St. Thomas opens fourth season in FCS Thursday night against Sioux Falls
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Glenn Caruso was his usual energetic and vibrant self as he ran across the field at O’Shaughnessy Stadium Tuesday afternoon.
That’s because for the first time in program history, the University of St. Thomas football team opens its regular season on Thursday night. The Tommies will host Sioux Falls under the lights. St. Thomas is coming off an 8-3 season in 2023, including a 7-1 mark in the Pioneer League to finish second. How excited is Caruso?
"Like, really. I don’t know how to quantify it more than that. We obviously still have two more days of work, and we need those two days, but any time you have an opportunity to get a group of guys together that love each other like they do and work so hard for each other, it’s been three-plus weeks of just banging against each other," Caruso said. "I know that even though the team that’s coming in is purple and white, they’re going to be happy to hit someone else that’s not in that locker room."
Impressive numbers
Caruso was simply dominant as a head coach when St. Thomas was a Division III program. To a degree, that success has carried over despite the daunting challenge of going up two levels. The Tommies are 25-7 in FCS play, including a 21-3 mark in the Pioneer League over the last three seasons. St. Thomas won the league in 2022, in just its second year in Division I.
The Tommies are not eligible for the 16-team FCS Playoffs until 2026. They have not lost three straight games since moving up.
"When you talk about starting from ground zero, I think the process that the guys have focused on has been impeccable, and we’re going to need that," Caruso said. "People don’t want to hear this, I don’t care, I’m not trying to get someone to like me, I’m just telling you the way it is. We are still like halfway through the first phase of three phases of this transition. As long as we can stay process-oriented and not worry about the results, the results have been a nice bi-product for us."
The key players
The 2024 Tommies are led by a few key returning pieces. Running back Hope Adebayo is averaging 6.4 yards per carry over three seasons, and has 23 career touchdowns. He ran for 735 yards and 10 scores last year.
The quarterback competition is between Tak Tateoka and Amari Powell. Tateoka won the job as a freshman and threw for 598 yards and five touchdowns before an injury last season. Powell threw for 786 yards and six touchdowns. Tateoka is the expected starter.
On defense, linebacker Luke Herzog is the top returning tackler from last season. He had 55 stops. Adebayo, Herzog and Alec Rasmussen were named to the All-Pioneer League preseason team.
Comparing teams
Most coaches don’t like to compare their squads to ones of the past, but Caruso did just that on Tuesday. He said the 2024 Tommies feel similar to teams he led in 2021, 2016 and 2012. His 2021 team went 7-3 in its first year in FCS. The 2016 team went 12-1 and won a MIAC title. The 2012 team went 14-1 and lost the Division III national title game to Mount Union. Pretty good company.
Home cooking
The Tommies have three straight home games to start the season, and get four of their first five in St. Paul. After Thursday’s opener, they get Northern Iowa, a team receiving votes in the first FCS poll.
"I’m not gonna have to say too much coming out of that locker room at 6:01 on Thursday night. These guys have it in their heart and they have it in their mind and if you care to hit some b-roll here and watch practice, I think you’ll see it too. I gotta go," Caruso said.