COLUMBUS, Ohio – After last years heart breaking last second loss at Panther Field to the Wisconsin-Oshkosh Titans, the Ohio Dominican Panthers returned the favor as they held off a fourth quarter rally to defeat Oshkosh 31-29 on their home turf.

The Ohio Dominican football team continues to use their two quarterback rotation of Billy Griffin and Jeremy Fudge to try its best to maintain its high powered offensive attack Panther fans have come to expect.

In the first half that two headed monster led the Panthers to 359 yards of offense and jumped out to a 28-13 lead over the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh at J.J Keller Field.

Griffin (Jr., Columbus, OH), the junior signal caller, led the Panthers to a dominating first half performance as he completed 9-of-15 passes for 136 yards and two scoring strikes, both to tight end Kyle Reichelderfer (Sr., Circleville, OH). Griffin also orchestrated a 88 yard drive that resulted in a 6-yard plunge from Tyler Purcell (So., Franklin, OH; pictured) to give the Panthers a 28-13 lead.

Fudge (So., Eaton, OH) found success as well, leading the Panthers down the field on his second series for one of ODU's four, first half touchdowns. In the first half, the sophomore quarterback was 5-of-13 for 68 yards.

The second half was a different story as neither team could get anything going in the 3rd-quarter. The Panthers extended their lead with 17 seconds left in the quarter when ODU sent Chris Vortkamp (So., Cincinnati, OH) on the field for a 28-yard field goal. Vortkamp's kick was set up by a blocked punt and gave the Panthers a commanding 31-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Oshkosh came out guns blazing, as their special teams unit continued to be their only bright spot on the day. Garrie Fox returned a punt 81 yards setting up the Titans first touchdown of the second half.  UW-Oshkosh finished the afternoon with 251 yards in returns.

The Panther's offense continued to be stagnant in the second half as they were forced to punt for the eighth time on the day. UW-Oshkosh showed signs of life as they went 64-yards on nine plays capped off by another Roach run to cut the lead to five with just over seven minutes to play.

ODU, looking to put the game out of reach as they gambled on a fourth and one, but a costly fumble gave the hosts another shot at a come from behind victory. The Panthers defense, bruised but not broken, held strong as the Titans settled for a 22-yard Andy Lindsey field goal that brought the score to 31-29.

The Panthers clinging to a 2-point lead in desperate need to move the chains turned to Purcell who helped keep the offense on the field and run out the clock. Purcell finished the afternoon with 148 yards on the ground including 39 of them coming on the final drive.

Ohio Dominican out gained Oshkosh 504 yards to 354, holding the Titans offense well below their season average of nearly 500 yards a game. Leading the way for the Panther's defense was Steven Witherspoon (Sr., Warren, OH) with seven solo stops. Linebackers Kyle Songere (So., Hudson, OH) and Tony Weisent (So., Newark, OH) also had big games with six tackles and each recording a sack and a half.

The Panthers, now 2-2, return to action next Saturday, October 3rd as they travel to Cleveland, Ohio to take on future Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) foe Lake Erie College. Game time is set for 1 p.m.