Sophomore quarterback Nick Peipert runs off the field after ending his first starting possession with a touchdown scored by graduate running back Gabe Abel. Peipert led the Tommies to victory against Northern Michigan 56-14 Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium. (Sydney Baxter/The Crest) 
First-year wide receiver Wilson Ptacek and senior running back Noah Hofmann scramble for the punt return. (Sydney Baxter/The Crest) 
Junior wide receiver Stefano Giovannelli celebrates a touchdown in the first quarter. (Sydney Baxter/The Crest) 
Fans celebrate a St. Thomas touchdown. (Sydney Baxter/The Crest) 
Junior St. Thomas wide receiver Ben Buesgens collides with senior Northern Michigan safety Markiss Nelson, falling out of bounds near the endzone. (Sydney Baxter/The Crest) 
Junior wide receiver Quentin Cobb-Butler celebrates a touchdown in the first quarter that was later nullified by a penalty. (Sydney Baxter/The Crest)
St. Thomas football walked away with a 56-14 victory against the Division II Northern Michigan Wildcats Saturday afternoon at O’Shaughnessy Stadium, led by a strong performance from fourth-string quarterback Nicholas Peipert.
Sophomore Peipert started after an injury sidelined original starter junior Anthony Policare, but Peipert made his debut a memorable one by throwing for 270 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a third.
Coach Glenn Caruso said “we’ll have to see” if Policare would start again next week for the Tommies (2-1) but praised Peipert’s performance against Northern Michigan (0-3).
“He came in, our fourth quarterback, and sometimes in football that’s just where you’re at,” Caruso said. “ … I thought he played beautifully today, not perfect, but beautifully.”
The first quarter began with the Tommies dominating all facets of the game, scoring two touchdowns and forcing an interception within the first 10 minutes to put them ahead 15-0. The Tommies took that momentum and built on it to take a 35-7 lead at halftime.
The Tommies utilized four different running backs: graduate student Gabe Abel, sophomore Mordecai Ford, sophomore Noah Long and junior Joseph Koch, whose combined ground attack totaled 156 yards and three touchdowns.
In the second half, the Tommies continued to play well on defense. A Wildcat fumble recovered by graduate defensive lineman Evan Tyler and a sack by sophomore linebacker William Seymour helped the Tommies limit the Wildcats to seven points in the half.
The defense was led by junior linebacker Nash Tichy, who had a game-high 10 tackles and a self-described chip on his shoulder from the two teams’ first meeting last year, when St. Thomas narrowly scraped by with a 20-7 victory.
“We felt like we left something out there, and we tried our best to get that back today,” Tichy said. “A lot of energy, a lot of guys making tackles, a lot of guys coming into the game.”
Caruso said he thought the defense did well holding back Northern Michigan in the first half, “but we also made a couple of big mistakes” due to increased pressure from the opposing team.
Caruso also said that Saturday’s game allowed him to play about 60 players to increase their in-game experience early in the season.
Running back Gabe Abel, who scored three touchdowns Saturday, said that the team would continue to improve ahead of their game against Southern Utah next Saturday.
“The preparation each week, no matter the opponent, stays the same: we try to focus on us,” Abel said. “The mentality doesn’t change. The goal each week is to win.”
The Tommies will kick off against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
Jackson Geibig can be reached at geib3470@stthomas.edu.
Kevin Lynch can be reached at lync1832@stthomas.edu.
Sydney Baxter can be reached at baxt9124@stthomas.edu.
