LATROBE, Pa. (Sept. 17) – D.J. Gray Jr. ran for a career-high 118 yards to help lead Saint Vincent to a 24-16 victory over Thiel on Homecoming at Chuck Noll Field.
 
The Bearcats (1-2, 1-0 Presidents' Athletic Conference) overcame a sluggish day offensively by limiting Thiel (0-3, 0-1 PAC) to just 286 yards of total offense and forcing a pair of Tomcat turnovers.
 
The teams traded a pair of scoreless possessions early on before the Bearcats seized the lead midway through the first quarter. Taking over on their own 43 following a Thiel punt, SVC rode Gray to the end zone, as the sophomore covered the 57 yards in four carries, capped off with a 3-yard touchdown plunge, to put SVC in front 7-0 with 5:40 left in the quarter.
 
After another Thiel punt, the Bearcats ended the first quarter driving, with Brady Walker connecting with Ja'Tier Berkley for a 47-yard gain to take the ball inside the Thiel 30. A 6-yard run by Berkley followed by a 4-yard pass to Matthew Esdelle advanced the ball into the red zone, before Gray ran three times for 11 yards to set up first-and-goal. Walker would then complete the scoring drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Molayo Irefin in the flat to give SVC a 14-0 lead with 13:10 left in the first half.
 
Thiel answered with a lengthy 10-play, 75-yard drive, capped off with a 3-yard touchdown on a keeper by quarterback Owen Trumbull. The two-point conversion run was good to cut the SVC lead to 14-8 with 7:17 left in the quarter.
 
The SVC lead would remain at six points at the half, as the teams traded punts on their final trips of the half.
 
On Thiel's fourth play from scrimmage after receiving the kickoff to open the third quarter, SVC's Payton Hrehovchak pounced on a fumble at the Thiel 36 and SVC promptly made the Tomcats pay for the miscue. Gray opened the ensuing drive with a pair of runs for 20 yards to set up first-and-goal, before Irefin scored his second touchdown of the day, this time on an end-around pitch from three yards out, to up the SVC lead to 21-8 with 10:29 left in the third quarter.
 
Saint Vincent's defense would hold on fourth-and-one on Thiel's next trip and the Bearcat offense would add to the lead on Justin Emeigh's first career field goal, a 34-yarder that upped the Bearcat advantage to 24-8 with 3:55 to go in the quarter.
 


The fourth quarter proved to be a defensive struggle, with Thiel scoring the only points on a 14-yard pass from Trumbull to Donovan Blue with 3:16 left in regulation. The two-point try was again successful, but the Bearcats recovered the ensuing on-side kick at midfield. While the Bearcats were unable to gain a first down and run out the clock, punter Kyle Murray pinned the Tomcats inside their own 6-yard-line with just 33 seconds left. The SVC defense yielded just five yards on Thiel's final possession of the day to seal its first win of the season.
 
Gray gained 118 yards on 18 carries, averaging 6.6 per try, while he also added a 26-yard reception to finish with 144 all-purpose yards. Irefin led the Bearcats with three receptions. 
 
Defensively, Ethan Facey topped SVC with nine tackles, while also forcing and recovering a fumble. Ahmad Shaw made six tackles, while Jaden Edmonds made five, including one for a loss. Kyle Coombe and Ryan Brown each registered quarterback sacks.
 
The Bearcats will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 24, when they play their first road game of the 2022 campaign, a 7 p.m. matchup at PAC foe Grove City College.