Thomas More lost 38-14 at Tiffin University on Saturday, Sept. 19, squandering a first-quarter lead in its G-MAC opener. The Crestview Hills program dropped to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference play.

The Saints seized a 14-7 lead with back-to-back first-quarter touchdowns. Quarterback Ben Chesser hit receiver Ben Fay on a 23-yard scoring pass. Fifteen seconds of game clock later, defensive back Chase Terrell returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown.

Then the game turned.

Tiffin scored twice more before the first quarter ended to grab a 21-14 lead. The Dragons added two touchdowns and a field goal in the second quarter to push the margin to 38-14 at halftime, according to the Thomas More athletics recap. Thomas More never scored again.

Five combined touchdowns in the opening quarter made it the highest-scoring period of the afternoon at Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin, Ohio.

Running back Martavious Smith led the Saints' ground game with 15 carries for 74 yards. Chesser added 58 rushing yards on 12 attempts, including a long run of 28 yards. Fay finished with five receptions for 26 yards, including his 23-yard touchdown catch. Javion Bostic added a 25-yard reception.

On defense, Tahj Meadows, Tofa Luani and Terrell each posted three solo tackles and three assists. Terrell's interception return was the lone takeaway. Caden Thompson recorded two tackles for loss totaling 12 yards.

Head coach Chris Norwell flagged defensive fatigue as a concern after the season-opening 27-10 loss at Wheeling on Aug. 29. "Playing 32 plays in one quarter, that's almost half a game," Norwell told LINK nky on Sept. 8, describing how turnovers on special teams kept his defense on the field in that opener.

Three games in, the Saints have been outscored 95-31 with losses at Wheeling (27-10), at Dayton (30-7) and at Tiffin (38-14).

Thomas More travels to Hillsdale College on Saturday, Sept. 26, with kickoff set for noon.