Tommies hold Oles scoreless at half

Posted on by

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Three St. Olaf turnovers and a relentless running game helped quarterback Matt O’Connell and the St. Thomas offense put up 34 points in the second quarter and lead the Tommie football team to a 48-0 lead at halftime against the Oles.

St. Thomas running back Brenton Braddock celebrates with the Tommie offense. Braddock was good for two touchdowns in the first half of Saturday’s game. (Jake Remes/TommieMedia)
St. Thomas running back Brenton Braddock celebrates with the Tommie offense. Braddock was good for two touchdowns in the first half of Saturday’s game. (Jake Remes/TommieMedia)

The Tommies got on the scoreboard first after taking the opening kickoff and marching down the field in just 3:28 for a touchdown. O’Connell completed all three of his passing attempts, while running back Jack Kaiser capped off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.

St. Olaf responded to the St. Thomas scoring drive quickly. After a long kick return and a roughing the passer penalty, St. Olaf made its way into St. Thomas territory just seconds after the Tommie touchdown. However, the drive stalled inside the red zone, and St. Olaf was forced to attempt a field goal. St. Olaf kicker Ezra Coughlin’s attempt hit the right upright and fell no good, keeping the score at 7-0 in favor of St. Thomas.

After the missed field goal, St. Thomas again marched down the field for its second touchdown of the game. Running back Brenton Braddock carried five times for 41 yards before finally punching it in on his sixth carry of the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. Kicker Paul Graupner added the extra point to make it a 14-0 St. Thomas lead.

To start the second quarter, St. Thomas scored its third touchdown on its fourth possession of the game when running back Nick Waldvogel ran into the end zone from 2 yards out. This possession started a 34-point second quarter for the Tommies to put the game out of reach early.

With 8:15 remaining in the first half, Braddock scored his second touchdown of the game on a 3-yard carry, and – after an interception from St. Thomas linebacker Matthew Larson – Waldvogel scored just a minute later on a 22-yard run, giving the Tommies a 34-0 lead.

After another St. Olaf turnover on the ensuing drive, O’Connell threw to tight end Charlie Dowdle over the middle for an 11-yard touchdown – the Tommies’ third in under four minutes – to give St. Thomas a 41-0 lead.

O’Connell added his second passing touchdown just before halftime on a 17-yard toss to Dowdle. After starting the drive with 2:15 remaining in the half, O’Connell led the St. Thomas’ two-minute drill down the field to score with 17 seconds left and give the Tommies a 48-0 lead at halftime.

Jacob Sevening can be reached at seve8586@stthomas.edu.