Tommie football loses to unranked UW-Eau Claire

Tommie wide receiver Joe Hird leaps in the air for a 50-50 ball in the first half. Wisconsin-Eau Claire defeated St. Thomas 21-19 Saturday. (Jacob Schneider/TommieMedia)

EAU CLAIRE, Wisconsin — A last-second fourth-quarter touchdown catch by wide receiver Gabe Green wasn’t enough, as No. 6 St. Thomas lost to unranked Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 21-19, Saturday at Carson Park.

Quarterback Tommy Dolan hit Green with a 30-yard scoring strike with 7 seconds left, but Dolan’s two-point conversion pass to tie the score fell incomplete.

Eau-Claire jumped out to a 21-7 halftime lead in the non-conference game during a first half that featured four Tommie turnovers.

The Tommies (2-1) fell behind 14-0 with less than 90 seconds played. The Blugolds (2-1) scored on the second play of the game on a 24-yard run by Austin Belot after a 77-yard kickoff return by Keshaun Story.

On their fourth play, after a Josh Parks fumble, Blugold quarterback Jonathan Malueg threw a touchdown pass to Antwan Moore that covered 29 yards. Only 1:25 had elapsed.

On fourth-and-one, Parks ran for a 5-yard score with 10:00 remaining in the first quarter to claw St. Thomas back to 14-7. On St. Thomas’ next possession, Tyler Knutson missed on a 33-yard field goal try. He missed a 40-yarder later in the second quarter.

The Blugolds opened up the second quarter with an interception in the end zone by Cam Swanson off of Dolan, the first of two interceptions he threw in the half.

Belot rushed for a 77-yard touchdown for the Blugolds with 4:31 left in the second quarter for a 21-7 lead.

St. Thomas had never lost to Wisconsin-Eau Claire, winning all seven games. The Tommies return home next week and MIAC play to face Concordia-Moorhead.

Carly Noble can be reached at nobl1781@stthomas.edu.