WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) tossed four touchdowns and finished with 298 yards through the air as the Washington & Jefferson Presidents methodically pulled away for a 31-14 victory over visiting Grove City College in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game Saturday afternoon.
The victory improves W&J to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in PAC play. The loss is the second-straight for Grove City, who drops to 6-3 overall and 4-3 in league contests. The win is the 10th straight for the Presidents in the head-to-head series with the Wolverines.
Things didn't necessarily start well for the Presidents, as they came away empty handed on their first two offensive possessions after advancing into the red zone. However, later in the quarter W&J benefited from good field position after a punt return by Ian Hansen (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson), which set them up near midfield. W&J just needed three plays to reach the end zone, as Pugh gashed the Grove City defense with a 15-yard pass to Hansen, a 14-yard strike to John Peduzzi (Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head Christian Academy) followed by a 23-yard touchdown connection with Peduzzi. The touchdown was followed by a point after by Deven Wyandt (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) as W&J took a 7-0 lead with 2:16 to play in the opening quarter.
Grove City countered with an extended 16-play, 62-yard drive that spanned nearly nine minutes. Clayton Parrish plunged in from one-yard out before Nick Morrow tacked on the point after to even the score at 7-7 with 8:18 to play in the second quarter. W&J marched 50 yards on the ensuing drive before regaining the lead on a 38-yard field goal by Wyandt. The 38-yarder, a career-long for the freshman, made it 10-7 W&J at the 5:19 mark.
Three plays into the ensuing drive, Grove City running back Nico Flati couldn't handle a pitch on the option and Adam Rudzinski (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional) fell on the fumble, which gave W&J the ball at the Grove City 16. W&J made Grove City pay for the turnover, as Pugh hit Hansen on the very next play to stretch W&J's lead to 17-7 entering halftime.
Grove City turned the ball over again on its first drive of the third quarter. Logan Pfeuffer's pass hit his intended receiver's foot and fortuitously landed in the hands of Tyler Sabo (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell), who returned it 26 yards into Grove City territory. Pugh then hit Peduzzi for another 20 yards before connecting with Zach Cernuto (Scottsdale, Pa./Southmoreland) for a six-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown was the fourth of the season for Cernuto. The Wyandt PAT stretched the lead to 24-7.
The Wolverines marched into W&J territory on its next possession but Alex Keith (Hartville, Pa./Lake) and Jaren Thimons (Valencia, Pa./North Catholic) stopped Flati at the line of scrimmage on a 4th-and-2 play at the W&J 24.
W&J effectively put the game away by moving 76 yards on eight plays on the next drive. Pugh hit Hansen for a 32-yard pass play and found Peduzzi for a 21-yard connection as W&J moved the ball into the red zone. Pugh for an open Peduzzi on third and goal from the 10-yard line as W&J swelled its lead to 31-7 late in the third quarter.
Grove City closed the scoring with a 20-yard run by Guida, which came with 4:31 showing on the fourth quarter clock. The 14 points matched a season-low total for Grove City, who finished with 290 yards of total offense. Guida finished with 112 yards on 17 carries to pace Grove City. However, Wolverines quarterback Logan Pfeuffer finished with just 106 yards passing, tossed two interceptions and was sacked four times. Scott Fraser, the PAC's leading receiver, finished with a respectable 82 yards on eight catches.
Defensively, Johns finished with an incredible individual effort. The junior posted a career-high 18 tackles to go along with an interception and 1.5 tackles for loss (1.0 sack). Alex Keith (Hartville, Ohio/Lake) posted nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss (1.0 sack). A trio of W&J defenders, Dawson Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton), Drew Ehrlich (Annapolis, Md./Gilman School) and Tanner Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park), finished with eight tackles apiece.
Peduzzi and Hansen both finished with 100-yard receiving games. Peduzzi finished with a season-high 131 yards and two touchdowns. Hansen added a season-best 108 yards receiving and a touchdown. The four passing touchdowns is a career-best for Pugh, who completed 21-of-35 pass attempts.
W&J travels to Waynesburg to wrap up the 2022 regular season. The contest will be played as part of the PAC's "Rivalry Week" on Saturday, Nov. 12. Kickoff at John F. Wiley Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Passing game fuels W&J in Senior Day win over Grove City
/seasons/2022/boxscores/20221105_lkkv.xml
2022
Grove City
14
Washington and Jefferson
31
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grove City (6-3) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Washington and Jefferson (7-2) | 7 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
Nov 05, 2022