COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican defense had nine tackles for loss and two interceptions to power the Panther football team to a 10-7 home win over Virginia State Saturday afternoon.

Ohio Dominican snapped its first three-game losing streak in four years with the win. As a result, the Panthers are 1-1 overall at the midway portion of their non-conference slate to start the 2021 fall season. Virginia State falls to 0-2 with the loss, and suffers its first setback to a non-nationally ranked or FCS opponent since the start of the 2019 season.

BOX SCORE NOTES

• The nine team tackles for loss were the most for the Panthers since a road win at Hillsdale on Nov. 16, 2019.
• With two interceptions, ODU's defense has multiple takeaways in both appearances this fall. Since the start of the 2019 campaign, ODU has forced two-plus turnovers in 9-of-18 games.
• Linebacker Brady Blattner (Byesville, Ohio) led the defense with a career-high 13 tackles, including 2.5 for loss. Blattner also registered an interception.
• Senior Chance Canady (Columbus, Ohio) tied Blattner for the team high in tackles for loss, 2.5, while tying a personal best with five total stops.
• Three other defenders posted eight tackles in the game, including Aarin Smoot-Baker (Columbus, Ohio), whose previous collegiate best mark was seven stops.
• Dauson Dales (Defiance, Ohio) and Desdamon Lake (Youngstown, Ohio) each made eight stops.
• Offensively, quarterback Evan Ernst (Mason, Ohio) completed 17-of-25 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown.
• James Morgan (Columbus, Ohio) paced the Panther receivers with five catches for 50 yards and one score.
• The Panthers outgained VSU 126-79 on the ground, with Frederick Pitts V (Huber Heights, Ohio) spearheading ODU's rushing attack with 13 carries for 70 yards.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Panthers forced a three-and-out to start the game and Jed Quackenbush (Newark, Ohio) capped ODU's opening offensive drive with a career-long 44-yard field goal.
• The Black & Gold held the Trojans to just three rushing yards on 10 carries to take their 3-0 lead into the start of the second quarter.
• VSU moved possession over 50 yards its next two drives, but the opportunistic ODU defense kept the Trojans off the board.
• Canaday and Blattner came up with a tackle for loss on a fourth-and-two conversion attempt for VSU. The Panthers then went 62 yards over nine plays, capped by their only touchdown of the day, a 13-yard connection between Ernst and Morgan.
• Virginia State's next possession had the Trojans in the red zone, but after a botched field goal snap, Ashton Gilkey (Westerville, Ohio) intercepted a desperation heave. He returned the ball 69 yards to set up the offense just before halftime.
• ODU though, in the closing seconds of the first half, missed a field goal attempt, leaving its lead at 10-0 going into the intermission.
• The two sides traded punts and turnovers in the third quarter, keeping the Panther advantage at 10-0 heading into the final 15-minute period.
• Quackenbush ended the third quarter with his longest punt of the day, 51 yards, which backed the Trojans to their own two-yard line.
• VSU then went 15 plays and 98 yards, covering 7:14 to find the end zone. The Trojans converted three first downs on the drive to close their deficit to 10-7 with 8:11 remaining.
• After another ODU punt, Canady came up big for the Panther defense, registering back-to-back sacks to force VUS into a 4th and 20-yard scenario. Jayden Hill (Gahanna, Ohio) broke up the fourth down pass to give possession back to ODU with just over two minutes to play.
• ODU successfully converted on its next fourth down, three yards, as Pitts rushed for four yards to allow the Panthers to run out the clock.

UP NEXT

• The Panthers will hit the road for the first time this fall when the travel to William Jewell for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 11.

Contact: Tyler Jester

jestert@ohiodominican.edu