CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – Eight different players factored in touchdowns, but the Case Western Reserve University football team lost by a score of 66-34 in its 2014 road finale at Thomas More College on Saturday at The Bank of Kentucky Field.

With one game remaining on the schedule, the Spartans fall to 3-6 overall and finish their first season back in the Presidents' Athletic Conference at 3-5. The Saints, who remain alive for an NCAA Playoff berth, conclude the regular season at 8-2, 7-1 PAC.

The two teams combined for 942 yards of offense with the Saints holding an overall advantage of 549-393. Thomas More entered the game with the nation's fourth-ranked offense.  

Individually, senior quarterback Billy Beecher (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area) completed 16-of-26 pass attempts for 191 yards and two scores. Sophomore tight end Zech Medved (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) caught six balls for 73 yards and his third touchdown of 2014.

Domonique Hayden, who entered the game ranked fourth in the nation in rush yards and first in rushing touchdowns, carried 26 times for the Saints for 170 yards and two scores. Jensen Gebhardt was 11-of-13 passing for 178 yards and a pair of TDs.

Thomas More scored on its opening two possessions with a two-yard run from Hayden at 10:35 and a six-yard run by CT Tarrant at 5:55. The second of the point after tries by Zach Bryant was blocked by freshman cornerback Adrian Cannon (Lake View, N.Y./Frontier Central), but the hosts still led 13-0.

On the ensuing drive, the Spartans used some trickery to reach the endzone as Beecher handed off to back-up freshman QB Rob Cuda (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin), who then threw a six-yard TD pass to Medved. The PAT from sophomore kicker Mitch Hopkins (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) was successful, pulling CWRU to within 13-7 at the 2:52 mark of the first quarter.

After the defense forced the Saints out on downs, a promising drive for the Spartan offense ended abruptly when a bobbled catch attempt resulted in an interception and subsequent 68-yard touchdown return by Lemuel Weyer. Another missed PAT for the hosts kept the score at 19-7 with 13 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. 

Two drives later, CWRU's special teams set the offense up with excellent starting position, and Beecher found junior wide receiver Bryan Erb (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day) for a seven-yard TD pass with 11:02 left in the half.

That 19-13 score would be as close as CWRU got as Thomas More scored 21 unanswered to close the half with touchdowns throws of 41 and 16 yards by Gebhart in addition to another score on the ground by Hayden.

The Spartans outscored the Saints in the third quarter, 14-13, but the hosts scored 14 of the last 21 in the fourth quarter.

The final points of the contest came when CWRU freshman signal-caller Connor Simpson (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Windward) threw a season-best 50-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Colin MacLeod (Tacoma, Wash./Charles Wright Academy) with 59 seconds left to play.

Simpson was 8-of-11 for 94 yards. Cuda finished 5-of-7 for 47.

The Spartans wrap up the 2014 campaign at home versus University Athletic Association rival University of Chicago on Saturday, November 15 at 12:00 p.m. at DiSanto Field. Prior to the game, the team will honor its eight seniors.