Ohio Dominican collects history making win against Tiffin
For the first time in the G-MAC era, Ohio Dominican had defeated Tiffin - snapping a seven-game slide with the Dragons.
The Ohio Dominican Football team defeated Tiffin University 20-14 on Saturday afternoon. It was a historic victory for the Panthers as the win marked the first victory for the Black & Gold against Tiffin in the G-MAC era, snapping a seven-game losing streak. The win also ended a decade of misery for ODU as they hadn’t captured a win against TU since November 14, 2015.
How it happened
Ohio Dominican’s opening possession came up empty after a nine-play drive, but the Panthers quickly found rhythm. Following a Tiffin three-and-out, ODU marched 43 yards on 11 plays, chewing nearly six minutes off the clock. Henry Vakerics finished the drive with a 36-yard field goal to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead with 2:12 remaining in the first quarter.
The defense set the tone on Tiffin’s next series, forcing an incompletion on fourth-and-seven near midfield. ODU capitalized immediately as Drew Gallehue hit Jayden Cornell for a 66-yard strike into the red zone. The Panthers couldn’t finish the drive with a touchdown, but Vakerics delivered again—this time from 22 yards—to extend the advantage to 6-0 with just over ten minutes left in the half.
The Dragons appeared poised to respond after recovering a fumble near midfield, but the ODU defense rose up once more. On fourth-and-one, linebacker Jace Schaefer stuffed Ronald Blackman to preserve the shutout. The Panthers carried their 6-0 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, cornerback RJ Maddox delivered the first of his two interceptions, stepping in front of a pass to give the Panthers possession deep in Tiffin territory. Two plays later, Markquan Rucker punched in a five-yard touchdown run to make it 13-0 with more than 10 minutes to play in the period.
Tiffin’s best chance came on a 15-play, 67-yard drive, but ODU again stood tall—breaking up a fourth-down pass in the end zone to keep the Dragons scoreless. Tiffin finally broke through late in the third with a 26-yard touchdown pass to cut the margin to 13-7.
Cornell again sparked the Panthers’ offense, hauling in a long reception that set up an eight-yard scoring run by Nathan Webster to push the lead back to 20-7 early in the fourth. The Dragons clawed back with another long drive to trim the deficit to 20-14 with 8:47 remaining.
With under two minutes left, Tiffin threatened to steal the game, but Maddox slammed the door with his second interception of the afternoon—his third of the season—securing a 20-14 victory for Ohio Dominican.
Inside the box score
Quarterback Drew Gallehue led Ohio Dominican’s offense with an efficient outing, completing 11 of 18 passes for 191 yards. The Panthers also found success on the ground behind Markquan Rucker, who set a career high with 112 rushing yards on 24 carries and added a touchdown. Nathan Webster chipped in with 43 yards and a score on seven attempts.
Gallehue’s top target was Jayden Cornell, who hauled in three passes for 119 yards, including 80 yards after the catch. Joshua Moore contributed three receptions for 26 yards, while Conner Campbell caught two passes totaling 30 yards.
Defensively, Mo Conteh paced ODU with nine tackles, seven of them solo. Gabe Pence and Jace Schaefer added eight and seven stops, respectively, while Quentin Wagers recorded a sack for the second straight game. RJ Maddox made a major impact in the secondary, intercepting two passes to add to his 2025 total.
On special teams, Henry Vakerics was perfect on his two field goal attempts, connecting from 36 and 22 yards, while Mekhi Kilburn sparked the return game with three kickoffs for 105 yards, highlighted by a long of 39.
Overall, ODU outgained Tiffin 322-296, with 191 yards through the air and 131 on the ground. The Panthers held Tiffin to just 93 rushing yards and 203 passing yards to secure the victory.