GREENVILLE, Pa. - A relentless rushing attack propelled host Thiel to a 37-21 win over the Gators in the opening game of the 2015 campaign.

The Tomcats amassed 558 yards of total offense, including 334 on the ground, to hand the Gators an opening night loss for the second straight season.

Allegheny's Tyler Smith enjoyed a career night for the Gators in the opening game of his senior campaign, as he amassed 260 all-purpose yards, including 170 yards receiving, the sixth-highest single-game total in team history, and the most since Terry Hartford gained 185 against Denison in Oct. 2009.

Thiel got off to a fast start, scoring on its fifth play from scrimmage with a three-yard run from Keyonia Dennis with 13:11 left in the opening quarter.  On the Tomcats' next possession, the Gator defense came up big, as the duo of Frank Serbati and Aspen Matthey-Feldman sacked quarterback Ryan Radke at the Thiel 18.  The ensuing punt set the Gators up at midfield, and the offense would then answer back quickly.  

After quarterback Logan Lee netted four yards on a pair of rushes, the rookie found Smith over the middle, who made a leaping, highlight-reel catch between the hash marks at the Thiel 40.  After breaking a tackle, he darted for the sideline, and sprinted untouched into the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown.  Ben Ziolkowski's extra point was good, and the game was tied at seven with 7:50 left in the first quarter.

The hosts would answer right back, embarking on a 6-play, 48-yard drive to go in front 14-7 after a 24-yard pass from Radke to Alex Horvatits with five minutes remaining in the quarter.

The Tomcats would add on to the seven-point lead on the first play of the second quarter, when Dennis scored his second rushing touchdown of the day to cap off a nine-play, 62-yard drive with a 29-yard run at the 14:50 mark of the second stanza to make the score 21-7.

The Gators' ensuing drive ended with a punt, but the special teams came up big, as Matt Wetzel pounced on a fumble by the return man following Chris Bourne's punt to set up shop at the Allegheny 42, and the Gators would make the Tomcats pay for the miscue.  Quarterback Jon Nigro opened the drive by finding tight end John McFarland for a 16-yard gain, before Juwan Campbell capped it off by bowling into the end zone from three yards out.  Ziolkowski's kick was good, and the Thiel lead was cut to 21-14 with 8:34 left until halftime.

Thiel then embarked on a lengthy drive, converting on a pair of third-and-longs after a Gator defensive holding penalty and a long Radke run, to set up first and goal inside the Allegheny five.  The Allegheny defense buckled down, with Ben Capella dropping Dennis for a four-yard loss, before Sevren Rodriguez broke up a pass into the end zone to bring up fourth down.  Thiel had to settle for a 24-yard field goal to go in front 24-14 with 3:10 left in the half.

Nigro opened the ensuing drive with a six-yard rush, before he found Smith with a pass at midfield.  The speedy senior would do the rest, outracing the Thiel secondary to score his second touchdown of the day, this one from 58 yards out, to make it a three-point game with 2:15 remaining in the quarter.

Thiel went to the air to close out the half with a methodical drive, completing five passes for 53 yards to set up first-and-goal at the Allegheny 7-yardline.  The Gators' Max Sessions sacked Thiel quarterback Pat Shaffer for an 11-yard loss, but the senior signal caller followed by firing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Paul Jones with 17 seconds left on the clock to give Thiel a 31-21 lead at the close of a high-scoring first half.

After the offense-heavy first half, the team's defenses went to work in a scoreless third quarter that saw each drive end with a punt.  The Tomcats tallied just 56 yards of total offense and the Gators 51, as the game entered the final stanza with Thiel still holding the 10-point lead.

The Tomcats would score what would be the game's final points on their first play of the fourth quarter, as Evan Imgrund burst through the line for a 62-yard touchdown scamper.  The extra point was no good, making the score 37-21 with 14:10 left in regulation.

Freshman Jonah Tanner returned the ensuing kickoff 24 yards to midfield, but the Gators were unable to sustain the drive, which ended with Bourne's 43-yard punt pinning the Tomcats inside their own six.  Thiel advanced to its own 40 after six straight runs, before the Gators' Nick Murgo dropped Radke for a seven-yard loss with a sack at the 33-yardline to set up third and 18.  Thiel would keep the drive alive in a big way, as a 41-yard pass to Ron Howard moved the ball to the Allegheny 27. 

The Gators held the Tomcats to just six yards on the next three plays, and were aided by a false start penalty that set up fourth and eight at the Gator 25. However, Thiel would convert on fourth down with an 11-yard pass.  The Gators yielded just five yards over the next three plays, and Thiel's 24-yard field goal attempt would go wide right.  While the drive ended scoreless, it iced the game, as it spanned over 11 minutes and gave the Gators the ball at their own 19 with just over a minute left.

Thanks to Smith, the bulk of the Gator offense came through the air, as the team amassed 209 of their 251 yards of total offense on the pass.  Nigro completed seven of 13 attempts for 160 yards, while Lee went 2-for-4 for 49 yards. 

Murgo, the reigning North Coast Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year, picked up right where he left off following a stellar freshman campaign, as he led the Gators with 10 tackles, including seven solos, while forcing a fumble.  Sophomore Joe Wesolowski added nine tackles, and Wetzel eight.

Thiel saw three players rush for over 90 yards, as Kevin Daly ran 19 times for 115 yards, Radke nine for 104, and Imgrund nine for 91.  Radke completed 11 of 18 passes for 142 yards and a score, while Shaffer went 7-for-10 through the air for 82 yards and a touchdown.  Doak Walker had a team-high eight tackles for the Tomcats, while Nick Ravida had three tackles for loss, including 2.5 of his squad's six sacks on the night.

The Gators will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 12, hosting the College of Wooster in a Community Night contest at 7 p.m. at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.  Admission for all patrons is free.