St. Thomas football won 20-13 against Drake, securing a crucial Pioneer Football League contest.
St. Thomas (5-2 PFL) needed to win to have a chance at the championship with one PFL game left against No. 23 Presbyterian (4-2 PFL) on Nov. 15 at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
“I think our team is pretty special,” coach Glenn Caruso told ESPN Radio. “They’ve grown every week, we’re not perfect, but we work hard for each other. And I’m just so proud of them.”
Even if the Tommies defeat Presbyterian, UST still needs help. Drake (5-1 PFL) remains in first place and needs to lose at least one of their next two games against Dayton (4-2 PFL) or Morehead State (4-3 PFL) for the Tommies to finish in first. If Drake wins both games, the Bulldogs are champions.
San Diego (4-2 PFL) is also in the hunt for first place and faces Butler (3-3 PFL) on Nov. 15. If San Diego and Dayton win out, San Diego owns the tiebreaker over Dayton and St. Thomas.
Per the PFL, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head record. However, not every team plays each other in the PFL (St. Thomas will not play Dayton or Morehead State this year). In that case, “each team’s record against all common opponents in the league shall be used to break the tie,” per the conference.
The PFL is set for an exciting finish with two weeks left, but the bottom-line remains the same for St. Thomas: Win against Presbyterian and hope the contending teams lose at least one game – and a little help from the tiebreakers.
St. Thomas has now won five straight games and defeated Drake for the first time since the 2022 season. On a day when snow blanketed Drake Stadium, the St. Thomas offense struggled for 252 yards, but the defense stepped up.
“It was tough to move the ball in the second half. I think shutting down the run early led to us being able to get some pressure,” Caruso said.
The defense only allowed a second-quarter touchdown and two field goals. After halftime, senior defensive back Ryan Calcagno intercepted Drake first-year quarterback Logan Inagawa. The Tommies then forced one punt and a pair of turnovers on downs.
Late in the fourth quarter, Drake drove to midfield but threw three straight incompletions to end the series. On a fourth-and-6, Inagawa attempted a deep pass to sophomore receiver Hank Foley, but St. Thomas senior defensive back Joseph Obeto broke up the pass.
Drake recovered the football with less than a minute left, but the Tommies’ secondary prevailed once again to force an incompletion.
“They remember how they felt last year and they utilized it for fuel. And that results in snow angels down in Des Moines,” Caruso said.
The Tommies scored the first touchdown of the game via a special teams fake. Sophomore wide receiver and holder Stefano Giovannelli took the snap and ran from 6 yards out to reach the end zone. Giovannelli has now scored two touchdowns stemming from fake field goals this season.
The Tommies return home on Saturday, before facing No. 1 North Dakota State on the road Nov. 22.
Juan Del Valle can be reached at delv9625@stthomas.edu.
