Quarterback Jacques Perra threw for 247 yards and one touchdown, and he ran for two more scores in three quarters of play Saturday at Edor Nelson Field in Minneapolis as St. Thomas defeated Augsburg 57-25.

Perra completed a season-high 80 percent of his throws to seven different targets. Though he only added one score through the air, his pocket presence impressed the Tommie coaching staff.

“He’s really starting to balance the intuition of when it’s time to stay in there and go through your progression even when it’s tight,” coach Glenn Caruso said. “He’s a guy who can do some really interesting things with his feet, and he was able to run the ball really well today and only take one hit, so I like it.”

“The line played really well up front,” Perra said. “I just had a lot of time back there. I felt confident in my reads and in my throws this week.

Perra’s best performance of the season helped the Tommie offense surpass 500 yards for the second time of the 2017 campaign. The running game, led by running backs Tucker Trettel and Jordan Roberts, combined for 267 yards and six touchdowns.

“Each running back brings his own skill sets, and I was really impressed with how they played today,” Caruso said.

The Tommies’ 57 points were the second most they have scored this season, trailing only their 63-0 shutout of Carleton in Week 3.

For the second time in as many weeks, the St. Thomas defense shut down the opposing running game. The Tommies limited the Auggies to minus-27 yards on 23 carries, and leading rusher James Newton could muster only 12 yards.

Over the past two weeks, the Tommies have held Augsburg and St. John’s to a combined minus-26 yards on the ground.

“I’ve never heard of it before. I have to give a lot of credit to our guys up front,” defensive back Austin Lorch said. “That helps us (in coverage). It’s incredible.”

Against the pass, the Tommies gave up 270 yards and four touchdowns. The Auggies, who had led the MIAC in pass yards per game going into Saturday’s match, were held to their second-lowest passing total of the season.

The Tommies still allowed several big plays on the outside, something they have struggled with all season long. Overall, Caruso believes his defense is moving in the right direction.

“The way that we’re attacking the run game, it’s familiar to me right now,” he said. “Obviously we have to clean up some of the issues in the intermediate pass game, but it reminds me of the defenses, when we were at our best, of how they played.”

Penalties and turnovers continued to plague the Tommies through the halfway point of the season. Eleven penalties were called against St. Thomas for a net loss of 93 yards. A holding call in the fourth negated a 50-yard gain by running back Josh Parks. The Tommies committed three turnovers: Perra threw an interception, and Josh Parks and Vinny Pallini lost fumbles.

Pallini’s fumble came on a muffed punt in the first quarter that gave Augsburg a second chance after the St. Thomas defense forced a three-and-out on its opponent’s first possession. The Auggies found the end zone and tied the game 7-7.

“That’s four weeks in a row that we had a major issue on special teams, and that’s not like us,” Caruso said. “We’re usually able to correct our problem and not make the same mistake twice, but it’s plaguing us right now.”

St. Thomas sits alone in first place in the MIAC standings Concordia (2-0, 4-0) defeated Gustavus 27-17 in Moorhead. The Tommies will host the Cobbers on Oct. 7 in the first game at O’Shaughnessy Stadium since the season opener.

Last season, the Tommies beat the Cobbers 23-20 in Moorhead with a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Fenske to wide receiver Nick Waldvogel with two seconds remaining. The win lifted the Tommies to a 9-1 record against the Cobbers in the past decade.

Noah Brown can be reached brow7736@stthomas.edu.