Touchdowns by Hill and Williams not enough to finish Jackets’ comeback against Siena Heights

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance Yellow Jackets dropped a 28-20 contest at home to the Siena Heights Saints despite a kick return touchdown and two fourth-quarter scoring grabs by Deveon Williams.

The Yellow Jackets (2-7, 0-3 Mideast) dropped their seventh straight while the Saints (5-3, 3-0 Mideast) picked up their third in a row and first road win.

Special teams scoring was the story of the first half. Both defenses created stops to start the game, but Siena Heights ignited the scoring with an 83-yard punt return touchdown by Numehnne Gwilly. DC's Teon Hill responded on the ensuing kickoff with an 85-yard return touchdown of his own as he glided through tacklers and up the sideline. However, the Yellow Jackets were hurt by a bad snap on the potential game-tying PAT as the score stood 7-6 after the exciting sequence.

After the Saints answered with a touchdown drive to extend their lead, the defenses took over for the rest of the first half. The Jackets had big sacks by Dominic Harris and Hunter Coltrain to protect the one-score deficit at the end of the first. Coltrain delivered a second clutch sack during the next defensive drive and came up with an interception deep in Saints territory. The Yellow Jackets held on to the ball for nearly nine minutes but came up empty, turning the ball over on downs in the red zone with less than a minute left in the half. Siena Heights hurried down the field and lined up a long field, but the Jackets batted it down to end the half.

The defenses continued their stalemate until Siena Heights went over the top for a 46-yard pass flipped the field and set up a short rushing score to take a two-score lead. Defiance responded with a long play of their own from Ethan Thanthanavong to Williams. Facing a fourth down at the Siena Heights 14, Defiance rolled the dice on 4th-and-5 to start the fourth quarter and Williams hauled in DC's first offensive score of the game.

Siena Heights responded with another touchdown drive and then picked off Thanthanavong in the red zone. Defiance's defense responded with a 3-and-out to give the ball back to the offense. Strong runs by Tristan Thomas and a 13-yard completion to Williams allowed the Jackets to get within striking distance quickly. Thanthanavong capped off the drive by hitting Williams in stride in the end zone for their second scoring connection of the day with 2:48 left in the game.

A failed onside kick gave the Saints the football, and they ran off the rest of the clock.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Total offense was virtually identical. Siena Heights narrowly outgained the Yellow Jackets 337-332.
• Defiance did not pick up a first down until halfway through the second quarter, but went on to pick up 16 for the game.
• The Yellow Jackets took four trips to the red zone with two of those drives ending without points. Thanthanavong's interception came from just outside the red zone at the 29-yard line with the Saints picking the ball off at the 12.
• Despite using running back by committee for the afternoon, Defiance had another strong game rushing the football with 130 yards on the ground. Tristan Thomas led the way with 70 yards on 12 carries in his return to the lineup.
• Deveon Williams caught a team-best six passes for 124 yards, the most by a DC receiver in a game this season. It was also his second-career two-touchdown game of his career.
• Teon Hill posted Defiance's first special teams touchdown of the season with his 85-yard kickoff score.
• Hunter Coltrain played a standout game on defense for Defiance, recording five tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and an interception.
• Davidson Leconte Jr., Damon McCracken, and Jermaine led the Yellow Jackets in tackles with seven tackles each.
• Dominic Harris also logged two more sacks to boost his career total to 18.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets are home against next Saturday for Senior Day and Veterans Appreciation Day. DC hosts Madonna and kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Justin F. Coressel Stadium.

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