St. Thomas (7-3, 4-2 PFL) fumbled a game needed to hold on to the Pioneer Football League crown Saturday, dropping 41-14 to Butler (8-2, 5-1) at the Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl in Indianapolis.
Both teams sat at the top of the conference in a tie with Dayton going in, and the Tommies’ No. 1-ranked offense seemed battle-ready against the Bulldogs’ No. 1-ranked defense. However, the team floundered after suffering key injuries early on.
“We weren’t able to overcome some early setbacks,” coach Glenn Caruso said in a postgame interview with 1500 ESPN Radio. “We fought, which I appreciate, but that was a rough one.”
After taking an early 7-3 lead with a touchdown by redshirt first-year quarterback Nick Peipert, the Tommies’ misfortunes seemed unrelenting.
Peipert left the game with an apparent injury at the start of the second quarter and was replaced by junior Anthony Policare. The team’s other lead rusher, graduate running back Gabe Abel, was removed due to injury in the third quarter. He was seen on crutches at the end of the game, according to ESPN announcers.
Policare eventually built offensive momentum, amassing 152 passing yards and bringing the Tommies within two scores after scoring a third-quarter touchdown to make it 27-14. But the team struggled on the ground without Peipert, who led the team with 38 rushing yards despite playing only two possessions.
“Anthony came in, did a really nice job at times, also, you know, had some rough spots, we know that, and that’s not all on one person,” Caruso said. “… Offensively, from the offensive line, to the tight ends, to the quarterback and the running back, it just did not flow very smoothly.”
Sophomore linebacker Will Seymour also exited the game in the second half. The Tommies’ defensive uncertainty allowed Bulldog sophomore running back Michael Dellumo to rack up 143 rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging 17.9 yards per carry.
Caruso said Butler junior quarterback Gabe Passini effectively capitalized on the Tommies’ predicament, such that “going into halftime, it could have been a lot worse than down 13.” Passini threw for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
“I think he navigated the game really well,” Caruso said. “They certainly want to run the ball, and they came out and they threw it enough to keep you honest.”
The game knockedSt. Thomas off the top of the PFL podium as Dayton beat Valparaiso earlier in the day, remaining in first place at 5-1 with the Bulldogs.
Caruso said that the team would “get back at it tomorrow” but that he regretted the disappointing early end to some players’ seasons. He did not comment on the specifics of any player’s injury.
“It’s a tough one, and I hope that we’re tougher so that we can learn and grow from this,” Caruso said. “… Just my heart’s really sad for those guys, especially the guys whose seasons and careers might be over.”
The Tommies will face Drake in their final home game of the season at 1 p.m. on Nov. 14 at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
Kevin Lynch can be reached at lync1832@stthomas.edu.
