GREENVILLE, Pa. – Quarterback Logan Lee tied a career-high with four touchdown passes, while the Gator defense forced three turnovers and allowed just 184 yards, as Allegheny rolled to a 38-6 win over Thiel to open up the 2017 season.
In the first Thursday night game in program history, the Gators broke open a one-point game with 24 second quarter points to earn their first opening day victory since 2012.
Lee completed 19 of 32 passes for 244 yards with four scores and no picks, with Ben Bachik pulling in a game-high six receptions for 58 yards and two scores. Alex Victor and Dwaine Barber also added touchdown receptions, while Tristan Rhoades gained a team-leading 72 yards on five catches. Tyler Balla led the Allegheny ground game with 60 yards on 15 carries, including a second quarter touchdown run.
The Gators out-gained the Tomcats 398-184, while totaling 22 first downs to Thiel's nine. Travis Thomas paced Allegheny's defense with seven tackles, including a sack, while Freddy Ruiz made six solo stops, including three for loss, and recovered a pair of fumbles.
Thiel gambled to open the season, electing for an on-side kick to open the game. The attempt failed, however, and the Gators quickly capitalized after taking over at midfield. After Balla rumbled for 18 yards on back-to-back carries, Lee connected with Barber over the middle, and the lanky wideout broke through a tackle to score a 25-yard touchdown. Zach Bednarowicz's extra point was good, and the Gators led 7-0 just 80 seconds into the season.
The Tomcats countered by embarking on a nine-play, 44-yard drive, capped off with a 31-yard touchdown pass on fourth and 11 from Ronald Brown to Marcus Waddy. The extra point went wide, and Allegheny clung to the 7-6 lead with just under nine minutes left in the opening stanza.
A 26-yard touchdown strike on the ensuing drive from Lee to Victor was negated due to penalty, and the two teams would then trade punts over the final seven minutes of the quarter.
On the first play of the second frame, the Gator defense came up with its first big play of the season, as Ruiz strip sacked Brown and recovered the fumble on the Thiel 15. The opportunistic Allegheny offense capitalized right away, with Lee finding Bachik on a perfect fade in the corner of the end zone, with Bednarowicz's kick giving Allegheny a 14-6 lead with 14:04 left in the half.
Just three plays later, the Gator defense would come up big yet again. In his first career game at corner after spending two seasons at wide receiver, Jonah Tanner stepped in front of a Brown pass at midfield for the pick, racing all the way to the Thiel 13. Allegheny would then go to its ground game to up the lead, with Balla carrying three straight times, capped off with a five-yard plunge up the middle to give the Gators a 21-6 advantage with 11:40 remaining in the quarter.
For the third straight trip, Thiel's next drive would also end in a turnover, as a fumble from the Tomcat's Nick Barca was recovered by Ruiz at the Thiel 42. On the very next play, Lee found Victor over the middle, and the speedy wide out out-raced the Thiel secondary for the touchdown to push the Gators in front 28-6 at the 9-minute mark of the second quarter.
The Gators added to their lead in the closing seconds of the quarter. Taking over on their own 33 with two minutes remaining after a punt, Lee quickly completed four passes for 50 yards, including a 25-yarder to Rhoades, to set up first down at the Thiel 33. The drive would stall, but with 20 seconds to go in the half, Bednarowicz hit a 36-yard field goal that nicked the left upright before sneaking through to give the Gators a commanding 31-6 halftime lead.
Over the opening 30 minutes, the Gators gained 267 yards to the Tomcats' 112, with Lee completing 14 of 22 passes for 195 yards.
Thiel opened the second half with a promising drive, with Barca rushing three times for 40 yards to set up first down inside Allegheny 40. Aided by a Gator penalty, the Tomcats eventually advanced to the 15, but Allegheny's defense came up with yet another stop. After Ruiz snuffed out a run in the backfield for a five-yard loss, a 37-yard field goal attempt went wide left, and the Gators maintained the 25-point lead.
After the teams traded scoreless trips, the Gators closed the quarter on a lengthy and efficient scoring drive. Taking over on a turnover on downs at the Thiel 45, Allegheny used three passes and three runs to earn a first-and-goal on the 9. Lee closed out the drive with his second touchdown pass to Bachik to go up 38-6 with 50 seconds left in the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Gators limited Thiel to just 34 yards, while using a pair of time-consuming drives to chew up the clock and close out their first win of the 2017 season.
While Lee spearheaded a strong passing game, the Gators also showcased a balanced rushing attack to out-gain the Tomcats 147-125 on the ground. In addition to Balla's 60 yards, Jake Wilson ran six times for 26 yards, and Victor three for 22.
Barca ran for a game-high 128 yards on 28 carries, but was the lone bright spot for the Thiel offense. The Gators limited the Tomcats to just six pass completions for 59 yards, with David Perez credited with two pass breakups.
Thursday night's affair marked the fourth straight season in which the Gators and Tomcats met on opening day, and snapped Thiel's three-game winning streak over the span. It was also the Gators' first victory over Thiel since the 1997 season-opener, while it marked Allegheny's first opening day win since a 17-13 victory over Wooster in week one of the 2012 campaign.
The Gators return to action on Saturday, Sept. 9, opening up North Coast Athletic Conference play with a 5 p.m. Community Night bout against Wooster at Frank B. Fuhrer Field. Admission will be free for all fans.