For the second time this season, the University of St. Thomas and St. John’s University football teams squared off Nov. 28 at St. Thomas in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. It was the first time the two teams have met in the playoffs. Like the first meeting between the historic rivals in October, the Tommies prevailed, advancing to the quarterfinal round with a 38-19 win. They improved to 12-0 and will play Wabash College 1 p.m. Dec. 5 at UST’s O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
Leading the Tommies was junior running back and seminarian Jordan Roberts, who rushed for 126 yards in 33 carries for his ninth 100-yard game of the season. On the defensive side, the Tommies held St. John’s standout running back Sam Sura in check. He gained just 54 rushing yards, which helped Roberts move ahead of him as this year’s top rusher in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, with 1,654 yards.
If the Tommies win their next two playoff games, they would play in the Dec. 18 championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. They have reached the championship game once, falling to Mount Union in 2012. Two-time defending champion University of Wisconsin-Whitewater also reached the quarterfinal round. The team defeated Mount Union in each of the last two Stagg Bowls.
