No. 21 Thomas More Rallies to Defeat Westminster, 27-23, in PAC Opener

(CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) - The 21st-ranked Thomas More College football team scored a touchdown with 18-seconds to play in the game to rally and defeat Westminster College, 27-23, today (Saturday, September 15, 2012) in its Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) opener at The Bank of Kentucky Field in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.

With the win, the Saints improve to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the PAC.  With the loss, the Titans fall to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the PAC.

Westminster led 7-0 after one quarter and 13-10 at halftime.  The Saints then led 17-13 after three and won the game 27-23.

Westminster took a 7-0 lead with 1:37 to play in the first quarter when Dak Britt scored on a 46-yard run and Zach Baker added the point-after-attempt.

Thomas More cut the lead to 7-3 when sophomore place kicker Aaron Kimbrough (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown) connected on a 43-yard field goal with 6:19 to play in the first half.

The Titans answered with a 71-yard touchdown pass from Britt to David Wright and Tommy Turnbull's two-point attempt run failed to make the score 13-3 with 3:45 to play in the half. 

The Saints cut the lead to 13-10 at halftime when junior running back Adam Rauch (Yorkville, Ind./East Central) scored on a 38-yard touchdown run and junior place kicker Tim Gormly, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) added the PAT with 2:11 to play in the second quarter.

In the third quarter, the Saint took their first lead of the game at 17-13 when Rauch scored on a six-yard run and Gormly added the PAT with 6:01 to play in the quarter.

Westminster tied the game at 20-20 with 14:10 to play in the game when Britt connected on a 26-yard pass to Collin Wallace and Baker added the PAT.

The Titans extended the lead to 23-20 with 6:41 to play in the game when Baker made a 37-yard field goal.

The Saint then marched 61 yards in 10 plays and 1:38 to score the eventual game-winning touchdown when sophomore quarterback Luke Magness (Pleasureville, Ky./Henry County) connected on a 16-yard pass with sophomore wide receiver Ryan Winkler (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) and Gormly made the PAT with 18-seconds to play for the 27-23 victory.

Offensively for the Saints, Magness was 22-of-27 passing for 205 yards and one touchdown.  Rauch had 16 carries for 80 yards and two touchdowns and had two catches for five yards, while sophomore running back Landon Savoy (Radcliff, Ky./John Hardin) had 20 rushes for 79 yards and had four catches for 41 yards.  Winkler finished the game with nince catches for 93 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively, the Saints were led by senior defensive lineman Jay Volker (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder), who had eight tackles, including four for a loss of seven yards and a half sack.  Junior defensive back Alex Taylor (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) ended the game with seven tackles, including two and a half for a loss of 22 yards and two sacks, while sophomore linebacker Nate Dorsey (Henderson, Ky./Henderson County) finished with six tackles and junior defensive lineman Tyler Combs (Fort Thomas, Ky./Highlands) had six tackles, including one for a loss of one yard.  Junior defensive back Jake Fishburn (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) had a fumble recovery and senior defensive back Zach Autenrieb (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) had an interception.

Thomas More returns to action next Saturday (September 22) when it travels to Waynesburg, Pennsylvania to play Waynesburg University.  Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Wiley Stadium.