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The Bearcats opened up a 30-0 lead by halftime and cruised to a 36-14 victory over Thiel College on the road in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup.

After the Saint Vincent defense stopped the Tomcats on their opening drive, the Bearcats drove 71 yards on their first drive before the Thiel defense stopped the team's momentum at the 12-yard-line.  Morgan Porter then connected on a 29-yard field goal, giving SVC a 3-0 lead with 5:45 left on the clock.

The Bearcats didn't waste any time on their second drive, scoring on just four plays -- a short pass and three carries by Huey Ehredt.  The final play, a 28-yard Ehredt run, made the score 10-0.

Early in the second quarter, SVC defensive lineman Jim Muraco forced a fumble in Thiel territory, and safety Terry Kernan grabbed the loose ball out of midair and carried it 12 yards to the Thiel 17.  Five plays later, quarterback Aaron Smetanka completed a pass to Ehredt in the end zone from 14 yards out, and the Bearcats were up 17-0.

After a three-and-out by the Tomcats, SVC's offense took control again, this time scoring on a handoff to Christian Sutton, who carried the ball 11 yards into the end zone for a 23-0 lead.

Finally, on the last play of the first half, Smetanka eluded the rush and lobbed a high pass into the corner of the end zone, where Sutton made the catch with no time on the clock.  After Porter's extra point, the Bearcats took a 30-0 lead into the halftime break.

Zach Mihalko then returned the opening kickoff of the second half 71 yards deep into Tomcat territory, setting up a 3-yard pass from Smetanka to Cody Strelick that made the score 36-0.

Thiel added a pair of scores later in the half, but the Bearcat lead was insurmountable.

Smetanka led the Bearcat offense, going 23-31 on the day for 284 yards and three scores.  Ricky Douglas caught 5 passes for 118 yards, while Sutton had 5 catches for 45 yards.  Joe Yezovich caught 4 passes out of the backfield, good for 51 yards.

On the ground, Ehredt gained 74 yards on just 8 carries, while Mike Kale carried the ball 11 times for 36 yards.

Defensively, Anthony Johnson had 10 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss.  David Ribero recorded 8 tackles while Alex Zupanovich had 7.   Dan Wirkowski had an interception that thwarted a Tomcat scoring opportunity, while Pat Ponko had SVC's lone sack.

The Bearcats have now won two straight, and are 2-1 on the year (1-0 in the PAC).  Thiel drops to 0-4, 0-2 in the conference.

Saint Vincent returns to action on Saturday, October 1 at 4PM on the road in Beaver Falls against Geneva College.