With the game tied, the Tommies’ offense had the chance to go the length of the field and score late in the fourth quarter Saturday at Torero Stadium. They couldn’t capitalize.
Graduate quarterback Andy Peters fumbled in consecutive plays, setting up a San Diego 25-yard field goal to win the game. After the second fumble, Peters lay in the grass, face down with regret. His teammates circled around him and helped Peters stand up.
Week 5 games are rarely must-win, but Saturday’s result was essential for the Tommies heading into conference matchups. The Toreros were preseason favorites in the Pioneer League and picked up wins against Southern Utah and Princeton.
After the Tommies’ 30-27 loss, coach Glenn Caruso said “ball security is everybody’s issue.”
“When a fumble happens … it’s not just one person. It’s everything from blocking — or lack thereof — to formation, to coaches,” Caruso said to ESPN Radio.
The Tommies led 27-10 halfway through the third quarter. However, St. Thomas allowed 20 unanswered points after failing to create a scoring cushion.
Caruso said the team’s inability to run the football was a “massive failure.” The box score shows a modest 131 rushing yards, but 53 yards came in a single carry by Peters. After losing sophomore running back Joseph Koch to injury, the Tommies turned to graduate Patrick Bowen Jr. and senior Gabriel Abel, but neither averaged more than 2.6 yards per carry.
“You know, Gabe, first game back, we didn’t expect him to be necessarily at his peak … Unfortunately, for us, (Koch) went down really early in the first quarter, and he was done for the game, so it didn’t allow us to use a lot of guys,” Caruso said. “I don’t think we gave those guys the cleanest looks, and we’re moving laterally quite a bit today instead of moving downhill.”
In their last four drives before fumbling, the Tommies missed a 34-yard field goal, couldn’t convert on fourth down in Toreros territory and punted twice. In that span, St. Thomas only accrued two first downs.
Caruso challenged the turnover on downs after Bowen stretched for the first down, but the call stood. In his postgame interview, Caruso said the officials told him the crew didn’t have the right camera angle to determine the spot of the ball.
“We knew that it would come down to finishing in the red zone. That was as clear as it could be … In addition, we also took sacks that moved us out of either kicking range or fourth down range,” Caruso said.
Before crumbling in the second half, the Tommies’ offense had the makings of a strong performance. Sophomore receiver Quentin Cobb-Butler surpassed 100 receiving yards and hauled in two touchdowns before halftime.
Despite the loss, Peters became the first Tommie quarterback in the D-I era to throw for at least two touchdowns in each of the first four games of the season.
Several key starters returned this week, including preseason All-PFL senior defensive back Den Juette and senior defensive backs Joseph Obeto and Branden Smith.
The coaching staff ceded field goal duties to sophomore kicker Ben Hoiland after junior punter Elliot Huether went one-for-five.
The Tommies return to O’Shaughnessy Stadium to play Butler for Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 4. The game starts at 1 p.m.
Juan Del Valle can be reached at delv9625@stthomas.edu.
