The Ohio Dominican football team traveled to the Pittsburgh area Thursday to take on the Seton Hill Griffins to open its season. Seton Hill had opened their schedule with 56-24 loss at Fairmont State the week before. The Panthers posted three touchdowns to take a 21-0 lead in the third quarter Thursday, then held on for a 21-14 victory.

All three ODU touchdowns came via the passing game. The first score was set up by a Griffins’ fumble on a punt return spotting the Panthers on the SHU thirty-one yard line midway through the second quarter. Three plays later, junior quarterback Drew Gallehue found senior wideout Jayden Cornell from three yards out for the score. 

The next touchdown came inside the final minute of play in the second quarter. After the Panthers stopped Seton Hill on downs at the ODU 40, Gallehue connected with redshirt junior wide receiver Dimitri Mitsopoulos on a 60-yard strike for the score. At the half, it was Ohio Dominican 14-0.

The next touchdown ended a 97-yard drive on the Panthers’ first possession of the second half. Most of the yardage came on an 85-yard TD pass from Gallehue to Cornell. Gallehue was 19-27 passing in the game for 262 yards and three scores. He did not throw an interception. Cornell ended the day with five receptions for 120 yards.

The Griffins did come back to score twice, once in the third and once in the fourth. The second touchdown came with only 1:59 left in the contest. Seton Hill decided to kick it deep with two timeouts left. ODU picked up a first down on a third down play to run out the clock.

The Panthers take to the road again for a game at Winston-Salem State in North Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 14. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m.