DANVILLE, Ky. (CentreAthletics.com) – The 21st-ranked Centre football team held off an upset-seeking Defiance team on Saturday night, pulling away in the second half to top the visiting Yellow Jackets by a score of 25-8 at Farris Stadium in the 2015 home opener. The Colonels boosted their record to 2-0 on the year with the non-conference triumph, while Defiance dropped to 0-2 on the season.

Holding a slim 10-8 lead after a Centre safety with just over five minutes to play in the third quarter, Shane Smith (Crestwood, Ky.) forced a fumble that would be recovered by Kris Beauchamp (Norcross, Ga.) on the Defiance 38-yard line. The Colonels would capitalize on this turnover in Yellow Jacket territory, as Heath Haden (Kingsport, Tenn.) ran in from 10 yards out to extend Centre's lead to 17-8 after Alex Ward's (Murray, Ky.) PAT went through the uprights.

In the fourth quarter, Haden found tight end Austin Hayes (Hendersonville, Tenn.) on a 22-yard touchdown strike to give the Colonels a 23-8 advantage with 4:20 showing on the fourth quarter clock. The catch marked the first career reception and touchdown for the sophomore tight end.

Centre followed the touchdown up with a successful two-point conversion with a bit of trickery as Blake Martin (Lexington, Ky.) found Haden in the end zone for the score to seal the 23-8 victory for the Colonels.

In the first half, after a scoreless first quarter, Haden got Centre on the board with a two-yard rush into the end zone to give the Colonels a one-score advantage.

With time winding down in the second quarter, Ward nailed a 41-yard field goal to extend the Centre lead to 10-0 heading into the half.

On its opening drive of the second half, Defiance's Logan Scott found Nate Roberts for a 29-yard touchdown to cut into the Colonels' lead. The Yellow Jackets would botch the snap on the extra point attempt, as Centre held a 10-6 advantage over Defiance.

The Colonels would outscore the Yellow Jackets 15-2 from that point on to earn the win.

Centre has now won 13 consecutive regular season contests dating back to the 2013 campaign. The Colonels have also won 11 straight home games, with their last loss coming in the final home contest of the 2012 season.

Haden finished 14-of-29 for 206 yards and a touchdown through the air, to go along with team-highs of 16 carries for 48 yards and two scores on the ground. He is now tied for third in Centre history with 53 career passing touchdowns.

Noah Dziedzic (Richmond, Va.) led the Colonels with three catches for 51 yards, while Martin added two grabs for 40 yards receiving.

Trey Yeager (Danville, Ky.) paced Centre with 12 tackles, followed by Conor Flaherty (Columbus, Ohio) and Sam Spees (Dayton, Ohio) with nine stops apiece. Tommy Nugen (Maineville, Ohio) had three pass break-ups for the Colonels.

Centre outgained Defiance on the ground by a total of 114-81

For the Yellow Jackets, Scott completed 23-of-56 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown. Cody Wilson caught 12 passes for 116 yards on the day, while Keandre Gilmer paced the Defiance defense with 10 tackles.

Centre returns to action next Saturday hosting Southern Athletic Association newcomer Washington (Mo.) at 1:30 p.m. at Farris Stadium. 

Photo by Kirk Schlea