Three plays into the opening drive of St. Thomas’ game against the Northern Iowa Panthers on Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium, Tommies head coach Glenn Caruso decided to make a bold move.

Three runs by running back Gabe Abel gave the Tommies a fourth down and one at their own 34-yard line. Caruso kept his offense on the field, and when Abel was stopped on a run up the middle, the heavily favored Panthers were in prime position to take an early lead.

The move didn’t prove costly for the Tommies, as a 29-yard field goal attempt by Northern Iowa hit the right upright. But in the veteran coach’s eyes, the decision had far greater implications than the immediate result.

“I wanted to do it because that was my commitment to the offensive line,” Caruso said of the unit that underperformed in last week’s loss to Division II Sioux Falls. “I love our offensive and defensive line. I challenged them before the game because I thought the way we played last week was badass.”

“And I would say it 100 out of 100 times, and I don’t care what people say. It wasn’t about a win, it wasn’t about sensationalism. It was about because I love them and I trust them. Even though we didn’t pick it up, the reaction we got coming off the field was what set the stage for the rest of the game.”

It turned out that St. Thomas did not trail until the fourth quarter, when the Panthers scored 10 unanswered points and escaped with a 17-10 victory.

The Tommies fell to 0-2 but more than bounced back after losing 44-3 to Northern Iowa in 2021. They may have gotten their season back on track after a shocking loss in their opener.

“I think today was a battle,” said Tommy’s tight end Patrick Wagner, who had eight catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. “There was a lot in it when we played them three years ago.”

The Tommies led 10-7 early in the fourth quarter, but a blocked punt gave Northern Iowa a first-and-goal attempt at the St. Thomas 7-yard line. The Tommies limited the damage to a field goal that tied the game.

The Panthers’ game-winning touchdown drive was kicked off by a 56-yard run by halfback Tye Edwards, who finished with 143 rushing yards. On a second-and-5 attempt at the Tommies’ 15-yard line, Panthers running back Amauri Pesek-Hickson fumbled after a handoff in the backfield, but the ball bounced right back to him and he carried it for the touchdown.

The Tommies got the ball one last time and reached Northern Iowa’s 32-yard line for a first down with 32 seconds left. Four consecutive incomplete passes ended the comeback attempt.

“There’s a difference between pride and joy,” Caruso said of the loss. “I can’t sit here and say you’re happy with the result, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’m incredibly proud of the effort the guys put in.”

“This is a program that was 40 to 45 points three years ago, and honestly it wasn’t even that close. Seeing the growth over the last three years is part of what you saw out there today. I’m sad we didn’t get it done in the end.

“But the will to grow from Week 1 to Week 2 was tremendous. If we’re willing to do that over the next 11 weeks, I think we have a chance to be a pretty good team.”

Tak Tateoka started at quarterback for the Tommies, but backup Michael Rostberg played most of the game, completing 15 of 23 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.

“We were going to do a certain number of drives for Tak and a certain number of drives for Michael and then make a decision,” Caruso said. “Coach (Caleb) Corrill and the offensive staff were pretty sure after the first five or six drives that Michael was the right guy.”

The Tommies, who were without wide receiver Jacob Wildermuth to begin the game, suffered several injuries during the game. Abel only played five games before suffering a leg injury. Defensive linemen CJ Warren and Emmanuel Olagbaju missed some time due to shoulder injuries.

The Tommies fear the worst after cornerback Branden Smith suffered a right leg injury in the second quarter.

“Such a tough kid,” an emotional Caruso said. “You work so hard to recruit and develop players, and then last year he took a bad deal against South Dakota and he’s out for the rest of the season. And now … my heart breaks.”