NORTH CANTON, Ohio - The Tiffin University football team delivered its most dramatic comeback of the season on Saturday afternoon, erasing a 17-point deficit and scoring 28 fourth quarter points to stun Walsh University 31-27 at Larry Staudt Field.
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After trailing 20-3 entering the final quarter and falling behind 27-24 with just 1:36 remaining, the Dragons marched 75 yards in 12 plays before redshirt junior quarterback
Cane Mack connected with
Jaedyn McKinstry on a 10-yard touchdown pass with seven seconds left to secure the victory. The win moves Tiffin to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in G-MAC play.
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Walsh controlled the early stages, jumping out to a 17-0 first quarter lead behind a field goal and two rushing touchdowns. Tiffin got on the board late in the second quarter when
Ben Rudolph drilled a 27-yard field goal to make it 17-3 heading into halftime.
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The Cavaliers extended their lead to 20-3 following a third quarter field goal, but the Dragons came alive in the final 15 minutes.
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Tiffin's comeback began on an 80-yard drive capped by a 35-yard touchdown run from
Daniel Weems with 11:19 remaining. Following a defensive stop, the Dragons needed just six plays to cover 86 yards, as Weems punched in a 2-yard touchdown run to trim the deficit to 20-17.
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The momentum continued to swing toward the Dragons after a successful onside kick recovery gave Tiffin possession deep in Walsh territory. Mack found
Joey Truesdale for a four-yard touchdown pass with 2:42 left, giving Tiffin its first lead of the afternoon at 24-20.
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Walsh answered quickly with a six-play, 80-yard scoring drive, reclaiming a 27-24 advantage on a Jake Gill touchdown run with 1:36 remaining.
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Unfazed, Mack led one final drive, completing key passes to
Joey Zalewski and
Jordan Edwards before finding McKinstry in the back of the end zone for the game-winning score with seven seconds left.
Isaiah Funches-Foster then secured the victory by intercepting Walsh's final pass attempt as time expired.
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The Dragons finished with 410 yards of total offense while holding Walsh to just 57 rushing yards. Tiffin also dominated time of possession, controlling the ball for 33:50 and converting 8-of-19 third downs.
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Mack paced the offense by completing 22-of-34 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns while adding 14 rushing yards. He accounted for both fourth-quarter touchdown passes and engineered the game-winning drive.
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Weems provided a spark offensively with 56 rushing yards and two touchdowns on nine carries while also hauling in three receptions for 22 yards.
Ronald Blackman added 66 rushing yards on 17 carries, and Zalewski and
Josiah Raber shared team-high honors with 70 receiving yards apiece.
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Defensively,
Lennox Williams and Jacob Tuiemeh led the Dragons with seven tackles each, while
Buba Bangura and
Frank Bertram chipped in six tackles apiece.
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Tiffin will look to continue rolling as it will next travel to Hillsdale College next Saturday at 2 p.m. for its final road contest of the season. The 'Gons will close out the regular season hosting three-straight home games against Lake Erie (Oct. 31), Ohio Dominican (Nov. 7) and No. 16 University of Findlay (Nov. 14).
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