Kicker Paul Graupner booted a 42-yard field goal with 53 seconds left in the first half to put the No. 2-ranked St. Thomas football team up 32-7 over Wisconsin-Eau Claire heading into halftime Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.

In the 91-degree heat, the Tommies opened their scoring brigade early when running back Brenton Braddock capped off a 65-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown run to give the Tommies a 7-0 lead with 10:03 left in the first quarter.

On the Tommies’ second possession, O’Connell orchestrated a 43-yard drive, finishing it with a 2-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown and a 15-0 lead. O’Connell led the team on the ground with his 102 rushing yards in the first half.

Eau Claire running back Joel Sweeney finished a seven play, 67-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to cut St. Thomas’ lead to 15-7.

With 12:09 left in the first half, O’Connell connected with wide receiver Matt Allen for a 9-yard touchdown pass across the field to give the Tommies a 22-7 lead.

St. Thomas running back Jack Kaiser snuck in for a 1-yard touchdown with 7:36 left in the second quarter and pushed the Tommie lead to 29-7.

After a 40-yard drive, Eau Claire missed a 45-yard field goal attempt to close the first half.

Kyle Jonas can be reached at jona7984@stthomas.edu.