TIFFIN, Ohio - In their first meeting as Great Midwest Athletic Conference opponents, Tiffin University defeated Kentucky Wesleyan College 43-17 on Saturday in Tiffin. Quarterback
Mike McGee threw for a season-high 278-yards.
The Panthers found themselves in a ten-point deficit after the first quarter as the Dragons scored a touchdown on their first two drives of the game. Wesleyan got on the board on a 39-yard field goal from
Chris Logsdon after
Alijah McGhee set up the drive with a 40-yard kickoff return.
Wesleyan's defense forced a three-and-out on Tiffin's third drive of the game. A punt into the end zone set up the Panther offense at Tiffin's 20-yard line but that was no problem for McGee. McGee found
Landan Thomas on a screen pass and broke free from defenders for a 80-yard touchdown. Logsdon nailed the extra point attempt to make it 13-10 Dragons with 5 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Tiffin shut out the Panthers in the second quarter while scoring a touchdown of their own to take a 27-10 lead to the break. The Dragons scored on their opening drive of the second half. On the ensuing kick off,
Savion Davis tallied a 49-yard return to put the Panther offense at midfield.
Corey Johnson Jr. had back-to-back first-down carries before
Jacob Yates hauled in a 13-yard pass, putting the Panthers inside the Dragon red zone. McGee found Javion Jackson for a three-yard touchdown pass and Logsdon's kick was good to cut the deficit to 33-17.
The Panther offense stumbled in the final quarter, unable to tally a first down as the Dragons prevailed 43-17.
McGee finished with 278-yards on 25 completions for two touchdowns.
Landan Thomas led Panther receivers with 85-yards on two catches. Yates accumulated 65-yards on five catches in his return from injury.
Jalen Humphrey led the defense with nine tackles, seven of which were solo. McGhee tallied seven solo tackles while
James Todd,
Armand Childs and
Dalan Cofer recorded six tackles each.
Kyle Hurt and
RJ Wilson tallied one pass break up while Wilson forced two fumbles.
The Panthers return home next week for their final home game of the season, hosting Lake Erie College at 1 pm CT at Independence Bank Field at Steele Stadium.
