Turnovers plague Defiance in homecoming loss to Saint Xavier

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Four turnovers in the second half haunted the Defiance Yellow Jackets and led to a 42-17 loss to Saint Xavier in Saturday's homecoming game.

The Yellow Jackets (2-3) showed some resilience after two lost fumbles led to 10 points for the Cougars (3-2), who increased their lead to 11 due to DC's misfortune. The Jackets answered with a 10-play scoring drive that ended with a reverse pass for a touchdown by wide receiver Tawann Rome to quarterback Ethan Thanthanavong. However, the Cougars posted 21 unanswered points to cement the victory.

Defiance's last four possessions ended with an interception, punt and fumble before finishing the game with the ball in Saint Xavier's half of the field. The four turnovers were the most in a game this season. The first two were fumbles by Thanthanavong, losing the handle of the first with pressure coming his way and the second fumble happened after a bad snap. Defiance went on to hold Saint Xavier to a 3-and-out after their only score of the half, but turned the ball over again on the first play of the ensuing drive. With Defiance trailing 21-17, the Cougars' Chris Swayne intercepted Thanthanavong along the sideline in a play that seemingly pulled the remaining momentum towards the visitors. 

The Yellow Jacket defense showed a strong effort trying to give the offense opportunities in the second half. The defensive unit posted seven negative plays in the second half, including two drives for negative totals while the game was still a one-possession game.

Defiance was the first team on the board with a 21-yard field goal by freshman kicker Carson Marroquin. The Jackets also held a 10-7 lead in the second quarter after a touchdown connection between Thanthanavong and Caleb Johson.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Defiance narrowly outgained the Cougars on offense with 445 total yards compared to 431.
• In the second half, however, Saint Xavier outperformed DC's offense with 245 total yards to 182.
• Homecoming king Cooper Sloan had a sterling game for the Yellow Jackets, catching a team-high 11 passes for 73 yards. Both of those totals were a single-game high output for the senior.
• Caleb Johnson was another popular target for DC, hauling in six receptions for 58 yards. His second quarter touchdown grab was a 24-yard connection on the right side of the end zone with a skillful touch pass from Thanthanavong.
• Tristan Thomas was Defiance's top rusher on the day despite going down with an injury in the second quarter. Twenty-one of his team-high 40 yards came on his first touch of the game.
• Cameron Turner stepped up as the premier back in Thomas' absence, rushing for 36 yards and also had a crucial 25-yard reception to convert a 3rd-and-12 during DC's lone scoring drive of the third quarter.
• For the game, Defiance had 11 different ball carrier record rushes. That unit collected 192 yards on the ground.
• Ethan Thanthanavong racked up 228 yards and threw the ball a season-high 42 times. He also got credit for 10 rushes and had a 38-yard run at the end of the first quarter.
• On the defensive side, Damon McCracken led the Yellow Jackets in tackles for the second straight week. Chris Moneyham-Sawyer, Davidson Leconte Jr. and Dominic Harris also were involved in multiple tackles for loss.
• Dominic Harris also recorded a sack, moving within 0.5 sacks of the program's career top-10 list.

UP NEXT
Next Saturday, Defiance travels to the Chicago area to battle the Olivet Nazarene Tigers for the last MSFA Crossover game of the season. Kickoff at Ward Field in Bourbonnais, Ill. is scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern Time, 12 p.m. Central.

-JACKETS-