For 59 minutes and 34 seconds against Truman State, Tiffin University (3-1) never trailed and actually led by as many as 18 points.
But it was the final 26 seconds that mattered most, as the Bulldogs closed out the game scoring 21 unanswered points to defeat 12th-ranked Tiffin 38-35 for its first loss of the season.
Trailing 35-17 after Tiffin scored to open the second half, the Bulldogs got a score midway through the third quarter to pull to within 35-24.
Things took a dramatic turn midway through the fourth quarter. Truman State drove 63 yards over 4:40 to score with 3:29 to play. After the two-point conversion failed, TU still held a 35-30 lead.
The Bulldogs then attempted an on-side kick, which they recovered at the 50 yard line with 3:26 on the clock. Twice the Bulldogs converted fourth down plays to keep the drive moving and scored on a three-yard run with 26 seconds left. After converting the two-point pass play, Truman suddenly led 38-35.
The Dragons tried to get in position for a potential field goal but could not get downfield quick enough as time expired.
Prior to Truman's 21-point run in the second half, Tiffin looked impressive, amassing 328 yards of offense in the first half while holding Truman to 164 total yards. Nick Watson had an amazing half, connecting on 22 of 26 passes for 271 yards and 4 touchdowns. Jalen Thomas was the prime beneficiary at wideout, making 9 catches for 130 yards and 2 scores.
Thomas's first TD came at 9:17 of the first quarter, when Watson found him on a 13 yard pass to cap off a 71-yard drive in 4:32 to lead 7-0.
After Truman answered on its next drive with a TD pass to tie the game 7-7, the Dragons immediately answered as Thomas hauled in a 32-yard TD pass from Watson to conclude a 72 yard drive at 14:54 of the second quarter.
TU added another score at 5:57 of the second quarter when Connor Muldowney caught an 11 yard TD toss from Watson that pushed the Dragons' lead to 21-7.
The Bulldogs responded with a scintillating 96 yard kickoff return by Jaylen Jefferson that brought Truman to within 21-14. But again the Dragons answered immediately, driving 69 yards before James Dean caught a 14 yard TD strike from Watson to push the lead up to 28-14.
Truman state managed a 46 yard field goal as time expired in the first half to make the score 28-17 at halftime.
TU got its final points of the game straight out of the halftime lockerroom, as Anthony Lowe ran it in from 4 yards out to finish off a 69 yard drive at the 13:19 mark of the third quarter.
Overall TU outgained Truman 419-389, but Truman held a second-half edge of 225-91 in total offense. The Bulldogs used the powerhouse rushing of Cody Schrader to rack up most of those yards, as Schrader finished with 164 yards on the ground. Truman also held a nearly 11:00 edge in time of possession.
Watson finished with 367 passing yards on 30 of 39 completions with no interceptions. Thomas had 190 receiving yards on 12 catches while James Dean had 48 yards and Lowe added 39 more.
Defensively Torrey Hunt had 10 tackles, while Landon Hall added 9 stops. Kevin Hyde and The-Moor Kelly posted 8 tackles apiece, and Tyler Richardson and Jacob Mertus had 7 each. Jermaine Wimpye had 6 stops, Charlie Cleveland had a sack, and Jessse Johnson made an acrobatic interception.