Fourth quarter spells Oles in 27-16 loss at No. 18 St. Thomas

Mike Ludwig
September 19, 2009

ST. PAUL, Minn. - No. 18 St. Thomas used two Ben Wartman touchdowns in the fourth quarter to defeat St. Olaf, 27-16, in the MIAC opener for both schools on Saturday afternoon.

The scores helped the Tommies (2-0, 1-0 MIAC) overcome a 16-14 deficit entering the final quarter.

St. Olaf (2-1, 0-1 MIAC) had a chance to extend its lead early in the fourth when it had the ball inside the UST 20-yard line. The Oles' drive stalled and Josiah Powell's 29-yard field goal missed. Powell, who missed an extra point earlier in the game, gave the Oles the lead on a 37-yard field goal with 2:33 to play in the third quarter.

St. Olaf played much of the game without standout running back Leon Clark, who left the game with an injury. Kevin Foss stepped in and rushed 11 times for 71 yards.

Wartman finished the day with 180 yards on 23 carries. Wartman's biggest play was his 27-yard touchdown reception that gave UST a 20-16 lead with 5:20 left in the game. He then added a 59-yard run on the Tommies' next drive to seal the win.

UST led 7-0 on a 7-yard pass from Greg Morse to Joe Herrera. The Oles countered with a 59-yard drive, capped off with a John Haberman sneak from a yard out to make it 7-6. Haberman finished the day 19-for-32 for 157 yards with no interceptions.

St. Olaf took a 13-7 lead on a fake field goal run from holder Carson Jones inside the final two minutes of the second quarter. It was the sixth score of the year for Jones, who has five receiving touchdowns.

The UST win snapped a four-game St. Olaf winning streak in the series.

St. Olaf hosts Augsburg next Saturday at 1 p.m.

Contact media relations specialist Mike Ludwig at (507) 786-3834 or ludwigm@stolaf.edu.