University of St. Thomas Athletics
1-1 , 0-0
South Dakota
1-1 , 0-0
Team Stats
UST 0, USD 7
USD - Martens,Jack 30 yd pass from Bouman,Aidan (Leyland,Will kick) 8 plays, 80 yards, TOP 03:38
UST 0, USD 14
USD - Galbreath,JJ 3 yd pass from Bouman,Aidan (Leyland,Will kick) 12 plays, 59 yards, TOP 06:11
UST 0, USD 17
USD - Leyland,Will 25 yd field goal 6 plays, 48 yards, TOP 03:01
UST 0, USD 24
USD - Thomas,Nate 25 yd run (Leyland,Will kick), 2 plays, 29 yards, TOP 00:47
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Football battles in South Dakota
9/9/2023 5:28:00 PM | Football
Tommie defense holds Coyotes to seven first half points
VERMILLION, S.D. – The University of St. Thomas football team knew Saturday may be one of its toughest games in 2023. The Tommies were taking on a goliath in the University of South Dakota, an FCS scholarship program competing in the might Missouri Valley Conference. St. Thomas certainly held its own Saturday afternoon but came up short in its first meeting with the Coyotes since 1979, falling 24-0 in Vermillion, South Dakota. With the loss, the team is now 1-1 entering next weekend's game at Harvard.
RECAP:
Many "experts" expected Saturday to be a blowout in favor of South Dakota. With scholarship student-athletes on their side, the Coyotes were supposed to be the superior team Saturday afternoon, but the Tommies held their own, especially on the defensive side of the ball. St. Thomas held South Dakota to just six first downs in the first half and 26 rushing yards and got a huge stop on the home team's first drive of the game. However, despite intense defensive pressure by the Tommies, the Coyotes scored the first touchdown of the at 6:31 in the first quarter. In fact, St. Thomas seemingly made a huge stop on third and eight, with Jonathan Bunce (Edina, Minn. / Edina) eying his first sack of the 2023 season. However, South Dakota quarterback Aidan Bouman slipped out of Bunce's grasp and found Jack Martens for a somewhat controversial 13-yard completion, setting up the Coyotes eventually touchdown.
Down 7-0, Tak Tateoka (Waukesha, Wis. / Waukesha South) looked to lead the Tommies offensive response, converting two big third downs to put St. Thomas in Coyote territory. The freshman was unable to put St. Thomas in field goal range, however, as the Tommies were forced to punt in their first two offensive possessions of the game. Still, the St. Thomas defense held South Dakota at bay through the first 15 minutes, as the Coyotes ended the first quarter with a slim 7-0 lead over the Tommies.
The St. Thomas defense continued to come up with big plays in the second quarter, as a pass break up by Yusef Leak (Orlando, Fla. / Master's Academy) and sack by Tommy Shelstad (Bloomington, Minn./ Holy Angels) prevented another South Dakota scoring drive early on. With the final offensive possession of the first half, Tateoka and the Tommies looked to get something going, and in the final 16 seconds, it seemed like they found a spark. Tateoka found senior wide receiver Lucas Torgerson (Turtle Lake, Wis. / Turtle Lake) for a long completion in the dwindling seconds, putting St. Thomas within striking distance of a potential field goal. The Tommies, though, were unable to capitalize on their final plays of the half, but only trailed 7-0 to the FCS Scholarship Coyotes.
The third quarter did not get off to the start St. Thomas hoped for. The Tommies were once again forced to punt after a three-and-out on the first possession of the third quarter, and despite Elliot Huether's (Minnetonka, Minn. / Minnetonka) best attempts, South Dakota found itself on its own 41-yard line for its first possession of the half. By the six minute mark, the Coyotes had a 14-0 lead, as they scored their second receiving touchdown of the game on third and three from the St. Thomas three.
The Tommies finally saw the momentum swing in their direction to start the fourth quarter. With South Dakota driving deep in St. Thomas territory, the defense came up with a huge stop on fourth and one, giving the Tommie offense the ball on their own 30-yard line. That turnover seemed to spark something in Tateoka and the St. Thomas offense. Back-to-back completions to Colin Chase (Orange County, Calif. / St. John Bosco) and long rushes by Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) put the Tommies in enemy territory, with the potential to score their first touchdown of the game. Instead, after a near perfect game, St. Thomas fumbled in its own territory, putting the ball right back in the Coyotes hands.
The defense held South Dakota to a field goal after the fumble, keeping the game within striking distance at 17-0. The Tommies, though, despite valiant efforts, could not come up with an answer on offense. With the minutes dwindling, the Coyotes scored one final touchdown in the fourth quarter, cementing their 24-0 victory over St. Thomas.
TOP TOMMIES
·Tak Tateoka (Waukesha, Wis. / Waukesha South) made the first start of his collegiate career at quarterback, completing 15 of 22 pass attempts for 133 passing yards against South Dakota. His top receiver was Colin Chase (Orange County, Calif. / St. John Bosco), who tallied 40 receiving yards on five receptions.
·Elliot Huether (Minnetonka, Minn. / Minnetonka) became the second punter in St. Thomas history to record over 200 punting yards in a game in the Division I era. The freshman phenom booted the ball for 200 yards by the end of the second quarter and closed the game with 235 put yards, averaging 39.2 yards per punt. It puts him second all-time in single-game punting yards in the Division I era, according to available records.
·Three Tommies led the team with seven tackles Saturday afternoon: Grif Wurtz (Chaska, Minn. / Chaska), Tommy Shelstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Holy Angels) and Jack Mohler (Woodbury, Minn. / East Ridge).
NOTABLES
The last time St. Thomas was shutout in a football game was December 10, 2011, when the Tommies lost to UW-Whitewater in the playoffs 21-0. Exactly 4291 days passed between the two shutouts, which is one of the longest records in program history.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will look to rebound with a win at Harvard on Saturday, September 16, 2023. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. More information regarding pregame tailgate and other information surrounding the Harvard game will be available in the upcoming days.
