Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
(BRIDGEWATER, Va.) – The Thomas More College football team rolled up 634 yards of total offense today (Saturday, September 10, 2016) as it defeated Bridgewater (Va.) College, 41-17, in a non-conference game at the Jopson Athletic Complex in Bridgewater, Virginia.
With the win, the Saints improve to 1-1 and with the loss, the Eagles fall to 1-1.
Thomas More led 7-3 after one quarter, 27-10 at halftime and 41-10 after three quarters.
Bridgewater took a 3-0 lead with 6:32 to play in the first quarter when Anthony Rossi made a 29-yard field goal. The Saints answered and took a 7-3 lead when junior quarterback Brenan Kuntz (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) scored on a 14-yard run up the middle and first-year place kicker Ryan Hans (Fort Thomas, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) added the point-after-attempt with 4:27 to play in the opening quarter.
The Saints extended the lead to 13-3 with 13:36 to play in the second quarter when Kuntz connected on a 16-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Daylin Garland II (Newport, Ky./Newport) and the PAT was blocked. The Eagles cut the lead to 13-10 when Malivai Barker scored on a 66-yard touchdown pass from Brendon Maturey and Rossi added the PAT with 12:06 to play in the second quarter.
Garland scored on a 56-yard touchdown pass from Kuntz and Hans added the PAT at the 9:01 mark of the second quarter and the Saints increased the lead to 20-10. The lead was extended to 27-10 when Kuntz connected on a nine-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Matt Betustak (Avon, Ind./Avon) and Hans made the PAT with 4:51 to play in the first half.
In the third quarter, the Saints increased the lead to 34-10 when Garland scored on a 49-yard touchdown pass from Kuntz and Hans add the PAT with 12:50 to play in the quarter. Senior running back C.T. Tarrant (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) scored on a one-yard run and Hans tacked on the PAT to extend Thomas More's lead to 41-10 with 5:17 to play in the third quarter.
Bridgewater's Rayvon Johnson scored on a 15-yard touchdown reception and Rossi added the PAT with 11:06 to play in the game and cut the lead to 41-17.
Thomas More outgained the Eagles 634 yards (318 rushing/316 passing) to 292 yards (48 rushing/244 passing).
Kuntz led the offense as he was 15-of-27 passing for 297 yards and four touchdowns. Garland led the receiving corps as he had seven catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns. Tarrant led the Saints' ground game as he had 15 carries for 123 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore running back Luke Zajac (Edgewood, Ky./Dixie Heights) finished with 86 yards rushing on 15 carries and sophomore running Hjavier Pitts (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mt. Healthy) had 10 carries for 70 yards.
The Saints' defense was led by senior linebacker Josh Hunter (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore), who had seven tackles (five solo/two assisted), including one tackle for a loss. Senior linebacker Austin Copeland (Cincinnati, Ohio/Kings) had seven tackles (four solo/three assisted) and sophomore defensive back Brandon Neal (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lakota West) had five tackles (four solo/one assisted.
The Saints return home next Saturday (September 17) for the first time in 2016 and will host Washington & Jefferson College at 12 p.m. at BB&T Field in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.