Lead slips away from DC in final minute at Rose-Hulman

DEFIANCE, Ohio – A thrilling back-and-forth contest ended in heartbreak for the Defiance Yellow Jackets following a game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds left lifted the Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers to a 29-25 win.

The Yellow Jackets (2-5) overcame nearly every obstacle in the closing minutes but the Fightin' Engineers (2-4) came through in the clutch with their backs against the wall. The contest changed hands three times in the final six minutes of the football game, beginning with an eight-yard touchdown by Rose-Hulman's Jay Smith to claim a 22-18 advantage over DC. The following drive for the Yellow Jackets started with a 32-yard pass play but was on the brink when the Jackets faced a fourth-and-22. Backup quarterback Garret Bogart was in the game after an injury to Jehlani Warren two plays earlier and stood tall to deliver a dart to Tawann Rome for 30 yards and a first down. Tristan Thomas followed with rushes of seven and nine yards to set up a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:06 left on the clock. Rose-Hulman had a nice return to their own 45-yard line and scored five plays later when Smith sprinted in from 11 yards away.

Neither team was able to generate points during a scoreless first quarter. DC put together drives of seven and eight plays into Rose-Hulman territory that stalled out. In the second, the offenses started to beak through as Rose-Hulman built a 10-0 lead, including a seven-play, 61-yard touchdown drive that wrapped around the quarter break to break the ice. 

The Yellow Jackets started to rally and dominated the second half of the quarter. Jeremy Brown Jr. delivered a spark with a 20-yard rush into Rose-Hulman territory that converted a third-and-4 followed up by a toe-drag catch on the sideline by Tawann Rome. After a mix of runs and passes to the 1-yard line, Jehlani Warren snuck in the quarterback keeper to get DC on the board. Defiance got the ball back six plays later and scored a go-ahead touchdown in a hurry. Set up by a 37-yard connection between Jalen Warren and brother Jehlani and a 26-yard run by Tristan Thomas, Caleb Johnson came through with a sensational touchdown grab on a perfectly-place pass by Warren towards the front-left corner of the end zone.

Leading 12-10 at the half, Defiance forced a punt on Rose-Hulman's opening drive and added to their lead just two minutes later. Thomas had a pair of long runs before Deveon Williams showed off his shiftiness by slipping away from multiple defenders on a zig-zagging, 28-yard touchdown reception.

From that point on, Defiance's offense sputtered but the defense held the Engineers to a pair of field goals coming down the stretch. Late in the third quarter, Rose-Hulman was threatening to score but the drive was extinguished on an interception by Defiance safety V'Sean Palmer in the end zone.

THE TURNING POINT
The game hung in the balance for most of the fourth quarter. Working with good starting field position with the Jackets leading 25-22, Defiance was caught with a facemask penalty that added 15 yards to the Engineers' 10-yard rush to open the drive. That pushed the ball to DC's 30-yard line, followed by pass plays of nine and 18 yards before Smith broke loose for the game-winning score on the fifth play of the drive.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Defiance narrowly missed snapping a 12-game losing streak to Rose-Hulman as the Engineers picked up their second win of the year.
• Saturday's loss was also Defiance's second loss after leading at halftime.
• The Yellow Jackets outgained Rose-Hulman, 430-371. 
• Defiance had one of their strongest rushing performances of the season with a 169-yard day as a team.
• The passing game for Defiance also emerged as one of the year's brightest outings with 261 yards, the second-best total on the year. Jehlani Warren threw for 201 yards and two scores while Garret Bogart added 60 more in his collegiate debut.
• Tristan Thomas was leaned on heavily down the stretch in the running game, rushing for a team-best 78 yards. Warren, Jeremy Brown Jr. and Cam Turner also had at least 20 yards each to split the load.
• Jalen Warren was the top receiver on the day with 76 yards on three catches. Caleb Johnson had the most catches with six for 57 yards. Johnson and fellow freshman Deveon Williams each registered touchdown receptions.
• Richard Pope IV logged the team's lone sack boost his career total to 29. He is one sack shy of becoming just the second player in program history with 30 career sacks.
• Defiance left three points off the board by missing PAT attempts, two kicks and another two-point try.
• Tyshawn Woodson led the defense with eight tackles alongside Tyquez Douglas with eight more. Coty Johnson II and Pope each recorded seven stops apiece. 

UP NEXT
Defiance returns home to take on Madonna at Justin F. Coressel Stadium at 1 p.m.

-JACKETS-