PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Thiel College football team dropped a high-scoring game against the Carnegie Mellon Tartans, 49-33 in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest Saturday afternoon from Gesling Stadium.
 
After Carnegie Mellon scored first on a Sam Benger touchdown run, Thiel answered with a 45-yard touchdown run down the sideline by Ryan Radke (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster Central), set up by 30-yard run between the tackles on the first play of the drive by Nick Barca (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin). Colin Peal (Pliny, W. Va./Point Pleasant) added the point after to tie the game at seven with 10:56 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Carnegie Mellon gained the 14-7 lead with 7:15 left in the first quarter when Benger scored his second touchdown run on a one-yard carry.
 
Barca capped off an eight play, 63-yard drive when he punched it in the end zone on a two-yard run. Peal's extra point made it a tie game at 14 with 3:39 left in the first quarter.
 
After CMU scored two touchdowns early in the second quarter, Barca tallied his second rushing touchdown of the game, when he scored from 17 yards out with 39 seconds remaining in the first half.
 
CMU was driving in the waning seconds of the first half when Trevor Martin (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) stripped the ball from CMU's Matt Forjan and Martin recovered his own fumble at the Thiel eight-yard line.
 
Benger scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to give Carnegie Mellon the 42-21 lead.
 
Thiel cut the Carnegie Mellon advantage early in the fourth quarter when Barca busted through the Tartan defense on a 10-yard run to notch his third rushing touchdown of the day.
 
CMU answered Thiel's touchdown when Alex Cline scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak.
 
Thiel made it a two-possession game with 4:32 left in regulation when Radke found Alex Horvatits (Lancaster, N.Y./Saint Mary's ) on a seven-yard touchdown connection. Carnegie Mellon stifled Thiel's late drive to seal the victory.
 
As a team, the Tomcats gained 499 yards of total offense in the loss, outrushing the Tartans 254-241.  
 
Barca carried the load for the Tomcats, rushing a season-high 24 times for 153 yards and three touchdowns.
 
In the air, Radke went 20-for-40 passing for 245 yards and a touchdown while tallying 106 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown.
 
Jaquan Hicks (Ware Shoals, S.C./Ware Shoals) caught a game-high nine passes from Radke for 123 yards. Horvatits tallied six catches for 55 yards and a touchdown while Ryan Rowland (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington) reeled in three passes for 40 yards.
 
Doak Walker Jr. (Canton, Ohio/Canton-McKinley) paced the Thiel defense with 13 tackles. Randy Groves (New Middletown, Ohio/Springfield) made 10 tackles out of the safety position. Jake Elk (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) and Tyron Bynum (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) recorded nine tackles apiece while Trey Andrews (Johnstown, Pa./Greater Johnstown) and Richard Proper (Cranberry Twp., Pa/Seneca Valley) both collected eight tackles.
 
The Tomcats will return home next Saturday to take on the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets in a PAC matchup under the lights at Alumni Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.