Though the St. Thomas offense usually gets most of the attention, the Tommies defense was equally powerful Saturday in a 37-0 victory over Bethel at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. The No. 3 Tommies (6-0) held seventh-ranked Bethel (5-1) to 19 total yards and no first downs in the first half as they raced to a 24-0 halftime lead. In the second, they intercepted Bethel quarterback Erik Peterson twice. The Tommies scored their first touchdown on Aaron Terrell-Byrd's 1-yard run with 10:16 remaining in the first quarter. Quarterback Matt O'Connell ran in from 15 yards later in the quarter to make it 14-0, and Griffin Snyder added a 32-yard field goal with 5:43 left in the half. The Tommies ended the half with a 13-play drive, capping it with O'Connell's 5-yard touchdown pass to Cole Kelly with 9 seconds remaining. Bethel did not get past the 50-yard line until early in the third quarter. RACHEL BLOUNT
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The remaining schedule is favorable, but their hopes of a late-season run were dulled by a home loss to the Terrapins.
