Tiffin University (2-2, 1-1 G-MAC) kept things close at Ashland but too many missed opportunities led to a tough 21-12 road defeat.

Overall the Dragons made 5 trips to the red zone but came away with only a field goal. They also had the ball for nearly 9:00 more minutes than the Eagles but could not get the lead at any point.

Tiffin opened with a 6:00 drive that got to the Ashland 19 yard line but a Ben Rudolph 36-yard field goal was blocked. 

After Ashland scored on a 47-yard pass play to make it 7-0, the Dragons drove down to the Ashland 13-yard line before settling for a 30-yard Rudolph field goal to make it 7-3.

On its next drive Ashland made it 14-3 after a 28-yard touchdown strike. The Dragons' defense stepped up midway through the second quarter when Jacob Tueimeh forced and recovered a fumble on the Tiffin 49-yard line. Again, the Dragons drove deep into Ashland territory, getting to the 7-yard line before failing to convert on fourth-and-goal.

To close out the first half, TU put another drive together that took them to the Ashland 15-yard line. A 33-yard field goal attempt by Rudolph was blocked again, leaving Ashland ahead 14-3 at the half.

Tiffin opened with a strong defensive effort, with Ryan Konyecsni blocking a punt out the back of the end zone for a safety that made the score Ashland 14, Tiffin 5.

The Dragons kept the momentum going with their next possession, with Ronald Blackman rushing for a 30-yard touchdown at the 9:26 mark of the third quarter to bring Tiffin to within 14-12.

Tiffin's defense kept giving the team chances, with Kevin Hornbeak forcing a fumble at midfield that Jalen Coles recovered. TU moved down to the Ashland 30-yard line but Alex Johnson's pass was intercepted to end the drive. It was Tiffin's lone turnover of the game.

Tiffin had one more chance with 8:55 left in the game. They started at their own 25-yard line and drove into Ashland territory to the 17-yard line. A subsequent holding call followed by an unsportsmanline conduct call knocked Tiffin back to the 42-yard line and the Dragons could not get a first down to keep the drive going.

Overall Tiffin had 17 first downs to Ashland's 15. AU had 346 yards of offense to Tiffin's 337. The Dragons converted just 9 of 17 third-down conversions.

Jalen Thomas had 116 yards receiving on 13 catches, while Joey Zalewski added 56 more yards. Blackman led the team with 78 yards rushing. Johnson finished 22 of 34 for 241 yards and an interception.

Tueimeh had a huge day defensively, posting 15 tackles with a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Chucky Lewis had 8 stops, while Isaiah Funches-Foster had 7 tackles. Malik Baker also had 5 tackles.