Tiffin University came into Republic Bank Field with a flawless record of 4-0.
Unfortunately for Thomas More, the Dragons left with their fifth win after a 47-9
rout of the Saints.
Thomas More was already without their starting quarterback Rae’Von Vaden, so it was true
freshman Chase Crone’s turn at the helm. On the first drive, Crone didn’t disappoint. He led a 53-yard drive and finished it off with a two-yard rushing touchdown.
Tiffin was held to a field goal on their next drive and the Saints had a chance get
even further ahead early. They did put points on the board, but it wasn’t the offense.
Thomas More’s defense came up huge and pushed Tiffin out of the back of the
endzone for a safety. It would be the last score of the game for the Saints.
Tiffin quarterback, Kason Martin started his spectacular night in the second quarter
with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Josh Lewis. The Dragons scored two more
touchdowns in the second quarter for a 23-9 lead at the half.
With the offensive struggling, the Saints decided to give another freshman
quarterback Griffin Scalf some snaps, but Thomas More still couldn’t get the ball
rolling.
Offense and defense weren’t the only areas of struggle. Special teams took a hit as
well. The Saints had two missed field goals and a blocked punt.
“It’s just practice and reps, making sure we get it right. Once you put it on tape, guess
what? Guys are going to rush you every week, until you prove them wrong, and
we’ve got some really special players within our kicking and punting unit. Our
kicker has done some really good things this year. It’s just about getting those guys
mentally back into a good space and where they’re making those plays.” Head coach
Chris Norwell said.
Tiffin kept their foot on the pedal in the second half. Three more touchdowns and a
field goal would put the game out of reach for good. The Dragons’ Kason Martin put on a clinic with three passing touchdowns, 193 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
The quarterback situation for the Saints looked a lot different, but Coach Norwell
saw some potential in his young guys.
“It was a quick week for them. Rae hurt his ankle on Thursday, but our young guys
stepped in and for the most part they did some good things. Obviously, experience is
huge, and Rae has that, and our two freshman quarterbacks don’t, but they did some
good things at certain times. I saw it in their eyes, they’re not scared of the moment.
They were excited to be out there on this stage.” Norwell said.
While perfection continues for Tiffin, Thomas More will go back to the drawing
board after their first G-MAC loss and second loss of the season.
‘We have got to learn to play a 60-minute game, especially when things are not
going our way. Being able to overcome some adversity, especially in the second half.
First half, I thought our guys played well. Second half, we got worn down, from their
size and what they did on both sides. Really good team we played tonight. It was a
good challenge for us for sure. We’re going to take a lot from this and get better.”
Norwell said.
The Saints are back in action next week in another conference game against Kentucky Wesleyan.
DRAGONS 47, SAINTS 9
THOMAS MORE — 9-0-0-0 — 9
TIFFIN — 3-20-14-10 — 47
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(TM) Crone 2-yard run (11:27) Iden kick
(T) Woodfin 20-yard FG (7:50) Taylor kick
(TM) Safety (:00)
2nd Quarter
(T) Martin 25-yard pass to Lewis (11:55) Woodfin kick
(T) Martin 2-yard pass to Banks-Dorn (9:20) Woodfin kick
(T) Martin 1-yard run (6:43) Woodfin kick failed
3rd Quarter
(T) Martin 19-yard pass to Dean (7:54) Woodfin kick
(T) Gresock 4-yard run (2:18) Woodfin kick
4th Quarter
(T) Martin 1-yard run (8:29) Woodfin kick
(T) Woodfin 19-yard FG (3:05)
Game Stats
Passing Yards: Thomas More 142 (Crone 11/24, Scalf 5/10), Tiffin 193 (Martin 19/28)
Rushing Yards: Thomas More 32 (Hall 14-41, Lang 4-7, Johnson 1-3, Crone 6-(minus)
5), Tiffin 375 (Blackman 17-189, Gresock 6-83, Martin 10-42, Banks-Dorn 12-41)
Receiving: Thomas More (Kirch 8-75, Johnson 3-10, Agee 2-13, Brown 1-17), Tiffin
(Stultz 3-44, Linkhart 3-37, Muldowney 3-19, Lewis 2-35)
Turnovers: Thomas More 0, Tiffin 1
Penalties: Thomas More 9-95, Tiffin 6-50
Records: Thomas More 3-2, Tiffin 5-0