Game Notes: Thiel at Bethany (Week 3)

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

WEEK 3: Thiel College Tomcats (0-2, 0-0 Presidents' Athletic Conference) at Bethany College Bison (0-2, 0-0 Presidents' Athletic Conference)

• When: Saturday, September 16, 2017
• Where: Bethany, West Virginia
• Stadium: Bison Stadium (850)
• Kickoff: 1 p.m.
• Series vs. Thiel: Thiel leads 39-34-1
• Series Streak: Thiel won 1
• Last Meeting vs. Thiel: Thiel 57, Bethany 47 (2016) | Box Score
• Last Bethany Win: 2015; Bethany 51, Thiel 16 | Box Score
• Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/bethanywv/ (Courtesy of BBN)
• Live Stats: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/bethanywv/

GAME NOTES (.pdf):

LAST MEETING: Bethany and Thiel played one of the most entertaining contests of the season, as both teams combined for over 1,000 yards in total offense in the Tomcats' 57-47 win. Senior quarterback Chase Kinemond (Shadyside, Ohio/Shadyside) established the single-game Bethany records for completions (39) and broke the single-game total offense record after putting up 511 yards on the ground and in the air. He was later named PAC and ECAC Offensive Player of the Week, despite the loss.

CLIMBING THE RANKS: Bethany senior defensive end Khallid Pierce (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline) moved into fourth place all-time at Bethany in career sacks with 20.5 when he dropped Geneva's quarterback last week. Pierce is 3.0 sacks behind Matt Nardone (1996-99) for third all-time.

PAC OPENERS: The Bison are 1-3 in PAC openers under Head Coach Bill Garvey. Bethany has not won a conference opener since 2014, when the Bison defeated Westminster 21-14 in overtime. Former Bethany running back Jalen Holmes scored on a 14-yard touchdown in overtime and the Bison defense turned away the Titan offense on a 4th-and-15 from the 19-yard line to secure the victory in New Wilmington.

RUN, RUN, RUN: The Bison have allowed a league-worst 319.0 rushing yards per game through two weeks, but have faced a league-high 118 rushing attempts. The Bethany passing defense ranks fifth in the PAC at 158.5 yards allowed per game on a league-low 27 pass attempts. Saint Vincent has faced the second-fewest pass attempts at 42 this season.

WHAT A FIASCO: Junior safety Joseph Fiasco (Wilmerding, Pa./Penn-Trafford) has been one of the most productive defensive players for the Bison through two weeks. Serving as the "rover" on defense, he ranks second on the team with 19 total tackles, but has team bests with 15 solo tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. Fiasco made the switch to defense this year after serving primarily as a running back the past two seasons.

TURNOVER MARGINS: Bethany is one of three teams in the PAC with "positive" turnover margin through two weeks. The Bison forced and recovered three fumbles versus Geneva, while turning over the ball twice on fumbles to sit at a plus-one turnover margin for the year. In addition, Kinemond is the only starting quarterback to have played two games without an interception in the PAC this season. Washington & Jefferson (+4) and Case Western Reserve (+2) are the other teams in the league with more takeaways than giveaways.

EARLY SEASON BLUES: Thiel and Bethany rank eighth and ninth, respectively, in total offense, total defense, scoring offense and scoring defense in the PAC so far this season.

NEXT WEEK: The Bison will hit the road on September 23 and travel to New Wilmington, Pennsylvania to take on Westminster College at 1 p.m. in a PAC contest. Last season, Bethany rushed for 127 yards against the Titans stout defense. Only Carnegie Mellon and Thomas More rushed for more yards against Westminster last season.