by Logan Gruber
The Johnnies recorded a homecoming loss against the University of St. Thomas on Sept. 26.
The 12th-ranked Tommies broke a 7-7 halftime tie with touchdowns on each of their first three second-half drives and defeated eighth-ranked St. John’s 35-14 in front of an announced crowd of 17,327, the largest recorded football attendance in NCAA Division III history, on Sept. 26 in Collegeville.
The crowd eclipsed the previous record of 16,421 set in the 2010 Johnnie-Tommie game.
ESPN’s “Sportscenter on the Road” broadcast its show live in Clemens Stadium, with a backdrop of an estimated 3,500 fans, from 6-8 a.m. earlier that morning.