MIDWAY, Ky. - As unlikely as it may seem considering the final score, Midway held all the momentum more than halfway through the third quarter of its Saturday night sprint football matchup against Bellarmine.
But one Kyle Horvath to Shannon Tonge deep ball later, the Knights were on their way to turning a 15-15 game into a 49-15 final, winning the Battle for the Bourbon Barrel for the third year in a row.
The game was the first football game to be played on Midway's recently constructed, on-campus turf field.
THE TURN
Tied 9-9 at halftime, the Eagles answered a Horvath-to-Tonge 10-yard touchdown with one of their own, turning a Bellarmine fumble into an 11-yard Christian Carter to Ayden Bauwens touchdown. Both teams missed their respective extra points, thanks in part to a ball that was soaked due to a persistent, all-day rain storm.
On the ensuing drive, a bad shotgun snap went over Horvath's head for a 10-yard loss, setting up a 3rd-and-20 from the Bellarmine 44. Undeterred, Horvath got a clean pocket on the following play and threw a perfect pass down the seam to Tonge, who made a 36-yard catch in coverage.
On the ensuing play, Brenden Reid ran for a 20-yard touchdown, and things only got worse from there for Midway.
The Knights had nine plays that gained 20 yards or more in the second half, including touchdown passes of 55 and 76 yards and a run of 83. Over the final two quarters Horvath went 8-of-9 for 260 yards and threw four of his five touchdown passes.
This continued a troubling trend for Midway, which has now been outscored 82-8 in the second half of its first three games.
RECORD-BREAKING EFFORT
Despite the loss, the Eagles got a single-game, record-setting rushing performance from Quintel Thomas in his first game as a college running back.
Thomas finished Saturday with 144 yards on 19 carries, the highlight coming on a 54-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
His 144 yards broke the previous mark of 140 set by Matthew Young against Walsh on Sept. 16, 2023. His 54-yard run was also the third-longest in program history.
Bellarmine improves to 3-0 on the year while dropping Midway to 0-3.
Now ready to enter their bye week, the Eagles are back at home against Quincy (Ill.) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12.
