St. Thomas lines up at the end zone against Southern Utah University with nine seconds to go in the first half. St. Thomas went on to win their fourth game of season, closing the game out 28-26. (Iman Mohamed/The Crest) 
Sophomore quarterback Nick Peipert faces off against a Southern Utah linebacker. (Iman Mohamed/The Crest) 
Junior wide receiver Quentin Cobb-Butler connects with Peipert’s pass. (Iman Mohamed/The Crest) 
Fans gather on a rainy day at O’Shaughnessy Stadium. (Iman Mohamed/The Crest) 
A St. Thomas player rushes into the Thunderbirds’ defense. (Iman Mohamed/The Crest) 
The Tommies huddle up after halftime. (Iman Mohamed/The Crest)
The St. Thomas football team seemed poised to decisively defeat Southern Utah University 28-20 Saturday after a dramatic fourth-down stop at the 2 yard line in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, 1 yard short of a first down.
But after forcing an offensive four-and-out, Southern Utah quickly marched back down the field at O’Shaughnessy Stadium and into the end zone, placing the game’s fate on a two-point conversion to tie it all. The Tommie defense held its ground, forcing junior quarterback Will Burns to cut wide and make a pass that fell from redshirt wide receiver Mark Bails’ hands, securing the 28-26 win.
“I think we played with the appropriate amount of aggression,” coach Glenn Caruso said of the play. “With a team that is that dominant in the run game … I think the simple fact that they went to that play call is a tip of the hat to Coach K and the defensive staff stopping the run.”
Fans in ponchos stuck it out through dreary conditions to see the victory, which Caruso said was long overdue after the Thunderbirds (1-3) trounced St. Thomas (3-1) 44-13 in Cedar City in September 2022.
“Going down there my freshman year, the scoreboard didn’t reflect what we wanted it to,” graduate running back Gabe Abel said. “Just to be able to get the win for the guys, those seniors that cried on that field, and it was just amazing. Full circle.”
The Tommies’ momentum after last week’s triumphant home victory over Northern Michigan was tempered with hesitancy against Utah’s slippery offense, led by redshirt senior running back Floyd Chalk, who rushed for 130 yards Saturday.
The Tommies notched an early lead with a 63-yard touchdown by junior wide receiver Quentin Cobb-Butler in the first quarter, but the Thunderbirds quickly answered with a field goal, followed by a touchdown off an interception by redshirt defensive back Parker Vance.
St. Thomas’ offense scraped its way back to the end zone at the end of the half thanks to a 36-yard catch by Cobb-Butler. The ball languished on the 1 yard line after Utah held back two consecutive tush pushes and forced an incomplete pass from Peipert. It took a final fourth-down ground push with four seconds remaining in the half to inch St. Thomas forward to a 17-14 lead.
“I wasn’t kicking a field goal at all in that scenario. There’s no way,” Caruso said.
The Thunderbirds got a break in the third quarter thanks to a blocked punt that positioned them at St. Thomas’ 20 yard line. But the Tommie defense held them to a field goal and prevented them from picking up first downs until late in the fourth quarter.
This game marked quarterback Nick Peipert’s second start as a Tommie after being named the Pioneer Football League Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week for his performance against Northern Michigan on Sept. 12. Caruso said that the sophomore, who picked up 231 passing yards Saturday, “is starting to play a little more like a veteran.”
The Tommies will face San Diego for their third straight home game on Sept. 26 for homecoming. It also marks the team’s first conference game of the season.
“It’s amazing to have a big, great, out-of-conference game, but our real season starts next week, and our biggest games come in conference,” Abel said.
Kevin Lynch can be reached at lync1832@stthomas.edu.
Iman Mohamed can be reached at moha5348@stthomas.edu.
