(WASHINGTON, Pa.) – The No. 20 Thomas More College football team fell, 51-28, to Washington & Jefferson College tonight (Saturday, October 4, 2014) in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game at Cameron Stadium in Washington, Pennsylvania.
With the loss, the Saints fall to 3-2 and 2-1 in the PAC. With the win, the Presidents improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the PAC.
Washington & Jefferson led 17-7 after one quarter, 31-21 at halftime and 38-28 after three quarters.
The Presidents took a 7-0 lead with 9:52 to play in the first quarter when Pete Coughlin connected on a 35-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Lis and Blake Davis added the point-after-attempt.
Thomas More tied the game at 7-7 when senior running back Domonique Hayden (Lexington, Ky./Lexington Christian Academy) scored on a 49-yard touchdown run and junior place kicker Tommy Budke (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) added the PAT with 8:28 to play in the first quarter.
W&J came right back to take a 14-7 when Jesse Zubik scored on a 49-yard touchdown pass from Coughlin and Davis added the PAT with 5:26 to play in the opening quarter.
The Presidents' extended their lead to 17-7 when Davis made a 24-yard field goal with 2:36 to play in the first quarter.
W&J increase its lead to 24-7 with 12:32 to play in the second quarter when Coughlin connected on a nine-yard touchdown pass to Michael Giampole and Davis added the PAT.
Thomas More cut the lead to 24-14 when junior quarterback Jensen Gebhardt (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings) connected on a 72-yard pass to senior wide receiver Bobby Leonard (Edgewood, Ky./Dixie Heights) and Budke added the PAT with 11:33 to play in the second quarter.
Hayden scored on a 21-yard touchdown run and Budke added the PAT with 7:46 to play in the second half to cut the lead to 24-21.
The Presidents extended the lead to 31-21 when Max Creighan scored on a 12-yard pass from Coughlin and Davis added the PAT with 5:40 to play in the second half.
The Saints cut the lead to 31-28 with 2:26 to play in the third quarter when Hayden scored on an 11-yard run and Budke added the PAT.
W&J answered with a 77-yard touchdown pass from Coughlin to Lis and Davis added the PAT to increase the lead to 38-28 with 1:38 to play in the third quarter.
Coughlin connected on a four-yard touchdown pass to Lis and the PAT was blocked as the Presidents increased the lead to 44-28 with 12:28 to play in the fourth quarter.
Washington & Jefferson extended the lead to 51-28 with 11:29 to play in the fourth quarter when Ryan Ruffing scored on a seven-yard touchdown run and Davis added the PAT.
Hayden led the Saints' offense with 24 carries for 183 yards and three touchdowns. Leonard finished the game with five catches for 136 yards and a touchdown, while junior wide receiver Goose Cohorn (Independence, Ky./Dixie Heights) had three catches for 95 yards. Gebhardt was 11-of-26 passings for 211 yards and a touchdown.
Junior defensive end Erick Butler (Eminence, Ky./Henry County) led the defense with 12 tackles (eight solo, four assisted), including two and a half tackles for a loss. Junior defensive back Ian Gunn (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) finished with eight tackles (six solo, two assisted), sophomore linebacker Austin Copeland (Cincinnati, Ohio/Kings) had seven tackles (five solo, two assisted), including one tackle for a loss and sophomore defensive back Lemuel Weyer (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) had six tackles (two solo, four assisted), including a half tackle for a loss.
Thomas More returns to the road next Saturday (October 11) when it travels to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania to play Geneva College. The PAC game is scheduled to kickoff at 2 p.m. at Reeves Field. The game will be broadcasted taped delayed on FoxSports Radio 1360 AM at 8 p.m., but will be streamed LIVE on the internet at www.foxsports1360.com.