MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (November 21, 2020) - St. Thomas University (STU) Football (4-3, 3-2 MSC) completed the first winning season in program history on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Webber International Warriors (1-7, 1-5 MSC) 31-13 in Mid-South play from Monsignor Pace High School. 

STU began the game with possession near mid-field following a 50-return from reigning Mid-South Conference Sun Division Offensive Player of the Week, C'quan Jnopierre. Robert Armes (32-carries/159-yards/1 TD) handled seven carries on the opening drive, totaling 25-yards. On the seventh consecutive carry for the sophomore running back, the St. Thomas offense was stopped short of the first down, as Webber's defense forced a turnover on downs. The Warriors took over on their 22-yard line and quickly went three-and-out; on the ensuing punt, STU ran into the punter and allowed WIU to convert the first down via the flag. The penalty yardage did not amount to much for the Warriors, as three plays later, they were forced to punt once again. A low snap and botched recovery pushed the Warriors back to the 13-yard line, where STU began its next drive. Armes added another two carries to his stat-line on the drive but fumbled away the ball on the one yard-line as the Bobcats turned the ball over for the second consecutive drive. Webber punted once again on their next possession, as STU took over once again inside the Bobcats' five-yard line. Armes took another three straight carries, totaling 11-yards, as the game went into the second quarter.

Tyler Thomas (10/17; 159-yards/2 TDs) completed his first three passes to bring the Bobcats to the 30-yard line. STU faced a fourth-and-10 when Thomas found Tyrese Blue (3/87/1 TD) for a 15-yard completion on the sideline to move the chains. Three plays later, Thomas was able to connect with Reech Daniel for a 14-yard touchdown pass to get the Bobcats on the board, 7-0. STU's defense forced WIU to punt after three plays, and the Bobcats began their following possession at mid-field. Following a 12-yard run by Armes, Thomas connected with Blue over-the-top of the Warriors defense for a 38-yard touchdown and extended the St. Thomas lead to 14-0. Webber International responded with their first touchdown of the afternoon, but the extra-point attempt was blocked by Jhaqwori Austin, which put the score at 14-6. With 4:28 remaining in the second quarter, Armes capped off a 10-play, 69-yard drive with a 16-yard rush, putting St. Thomas ahead 21-6 before halftime. 

Webber began the second half with possession and drove eight-plays and 19-yards before punting again, as STU took over on the 21-yard line. St. Thomas took the ball down the field, inside the Warrior's red zone, and McConnell made a 22-yard field goal to extend the lead to 24-6. STU went into the fourth quarter with possession and the lead in the 2020 regular-season finale.

St. Thomas continued their drive in the fourth quarter, as Thomas capped off the 11-play drive with a quarterback keeper on the goal-line and scored his first career rushing touchdown to bring the Bobcats advantage to 31-6. Midway through the fourth quarter, both teams traded interceptions, with Austin picking off a pass near mid-field. Webber completed a 15-drive play, 68-yard drive with their second touchdown of the day, punching in a one-yard run to put the score at 31-13. Thomas knelt, signaling the end of the game and the 2020 season for the STU Football team.

In only the second season in program history, STU accomplished the first winning season in program history, ending the 2020 season with a 4-3 record and on a three-game winning streak.

-STU-