler series is now at 3-2 all time (Evan Neubauer/The Crest). 
Coach Glenn Caruso put the blame on himself for continuing Tommie turnovers (Evan Neubauer/The Crest).
For a moment, it felt like the Tommies might pull off a thrilling overtime win against Butler on homecoming Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium. Senior linebacker Jordan Pendleton scooped a fumble and returned it to Butler’s end zone on the first possession of overtime. The entire team raced down the sideline, their arms up, and met Pendleton in the south end zone.
The problem? It didn’t count. An offside penalty denied a walk-off win.
A play later, Butler junior quarterback Reagan Andrew sneaked for a 1-yard touchdown to win 21-14.
“In the moment, we thought (the fumble recovery) was pretty cool, but apparently we had a guy offsides,” graduate linebacker Caden Nelson said. “I mean, we had multiple opportunities to win that game. It doesn’t come down to just one play.”
The game was St. Thomas’ chance to win their first conference game of the season.
The Tommies’ offense drove down the field after Butler’s overtime possession but couldn’t convert on a fourth down at the 5-yard line. Graduate quarterback Andy Peters rolled right, looking for a target. He hesitated and launched the football a second too late. Game over.
In Saturday’s loss, Butler hunted St. Thomas’ mistakes. Before the end of regulation, the Bulldogs blocked a 43-yard field goal attempt. Just before halftime, Peters threw an interception on third down inside the red zone.
“We were debating whether or not to overload a side knowing what their (field goal) block was,” coach Glenn Caruso said. ”They came with an all-out block … and unfortunately one of our guys on the left side, instead of staying down in his gap, popped back out, and they came through.”
Turnovers have plagued the Tommies over the last two weeks. Caruso put the blame on himself, saying, “I’m not either doing or I’m not emphasizing how important (avoiding turnovers) is.”
“We simply cannot – and this is now three out of the last five weeks that I’ve said this – continue to operate in the red zone the way we have been because it’s not good enough,” Caruso said. “And whether it’s the interception by Andy, or whether it’s not finishing in a short yardage situation, those types of things are what lead to days like today.”
Sophomore wide receiver Quentin Cobb-Butler was a bright spot on the offense. Cobb-Butler corralled a touchdown for the second straight game and now has three on the year.
“We knew last year that Quentin was not only a talented guy but very thoughtful … A lot of people look at how fast he is, but they don’t understand he’s a great route runner,” Caruso said. “I love the energy he brings to the team.”
Senior running back Gabe Abel returned from an injury last week and saw more snaps during Saturday’s game.
“We thought Gabe ran very, very hard for a guy who’s two games off of an injury … I’m very happy for him that he’s starting to feel healthy,” Caruso said.
Butler is the closest thing St. Thomas has to a rival after the university reclassified to D-I. St. Thomas defeated Butler to clinch their first PFL title in 2022. The Tommies lead the series 3-0 until last year, when the Bulldogs defeated the Tommies 36-20 on Nov. 16.
After Saturday’s game, Butler chanted their way into the visitor locker room inside the Anderson Athletics and Recreation Complex. Butler sits second in the standings after starting 2-0 in conference play.
St. Thomas will travel to North Carolina to play Davidson on Saturday, Oct. 11. The game is scheduled for noon CST.
