Thanks to a stifling defense and an efficient offense, the Bearcats defeated Thiel College 17-3 on Homecoming Day at Chuck Noll Field.

Linebacker Armando Fortunato set a school record with 15 tackles, including two sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss, as the Bearcat defense limited Thiel to just 267 yards.

The game started out as a defensive struggle, as neither team scored in a fast-moving first quarter, before Thiel finished its first drive of the second quarter with a 26-yard field goal from Berend Grube to put the Tomcats in front 3-0.

The Bearcats forced a Thiel punt on the Tomcats' next possession, but the catch was muffed by the Bearcat return man, and the fumble was recovered by Thiel's Nathan Blazevich on the Thiel 29.  The Bearcat defense then buckled down, holding Thiel to just three yards on its next four plays for the turnover on downs.

Saint Vincent's offense then went to work led by quarterback Aaron Smetanka, who completed seven of nine passes for 57 yards, including a 28-yard pass to Ricky Douglas, to set up first and goal on the five.  Two plays later, fullback Joe Yezovich bowled into the end zone, giving SVC the lead with 1:56 left in the half.  Aaron Jones' extra point was good, putting SVC ahead 7-3. 

The Bearcats maintained the four-point lead through the intermission, and the offense again went to work on its first possession of the third quarter.  This time, Jake Smith was under center, completing three passes for 52 yards, including a 23-yard strike to Tom Quirin and a 24-yarder to Loughner, giving SVC another first-and-goal on the 10.  The drive stalled out, but Jones came on and drilled a 25-yard field goal to put the Bearcats in front by seven with 8:41 left in the third quarter.

Thiel then looked to cut into the lead, embarking on a long drive of its own, taking advantage of a pair of questionable SVC pass interference calls to advance the ball to the SVC 18.  The defense again held, bringing the Thiel field goal unit onto the field.

This time, SVC's Sean Hufgard blocked Grube's kick, with Bryan Santos picking up the loose ball and taking it to the SVC 43.

The Bearcat offense made the Tomcats pay for the miscue, with Smetanka completing a 32-yard pass to Loughner followed by a 27-yard toss to Brandon Hamilton to give SVC first-and-goal from four yards out.  On second-and-goal, Smetanka hit Sheldon Loughner in the back corner of the end zone for the touchdown, with Jones' kick putting the Bearcats in front 17-3 with 2:11 left in the third quarter.

The 14-point lead was more than enough for the Bearcat defense, as it continued to wreak havoc on the Thiel offense. 

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Tomcats looked to cut into the Bearcat lead, driving deep into SVC territory, with quarterback Andrew Smith, on in relief of starter Jared Soell,  completing three passes for 38 yards, and running for 15 more, to set up first down on the SVC 12.

In the shadows of the goal posts, the Bearcat defense again came up big, with Jim Muraco sacking Smith on third down, before Mike Speal broke up a Smith pass in the end zone on fourth down to give the ball back to SVC.

The Tomcats again drove deep into Bearcat territory on their next possession, with Smith completing passes of 13, 15, and 18 yards, but on fourth down from the SVC 10, SVC defensive end Jeff Graham clinched the Bearcat victory by posting the team's fifth sack of the afternoon, giving the ball back to the Bearcats with 20 seconds left, and setting off a frenzied Saint Vincent crowd.

The Bearcat quarterback duo of Smetanka and Smith combined to complete 20 of 27 passes for 218 yards.  Smetanka went 15-for-19 with 150 yards and one score, while Smith completed five of eight attempts for 68 yards.

Quirin was the favorite target among Bearcat signal callers, hauling in a school-record seven catches for 66 yards, while Loughner added four catches for 61 yards.  Mike Kale led the Bearcat ground game, posting 54 yards on 12 carries.  For the game, the Bearcats out-gained Thiel 296-267. 

Defensively, seven SVC players made at least four tackles, led by Fortunato's 15.  Trevor Wezkiewicz made eight stops, including 2.0 TFLs and one sack, while Alex Rowan made seven tackles, and Santos added an interception to his blocked kick return.

Soell went 7-for-16 for 41 yards and one interception for Thiel, while Andrew Smith finished 8-for-14 for 147 yards. Tyler DeJong made five catches for 92 yards, while Soell also led the Thiel ground game, gaining 46 yards on 16 tries.

Defensively, Ethan Ludwig made a team-high nine tackles, including 2.0 for losses, while Hunter Liptrap and Bryan Villegas made eight tackles apiece.

The Bearcats (1-2, 1-0 PAC) will return to action next Saturday and will be back at home, hosting Geneva College at 1pm at Chuck Noll Field.