The Lions offence took a couple of possessions to get on track, the uneven playing surface causing quarterback Dan Kelen and then running back Liam Erby to trip over when untouched to end drives.   The first quarter ended with no scores on the board. 

When the Lions got the ball for their third possession, they shifted into gear.  Starting with good field position following a 17 yard punt return by Tristan Cauhepe, Kelen hooked up with tight end Mac Shine to put the ball on the Gators' 23 yard line.  From there, Erby carried the ball on three straight run plays and into the endzone for the season's first touchdown.  Erby missed the PAT to leave the score at 6-0.

It did not stay there for long.  On the following kick-off, the UTS returner spilt the catch and had to retreat to the goal line to retrieve the kick.  Tristan Cauhepe then stripped the ball in the tackle for James Gifford to scoop and score.  This was Gifford's second fumble recovery for a touchdown on special teams, the other being a momentum changing play in the 2005 Playoff victory against UTS.  Gifford's two fumble recoveries for touchdown equal the Lions career record.  Erby was kept out of the endzone on a 2 point run attempt, with the score now at 12-0.

The Lions defence was well in control by this stage and the big plays started to come.  On the first play of the next drive, the relentless pressure from the front seven took its toll.  A hurried handoff saw the ball spill into the backfield, where inside linebacker and defensive captain Joe Lim was the first to react to dive on the fumble for the turnover.  The Lions needed only 4 plays to take full advantage, Mac Shine scoring on a 7 yard reception out of the backfield.  This time the PAT was good for a 19-0 lead. 

The Gators were sent three and out on their next possession and the Lions set about putting the game away before the half.  Kelen found Cauhepe behind the coverage for a 37 yard reception on third down and then hit Erby for 12 more to put the Lions into the red zone.  From there, Kelen drilled a 12 yard slant pass to Cauhepe for the touchdown and then doubled up to Cauhepe on the 2 point pass to stretch the lead to 27-0. 

The Lions even engineered one last chance to score before the break.  Freshman cornerback David Garcia was in position on an overthrown pass to dive forward and snare an interception in his first career game.  A personal foul against UTS brought the ball into range for a 41 yard field goal attempt on the last play of the half, but Erby started the kick right and it failed to come back. 

There was no let up from the Lions defence in the second half and plenty of good performances, particularly in the secondary as UTS put the ball in the air in an effort to launch a comeback.  Kiernan Dorney was solid in his first start at free safety, breaking up two passes and keeping the passing game in front of him.  Cornerback David Bourke had a career day, breaking up two passes and intercepting a third to snuff out the Gators' only serious scoring chance, while there were also important contributions from Mark Mamo, John Tamanivalu and Leigh Louey-Gung. 

The Lions scored on their second possession of the half, driving the ball from their own 15 yard line to the endzone in 8 plays.  Kelen used all the resources available to him, completing passes to Gifford, Cauhepe and Freeman before finding Erby on a 16 yard pass for the touchdown.  Kelen finished the game with 16 completions from 24 attempts for 231 yards and 4 touchdowns - a fine day's work. 

The Lions final touchdown came after the Gators had turned the ball over on downs at midfield after failing to complete a fourth down pass attempt.  A 15 yard completion to Freeman on first down brought the Lions in range and then Kelen threw a beautiful pass off his back foot under pressure to Gifford in the back corner of the endzone for a 25 yard touchdown.  With the PAT, the play took the final score to 41-0. 

The blow-out in the score meant that freshman quarterback, Andrew Frawley, got into the game and promptly threw an interception on his first career pass attempt!  Frawley showed his poise to come back on the next series and complete his first pass to fellow freshman Thomas Frazer.  Do not be surprised if you hear a lot more of that combination into the future.

It was fitting for the defence to finish off the game with two big turnovers.  First, David Bourke preserved the shutout by picking off a pass at the 10 yard line after UTS had been given field position following the Frawley interception.  On the next drive, Leigh Louey-Gung stripped the ball in tackling a Gator's receiver for Dorney to pick up the fumble and return it 33 yards to the Gators' 15 yard line.  

The turnovers finished off an outstanding day for the defence - and the Lions.  The result was a tribute to the hard work put in by the players and coaches in the pre-season.  With the season now properly underway, the Lions can get on with the business of getting "Six of the Best".