Three plays into the opening drive in St. Thomas’ game against the Northern Iowa Panthers on Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium, Tommies head coach Glenn Caruso elected to go bold.

Three rushes by running back Gabe Abel left the Tommies with a fourth-and-1 at their own 34-yard line. Caruso kept his offense on the field, and when Abel was stopped short on a run up the middle, the heavily favored Panthers were in prime position to grab the early lead.

The move did not prove costly for the Tommies, as a 29-yard field-goal attempt by Northern Iowa hit the right upright. But in the eyes of the veteran coach, the decision had much bigger implications than the immediate outcome.

“I wanted to do it because that was my commitment to the offensive line,” Caruso said about the unit that underperformed in last week’s loss to Division II Sioux Falls. “I love our offense and defensive line. I challenged them before the game because I thought the way we played last week was gross.

“And I would go back and do it 100 times out of 100, and I don’t care what anybody says. That wasn’t for a win, it wasn’t for effect. It was because I love them and I trust them. Even though we didn’t pick it up, coming off the field the response was what set the stage for the rest of the game.”

It proved to be a game that St. Thomas didn’t trail in until the fourth quarter, when the Panthers scored 10 unanswered points to escape with a 17-10 victory.

The Tommies fell to 0-2, but they did more than account well for themselves after losing to Northern Iowa 44-3 in 2021. They might have gotten their season back on track after a shocking opening-game loss.

“I think today was a fight,” said Tommies tight end Patrick Wagner, who had eight catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. “There was a lot going into this one already with us playing them three years ago.”

The Tommies led 10-7 entering the fourth quarter, but a blocked punt set Northern Iowa up  with a first-and-goal at the St. Thomas 7. The Tommies limited the damage to a field goal that tied the game.

The Panthers’ winning touchdown drive was set up by a 56-yard run by halfback Tye Edwards, who finished with 143 yards rushing. On a second-and-5 from the Tommies’ 15-yard line, Panthers running back Amauri Pesek-Hickson fumbled in the backfield after taking a handoff, but the ball bounced right back to him and he carried it in for the score.

The Tommies got the ball one last time and were able to reach the Northern Iowa 32-yard line with a first down with 32 seconds to play. Four straight incompletions ended the attempt at a comeback.

“There’s a difference between being proud and being happy,” Caruso said of the defeat. “I can’t sit here and say you’re happy about the outcome, but I’d be lying if I can’t recognize that I’m tremendously proud of the effort the guys put in.

“That’s a program that three years ago it’s a 40- to 45-point game, and, honestly it wasn’t even that close. To see the growth of the last three years is part of what you saw out there today. I’m sad that we weren’t able to pull it out in the end.

“But the commitment to grow from Week 1 to Week 2 was immense. If we’re willing to do that the next 11 weeks I think we’ve got a shot to be a pretty decent team.”

Tak Tateoka started at quarterback for the Tommies, but backup Michael Rostberg played most of the game. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.

“We were going to go with a certain number of drives for Tak and a certain number of drives for Michael and then make a decision,” Caruso said. “Coach (Caleb) Corrill and the offensive staff felt that after the first five or six drives felt pretty clearly that Michael was the guy to go with.”

The Tommies, who were without starting wide receiver Jacob Wildermuth to start the game, had a number of players get banged up in the game. Abel was limited to five carries before sustaining a leg injury. Defensive linemen CJ Warren and Emmanuel Olagbaju missed time due to shoulder injuries.

The Tommies are fearing the worst following a right leg injury suffered by starting cornerback Branden Smith in the second quarter.

“Such a tough kid,” said an emotional Caruso. “Everything you work so hard to recruit and develop, and he catches a bad deal in the South Dakota game last year and he’s out for the season. And now … my heart breaks.”

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