Junior Jordan Roberts rushed 33 times for a career-high 256 yards and propelled No. 3-ranked St. Thomas to a 38-17 win over No. 2-ranked Linfield (Ore.) in Saturday's NCAA playoff semifinal game at UST's O'Shaughnessy Stadium.
The Tommies (14-0) raced to a 20-0 lead in the game's first 12 minutes on the clock with two quick scoring drives and a third TD after a sack and fumble recovery at the Linfield 27-yard line. At that point, St. Thomas had 21 plays for 165 yards while Linfield had run only six plays for just 12 yards.
The Wildcats (12-1) rallied the previous week at home from an early 21-0 deficit and won 38-35 against Mary Hardin-Baylor. They scored two fourth-quarter TDs on UST to pull within 13 points with 6:55 to play, but the Tommies recovered an onsides kick and needed just two minutes to go 46 yards on four runs for a clinching touchdown.
St. Thomas advances to the Division III Stagg Bowl Championship in Salem, Va., set for Friday in prime time live on the ESPN U channel. No. 1-ranked Mount Union (Ohio) is the opponent, as the Purple Raiders scored the last 36 points today at home and cruised past defending champion UW-Whitewater 36-6. It will be a rematch of the 2012 Stagg Bowl, won 28-10 by the Purple Raiders.
In reaching its second Stagg Bowl in four years, St. Thomas also claimed its first win over a top-4 ranked team in the 13-year history of the D3football.com rankings. St. Thomas topped No. 5-ranked UW-Oshkosh 28-14 in the 2012 national semifinals.
Eighth-year head coach Glenn Caruso celebrated his 100th game at St. Thomas and moved to 87-13 in his era here. The Tommies are 14-1 in home NCAA playoff games under Caruso.
Linfield, which came in averaging 50.4 points a game, took its widest loss in scoring margin in 35 all-time NCAA playoff games. It was just the second time in 85 games over seven seasons that the Wildcats were held to 17 or less points, two of those times in St. Paul against St. Thomas. The Cats had a 24-17, two-overtime loss here in the 2010 second-round playoffs.
The Tommies rolled up 389 rushing yards and capitalized on five turnovers in building a 30-3 lead through three quarters.
Caruso's team now has 101 touchdowns and 735 points in 14 games and is allowing just 9.9 points per contest.
Four playoff teams that came to UST with a combined 42-2 record totalled just 57 points over the last four weeks.
UST posted a rare 9-0 home record, just behind Mount Union's 10-0 mark among all NCAA teams this season.
Roberts' 256 yards is two off the Tommies' postseason record for one game, set in November 2011 against Monmouth by Colin Tobin, 39 carries for 258.
Roberts' 34 total TDs this season are the most in one fall by an MIAC player (old best 32 set in 1993 by Matt Malmberg of St. John's). He's also the first conference player to surpass 200 points in one season, now at 206.
The 2015 Tommies have now scored the most points by any MIAC team (735, old record 702 in 13 games by the 1993 Johnnies), including 101 touchdowns.
Sophomore safety Issac Seering had 11 solo tackles, a forced fumble and four assisted stops. Junior linebacker Jesse Addo had an interception, a sack and forced fumble and one break-up. Steve Harrell had a sack, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble. Eight different Tommies had part of a sack, or an interception, forced fumble or recovered fumble.
The UST defense limited Linfield to 59 rushing yards on 20 carries, although two Wildcat QBs passed 52 times and completed 29 for 290 yards and two TDs.
On offense, Nick Waldvogel's 53 yard dash set up the game's first TD, and he had 92 yards of rushing and receiving on 10 touches.
Skylor Elgarico had nine solo and five assisted tackles and also had an interception to lead the Linfield defense. Zach Grate was in in 14 tackles and recovered a fumble.
The Cats offense was led by Zach Kuzens' 11 catches for 132 yards.