It's rare to see a pair of teams meet in the playoffs (that aren't in same conference) that have three common opponents in a season: Eau Claire, River Falls and Bethel. St. Thomas beat Bethel 37-0, River Falls 43-9 and Eau Claire 27-24. While Oshkosh beat Bethel 37-14, River Falls 19-7 and Eau Claire 50-13. What does this mean? Probably absolutely nothing. In fact, the average margin of victory against these three teams gives the Tommies a slight edge (only .6 points/game to be exact). Yes, the Eau Claire game against UST was surprisingly close, but that was very early in the season (and don't get me started on that game again). It's tough to tell how much chemistry St. Thomas had in week one (if any), especially given what they lost on offense from that 2011 team. It's fun to look at common opponents, particularly when these two teams share so many, but I doubt it'll get you closer to figuring out who will win this Saturday.
St. Thomas (ranked 4th in the country) came out as winners of the North region, eliminating St. Norberts (48-27), Elmhurst (24-17) and Hobart (47-7). The Tommies finished the regular season 10-0, and received the Pool A bid entering the playoffs as the top seed in the North. Thanks to their university committing to building a strong athletic program, UST quickly became a D3 football powerhouse in a matter of a few years. The Tommies were just a 2-8 team five years ago. Since the hiring of head coach Glenn Caruso in 2008, St. Thomas has only suffered seven total losses in those five years. To the dismay St. John's fans everywhere, Coach Caruso has now won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference three years straight, and has quickly turned an irrelevant football program into a perennial power. In fact, Caruso hasn't lost a conference game since losing to their bitter rival, St. John's, in 2009 (20-17). Taking this one step further, UST has now beat the Johnnies in three straight seasons. This comes after losing to them 16 of the previous 17 years prior to 2010 (UST beat SJU in 1997, 31-27). Hiring a charismatic coach committed to winning, while pouring lots of resources into the athletic program (specifically football) has really placed St. Thomas among the elite in D3 football.
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| St. Thomas Center Curtis James |
On offense the Tommies are anchored by All-American center Curtis James. The 6'3" 304lb senior has been a nightmare for opposing interior defensemen. As seen below the Tommies have been rushing for over 246 yards/per game behind James. As well as giving up only 12 sacks on the year. That's .92 sacks/game, which is good enough for 24th best in the country (out of 239 D3 programs). Freshman Brenton Braddock leads St. Thomas with 1008 yards rushing this season and 16 rushing touchdowns. Apart from Braddock, quarterback Matt O'Connell posses as a serious rushing threat as well. The 6'0" 194lb sophomore is the team's second leading rushing, averaging over 61 yards/game (5.8/carry). The one blemish in this skilled offense has been St. Thomas' inability to protect the football. As a team they've turned the ball over 29 times this season. Only 15 teams in the country have turned it over more. However, that might be somewhat expected from young players at the skilled positions. Thirteen of those turnovers came from O'Connell interceptions, but he has thrown for 21 touchdown averaging over 204 yards/game. One of his favorite targets has been 2012 All-Region Tight End, Logan Marks. This 6'5" 244lb monster makes for a huge target for O'Connell. Marks has proven to be a valuable asset for the Tommies' offense, especially in the redzone. The senior has a team high six touchdowns on the year, along with 40 receptions (second on the team). UST's leading receiver is Dan Ferrazzo with 48 catches for 725 yards.
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| Junior Linebacker Tremayne Williams (32) |
The main reason why St. Thomas managed to get this far is because of its defense. Including the playoffs, the Tommies have been holding teams to just 14.15 points/game. That's 11th best in the country (6th best among 2012 playoff teams). Eight of their 11 defensive starters made the all-conference team - seven of which were named to the first team. Leading the way defensively for UST has been linebacker Tremayne Williams from Appleton, WI. Oddly enough, Appleton is just up the road from Oshkosh along Lake Winnebago (which has little to do with this post, but rather a fun little nugget). The junior leads the Tommies with 49 total tackles (37 solo), and has been extremely effective filling up the team's season stat sheet: 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two ints, five pass breakups, and three forced fumbles. Williams was named to the second all-region team this season, along with teammates Ayo Idowu and Chinni Oji. Idowu has15 tackles for loss and five sacks - both are team leading. St. Thomas has been very physical upfront and extremely quick to the ball. Its defense has forced 30 turnovers this year - tied for 21st in the nation in takeaways. What St. Thomas seemingly is best at is preventing opposing offenses from converting third downs (only 27.27 percent of the time). Only five teams in the country have a better success rate this season.
2012 Statistics (National Rank)
St. Thomas Rushing Offense: 246.5 ypg (22)
Oshkosh Rushing Defense: 92.1 ypg (19)
St. Thomas Passing Offense: 227.4 ypg (79)
Oshkosh Passing Defense: 201.5 ypg (110)
St. Thomas Total Offense: 473.9 ypg (17)
Oshkosh Total Defense: 293.5 ypg (30)
St. Thomas Rushing Defense: 80.5 ypg (10)
Oshkosh Rushing Offense: 256.8 ypg (16)
St. Thomas Passing Defense: 196.5 ypg (99)
Oshkosh Passing Offense: 237.9 ypg (65)
St. Thomas Total Defense: 277.3 ypg (16)
Oshkosh Total Offense: 494.6 ypg (11)
Compared to last season, the Tommies find themselves in a very familiar situation this season. Must like last year, an undefeated WIAC team stands in the way of an undefeated UST team to move onto the Stagg Bowl. Last year the Tommies lost at Whitewater in the semis, 20-0. This season, however, St. Thomas gets to host the semi-finals (against a different WIAC team) which gives them a huge advantage over last year. I'll be interested to see how UST's offense starts off the game. It's no secret the Tommies' strength is their running game, but I bet they realize that Oshkosh is well aware of that. Last week, Linfield threw the Titans a curveball when they came out running the ball...even though the 'Cats are well known for their aerial attack. This seemed to catch Oshkosh off guard in the first half, before adjustments were made. I'm curious if UST will apply the same concept and attempt a few play-action passes in their first drive - hoping the catch UWO's safeties cheating in to stop the run. This game might possibly come down to turnovers. If that's the case, Oshkosh is one of the best teams in the country at ball security (+18 turnover margin). While St. Thomas has been one of the worst (+1 turnover margin). If the Tommies make a habit of giving Oshkosh the ball with only half the field to work with Saturday, the Titans will be going to the Stagg Bowl.
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