St. Thomas picks apart Drake for 21-14 victory

DES MOINES – Hope Adebayo ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns and the St. Thomas defense recorded five interceptions, including two by Isaiah Hall, in a 21-14 victory over Drake on Saturday.

The Tommies also blocked a field goal and a punt, and Nick Rice had 94 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Tommies. He carried the ball eight times for 31 yards as St. Thomas, which finished with only 222 yards of offense, ran out the final 5 ½ minutes after the Bulldogs closed within a touchdown.

"I love how we played on defense for most of the game," Tommies coach Glenn Caruso said. "We just kept teeing it up and I think we were able to put our offense in some good situations. Offense showed some beautiful flashes at times — the way we handled the game the clock in the situation before halftime, scoring in 52 seconds."

Hope scored on 2- and 8-yard runs in the second quarter to give the Tommies (6-3, 5-2 Pioneer Football League) a 14-0 lead at the half.

Brandon Langdok put Drake on the board with a 3-yard run in the third quarter and after an interception. However, Hall blocked a field-goal attempt and with an unsportsmanlike penalty tacked on, St. Thomas got the ball back at the Drake 43. Rice covered those yards on three carries, the last going for 28.

Ian Corwin threw a 6-yard touchdown passes to Caden Meis with 5:26 to play for Drake (2-7, 1-5), but the Bulldogs got the ball back.