DANVILLE, Ky. - The Sewanee football team used two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to claim the lead with 8:36 left, but a late touchdown pass by Centre was the deciding factor, as the Colonels defeat the Tigers, 24-21, Saturday afternoon from Farris Stadium.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score: Centre (3-3, 1-3) 24, Sewanee (0-6, 0-4) 21
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HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Tigers opened the contest with a touchdown. On the team's first possession of the game, Sewanee chewed 5:15 off the clock in 10 plays. The drive was capped off with a 20-yard touchdown reception by Micah Maes from Alex Darras. However, Brody Palmer's point-after-attempt was missed.
-Late in the opening quarter, the Colonels, thanks to a 35-yard completion, found the end zone for the first time in the game. After a point-after by Tanner South, the home team had the 7-6 lead.
-On the next drive, Sewanee reclaimed the lead as the quarter shifted to the second. Palmer converted the 23-yard field goal with 12:37 left in the opening half to give the Tigers the 9-7 advantage.
-Late in the first half, Centre's drive was stalled in the red zone. At the Sewanee 12-yard-line, Clark Payne's pass was picked off by Daniel May to help Sewanee carry a 9-7 lead into the locker room.
-On the Colonels' first drive of the second half, the home team reclaimed the lead. After taking 5:14 off the clock, Centre was rewarded with a 21-yard field goal by South to flip the lead back to the hosts, 10-9.
-Centre added a touchdown late in the third. After Sewanee fumbled the ball on their own 26-yard-line, Payne found Hagen Ellis on the next play for the 18-yard score to lead 17-9 after 45 minutes of play.
-The Sewanee offense came to life in the fourth period, thanks to Darras. The Ooltewah, Tenn. native cut the deficit to 17-15 thanks to a three-yard run.
-After the kickoff and a play from scrimmage, Centre coughed up the football, and a white jersey in Sewanee picked it up in J.T. Mitchell to give the Tigers the ball back at the Centre 38.
-Darras, after completing a 29-yard pass to Colin May, found the end zone on his own again on a one-yard run to give Sewanee a 21-17 advantage. However, the two-point conversion by Sewanee was off-target.
-The Tigers defense held on the next drive and forced the Colonels to punt. However, with 7:32 left in the contest, the Tigers could not convert a first down, and the team only took 2:24 off the clock.
-With five minutes remaining, and decent field position after a punt return by Jordan Gunter, John Walton found Christian Billiter for 25-yards and they reclaimed the lead, 24-21.
-On Sewanee's final drive of the game, the offense struggled, as Darras was sacked three straight times to turn the ball over on downs with 1:16 left. That would seal the homecoming victory for the Colonels.
SEWANEE KEY STATISTICS
-Alex Darras was present in all of the Tigers' touchdowns in the game. Through the air, he was 23-of-32 for 215 yards and a score, and on the ground, he finished with two rushing touchdowns.
-George Morrice had 43 yards on 13 carries on the ground, while Cyrus McCullough had 10 catches for 85 receiving yards.
-Alex Coffield led Sewanee with eight tackles, while Daniel May had five tackles and an interception.
-Jackson Menefee had 1.5 sacks in the game, while J.T. Mitchell had two tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery.
CENTRE KEY STATISTICS
-John Walton had two touchdowns thanks to 8-of-16 through the air for 132 yards.
-Zarian Hunter Cure had 81 yards on 14 carries.
-Keanan John and Andre Evans each had nine tackles to lead all defenders, while Clayton Bell posted three sacks.
UP NEXT
The Tigers will be at home next weekend over Fall Break, as they will take on Austin College.
Sewanee will conclude the home portion of the regular season on Sunday against Hendrix. Prior to the match, the Tigers will honor its seven seniors for Senior Day.