Tigers regroup, escape MSJ with 41-30 win

CINCINNATI, Ohio — DePauw grabbed a 28-7 first-half lead and held on for a 41-30 season-opening victory at Mount St. Joseph on Saturday night in college football action.

The Lions dropped to 1-1 with the loss.

The Tigers need just four plays to get on the board as quarterback Matt Labus teamed with receiver Nolan Ayres for a 54-yard score just two minutes into the contest.

DePauw made it 14-0 later in the quarter after Labus connected with Ben Wilson for a 6-yard score.

James Deaton’s 3-yard run pushed the lead to 21-0, before the Lions reached the board on the next series with Chaiten Tomln completing an 18-yard pass to A.J. Glines.

Late in the half, Labus converted a fourth-and-eight from the Mount St. Joseph 8 by tossing a TD pass to Ayres to make it 28-7.

The Lions rallied with 17 straight to cut the gap to 28-24, as Tomlin tossed a 1-yard pass to Grayson Roberts and a 13-yard strike to Cory Hastings before Jerry Porter booted a 37-yard field goal early in the fourth.

DePauw extended the lead back to double digits on Ramon Lopez’s 8-yard run and, following a Brooks Hepp interception, the Tigers wrapped up the win with a 7-play, 50-yard drive capped by Lopez’s 2-yard scoring scamper.

Mount St. Joseph added a score as the clock expired.

DePauw coach Bill Lynch was pleased his team was able to beat a good MSJ squad.

“It was a really good win to go on the road against a good football team that had won the week before, with an experienced quarterback and some good skill guys,” Lynch said. “I thought the key was when we lost momentum in the second half, and they cut the lead to 28-24. We didn’t get anything going on offense and they had the ball too much and they made some plays.”

Lynch was glad his team was able to regroup and hang on for the win.

“We took over the game the last 7-8 minutes,” he said. “That’s important, because you’re going to have games like that every year where you’re going to have to take it over yourself. When we got the interception there at the end, that was big. It was a big win for our guys.”

The Tigers will open North Coast Athletic Conference play on Saturday at Hiram at 1 p.m.