OWENSBORO, Ky. -- The Notre Dame Falcon defense mostly held a potent Kentucky Wesleyan offense in check, but the NDC offense was limited to just 167 yards, as the Falcons fell to the host Panthers, 28-14, on Saturday. (Box)

Notre Dame (2-8) did a nice job of keeping the KWC off the field during the first half, primarilly by holding a pronounced advantage in time of possession.  But the Panthers (5-5) were able to establish momentum early in the second half on a fake punt.  That set the tone for the rest of the afternoon, as the Panthers held the ball for 19:12 in the second half, wearing down the Falcon defense in the process.

Notre Dame got on the board first, when quarterback #James Flowers# swung a 5-yard pass out to running back #Jack Foy# at the 10:03-mark in the opening quarter. That toss capped off a short drive, with the Falcons marching 49 yards after a short kick by Kentucky Wesleyan punter Sean Maguire.

KWC answered immediately, however, when quarterback Chris Owen lofted a pass over the NDC defense and into the waiting arms of wide receiver Vincent Lalonde, who galloped 63 yards to paydirt. That tied the score at 7-7. Five seconds into the second quarter the Panthers took the lead for good when Owen found #David Smith# on a 26-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-7 lead.

The turning point in the game occurred in the third quarter, after Notre Dame's defense shut the KWC offense down on three consecutive downs. On fourth and 10 with the ball spotted at midfield, the Panthers called for a fake punt, and punter Sean McGuire found a streaking Vince Lalonde down the sideline on a 31-yard, first-down completion.  KWC capitalized on the very next play when Owen hooked up with Smith again on a 20-yard touchdown strike to give Kentucky Wesleyan a 21-7 advantage.

The Panthers held that advantage for the next 23 minutes, until #Derrick Smith# and #Phillip White# blocked a punt late in the fourth quarter.  The Falcons took advantage of that blocked punt three plays later when #Derrick Paster# caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Flowers to make it a 21-14 contest.

Notre Dame tried an onside kick after the touchdown, but the Panthers were able to recover. On the second play after the kick, Darius Henderson reached paydirt on a 21-yard rush.  That marked the final score of the contest. 

Kentucky Wesleyan outgained Notre Dame by nearly 200 yards (366 to 167) in a game that marked the Falcons' final road tilt of their inaugural season.  Henderson finished the game with 114 rushing yards;  Chris Owen threw three touchdowns on the afternoon.

Notre Dame's offense was held in check to the tune of just 61 rushing yards and 106 passing yards.  NDC's 167 total yards are the team's fewest since being held to 127 yards by Mercyhurst (Pa.) in the season opener (Aug. 28).  And NDC's yardage was compiled over a season-high 73 plays from scrimmage.  The Falcons averaged 2.0 yards per carry on 31 rushing attempts and went 14-of-42 through the air.

Defensively, sophomore defensive end #Bob Hansen# had a huge game for Notre Dame.  Hansen had a season-high 10 tackles, including three for loss.  One of those was a sack, his team-leading ninth on the season.