Tight end Matt Christenson dives into the end zone during a Sept. 2, 2017 game against Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The senior tight end finished his Tommie career but is hopeful for a shot at the pros. (Carolyn Meyer/TommieMedia)
The Tommies lineup along the sideline as a St. Thomas student sings the National Anthem. The Tommies have played Eau Claire since 2012 and are 6-0 against the Blugolds. (TommieMedia/Carolyn Meyer)
Caruso’s Crew pumps up the crowd while the Tommies are on offense. The Crew was part of the 5,048 fans in attendance. (TommieMedia/Carolyn Meyer)
Quarterback JT DenHartog stiff-arms a defender as he scrambles out of the pocket. He rushed for a 66-yard touchdown on the Blugolds’ opening possession. (TommieMedia/Carolyn Meyer)
Running back Jordan Roberts rushes to the end zone. He recorded two touchdowns in his first game back after redshirting the 2016 season. (TommieMedia/Carolyn Meyer)
Wide receiver Vinny Pallini jumps to bring in a pass from quarterback Jacques Perra. In limited action, he recorded 24 yards on two receptions. (TommieMedia/Carolyn Meyer)
Quarterback Jacques Perra breaks a tackle from an Eau Claire defender and runs into the end zone. He recorded two rushing touchdowns against the Blugolds. (TommieMedia/Carolyn Meyer)
A fan dressed in a St. Thomas football uniform is lifted by Caruso’s Crew after a touchdown. Over 5,000 fans attended the Tommies’ home opener. (TommieMedia/Carolyn Meyer)
Running back Jordan Roberts avoids a tackle from a Blugold defender. He averaged 3.6 yards per carry on 20 attempts. (TommieMedia/Carolyn Meyer)
Quarterback Jacques Perra celebrates a Matt Christenson 19-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Perra threw for 202 yards and a touchdown on 17 completions. (TommieMedia/Carolyn Meyer)
Coach Glenn Caruso and his team enters O’Shaughnessy Stadium in the season opener. Caruso recorded his 100th career win as a Tommie. (TommieMedia/Carolyn Meyer)
Fifth-ranked St. Thomas gained nearly 200 yards on the ground en route to a 47-13 victory over the Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds on Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium, earning coach Glenn Caruso his 100th victory at St. Thomas.
Despite a slow start in the first quarter, the offense came alive on the legs of running back Jordan Roberts. The sixth-year senior rushed for 67 of his 72 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries before the half. Running back Tucker Trettel and quarterback Jacques Perra added three scores and a combined 95 yards on the ground to round out the impressive day rushing.
“Look at how Jacques was playing the game,” Coach Caruso said. “A lot of the times they weren’t giving him the deep ball, and he didn’t try to force it. He took what was there … and it was a very mature way to approach his first collegiate start.”
Though he earned the praise of his coach for a mature start, Perra struggled at times throwing the ball and completed 17 of 32 throws for 202 yards. At times he looked uncomfortable when the Blugold defense brought pressure, and he overthrew several receivers when looking deep.
“What they brought, we weren’t expecting that,” Perra said. “Another part that went with the pressure was they were pressing us outside.… That’s just something that we’ve got to fix the timing on in practice.”
The Blugold defense sent the blitz multiple times in the first quarter, hitting Perra several times and forcing the Tommies to change their offensive game plan going into the second quarter.
“I wish we didn’t have to take so many hits at the quarterback position while we were figuring it out,” Caruso said, “but we figured it out obviously and got things back on track.”
The team was able to figure it out by sticking to short throws and opting to the run the ball more. The run-first mentality centered around sixth-year senior Roberts, who rumbled through the Blugold defense for most of the second quarter. He was pulled after three carries on the opening drive of the third quarter.
“We had some adversity at first, but it was great that we just started clicking and figuring out what they were doing,” Roberts said. “It was a great opportunity for us to come together as an offense and through that adversity come closer.”
Perra said having Roberts back after he missed most of last year with an injury gave him confidence.
“It’s just awesome knowing that I can lean on him and not have all the weight on me and the passing game,” Perra said. “It’s really nice having really good backs that can break one every once in awhile.”
The quick-pass, run-first offense received plenty of support from a stout St. Thomas defense. Aside from allowing two scoring plays of more than 65 yards, the Tommies held the Blugolds to 79 yards of total offense. The defense also registered two sacks and a safety.
“You can’t be the type of person who says ‘besides the 75-yard touchdown’ if you’re a head coach,” Caruso said, “but I was more impressed with how our guys responded, having five-straight three-and-outs after that. We’re very intuitive, and they’re able to figure things out, adjust and go.”
The rout of Wis.-Eau Claire was the 100th victory for Caruso while at St. Thomas. In his tenure, Caruso has the led the team to a 100-15 overall record, five MIAC championship titles and five 10-0 regular seasons.
“I don’t know if (my proudest moment) has happened yet,” Caruso said. “The way our team operates and the selfless culture, that’s a legacy that if we continue to grow that and if I can leave that behind, I will consider myself very, very fortunate, and we’re doing a pretty good job right now.”
Two Tommies were injured during the game. Offensive guard Gavin Dauwalter and linebacker Michael Franzese went down in the third quarter. Both were able to walk off the field with some assistance, but their status for next week’s game was not made available immediately after the game.
The Tommies will go on the road Sept. 9 to battle the Blue Devils of Wisconsin-Stout. In last year’s matchup, the Tommies cruised to a 57-17 victory.
Noah Brown can be reached at brow7736@stthomas.edu.