Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
LATROBE, Pa. -- Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) totaled four touchdowns and the Washington & Jefferson College defense forced four turnovers as the Red and Black rolled to a 51-0 victory over host Saint Vincent in the 2023 season opener at Chuck Noll Field.
Pugh completed 19-of-30 passes for 292 yards through the air. Pugh also added 29 yards and a touchdown on the ground. John Peduzzi (Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head Christian Academy) hauled in a career-high three touchdown receptions in the victory. Bruno Fabryicki (New Salem, Pa. / Albert Gallatin) intercepted a pair of passes to pace the defensive efforts.
After forcing a defensive stop on Saint Vincent's first possession, W&J marched 60 yards on 10 plays to score on its first possession of the season. Pugh hit Peduzzi for a nine-yard touchdown to cap the drive which spanned more than four minutes.
Following a Saint Vincent three-and-out, the Presidents came right back with another lengthy scoring drive, as a 15-yard touchdown run from Troy Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) finished off a 13-play, 75-yard drive. The point after touchdown extended the lead to 14-0 late in the first quarter. Both teams went scoreless for nearly the entirety of the second quarter before W&J added to its lead just before halftime.
W&J amassed 76 yards in just nine plays on a drive that was capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Pugh to Peduzzi. The second touchdown connection of the day by Pugh and Peduzzi gave W&J a 21-0 lead at halftime.
The Presidents poured it on the second half. W&J scored two touchdowns apiece in the third and fourth quarters. Pugh tacked on a four-yard touchdown run at the 13:41 mark and Pugh found Peduzzi for a third passing touchdown, a 34-yard strike, at the 8:19 mark. Ricky Hunter (Freeport, Pa. / Freeport) drilled a 31-yard field goal to bring the W&J lead to 37-0 after three quarters.
Owen Petrisek (Ellsworth, Pa. / Bentworth) scored on a seven-yard touchdown at the 11:27 mark of the fourth quarter. The final touchdown came when Kellen Stahl (Johnstown, Pa. / Richland) found a wide open Seth Kuhns (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 5:36 remaining in the game.
W&J possessed a balanced offensive attack. The Presidents rolled up 574 yards of total offense. Eight different rushers combined for 241 yards on 50 rushing attempts. Leading the way was Petrisek, who carried eight times for 66 yards. Justin Huss (Derry, Pa./Derry Area) ran for 51 yards on 11 carries.
Jacob Macosko (Venetia, Pa. / Peters Township) finished with a game-high 94 yards on five receptions. Three of four receptions for Peduzzi were touchdowns as he finished with 78 yards.
Defensively, Tanner Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) finished with a team-high 10 tackles. Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) tallied six tackles. Aaron Carothers (Altoona, Pa. / Altoona) also had an interception.
The win was the first shutout victory for W&J over Saint Vincent in 15 all-time meetings. The Presidents have scored at least 40 points in each of the past five meetings with the Bearcats.
W&J travels to Bethany College for a PAC game at Bison Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 9. Kick off is scheduled for 1 p.m.