WASHINGTON, Pa. – Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) tossed for four first half touchdowns to help the Washington & Jefferson College football team earn a 35-28 victory over Allegheny College in the annual homecoming game Saturday afternoon at Cameron Stadium.
The Presidents used a fast start to secure the victory on a cool, crisp fall afternoon in Washington, Pa. W&J wasted little time in reaching the end zone. The Presidents drove 75 yards on seven plays on their opening drive. A 10-yard pass from Pugh to Kobe Derosa (New Castle, Pa. / Laurel) capped the drive. Ricky Hunter (Freeport, Pa./Freeport) tacked on the point after to give W&J a 7-0 advantage just 2:21 into the contest.
The Gators pushed the ball into the Presidents' territory on the ensuing possession. However, a forced fumble by Avery Keith (Hartville, Ohio / Lake) and recovery by Tanner Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) thwarted the Gators opportunity.
Just two plays later, Pugh hit Jacob Macosko (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) for a 57-yard touchdown pass and run. The touchdown extended the W&J lead to 13-0 at the 9:06 mark of the first quarter.
Allegheny used a 75-yard run by Kyrie Miller on the first play of its next possession to cut the deficit to 13-7. Later in the quarter, W&J took advantage of a short field and found the end zone when Pugh hit Macosko for a nine-yard touchdown. A two-point conversion made the advantage 21-7 Presidents at the 1:31 mark.
W&J scored again early in the second quarter. This time special teams provided the splash play for the Presidents. A blocked punt and return by Zachai Simmons (Hawthorne, N.J. / Linsly (W. Va.)) extended the Presidents' lead to 28-7 with 13:39 showing on the second quarter clock.
Following a defensive stop by the Presidents, the hosts swelled the lead to 35-7 with an eight-play, 67-yard drive. Pugh provided the big play on the drive, as he rushed for 37 yards to push the ball inside the Allegheny 10-yard line. Pugh would find Derosa for a six-yard touchdown score on third and goal. Hunter tacked on the point after as W&J led by four touchdowns.
Allegheny used an elongated seven-play, 62-yard drive to score just before halftime. A 17-yard touchdown pass cut the Gators' deficit to 35-14 at the 1:42 mark of the second.
W&J's offense stagnated in the second half. Despite a scoreless third quarter by both teams, Allegheny made things interesting with a pair of scores in the fourth quarter. The Gators got a two-yard touchdown run by Kyrie Miller at the 12:15 mark.
After forcing a W&J punt, the Gators marched 98 yards on just seven plays. A 50-yard passing play pushed the Gators into W&J territory. A one-yard run by Miller trimmed the Gators' gap to 35-28.
W&J fumbled the ensuing kickoff but was able to recover. The Presidents were able to eat up much of the final five minutes of play through its ground game. Troy Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) provided four-straight runs of 10 yards or more on the drive.
The Presidents were able to salt away 4:40 of clock time. The Gators took over at their own 33-yard line and moved to midfield with 11 seconds remaining. However, without any timeouts left, Tanner Volpatti put the game on ice when he sacked Gators' quarterback Jack Johnson to end the game.
W&J finished with 200 yards rushing on 32 attempts. This marks the third time this season that the Presidents gained at least 200 yards on the ground. W&J totaled 436 yards of total offense overall.
Pugh finished with 184 passing yards to go along with his four touchdowns and no interceptions. Pugh chipped in 49 yards on the ground. Troy Volpatti finished with 122 yards on 20 carries as he surpassed the century mark. Macosko led the Presidents with 79 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Derosa hauled in a pair of touchdowns from Pugh.
Defensively, Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) finished with a team-high 10 tackles and added two pass break ups. Jaren Thimons(Valencia, Pa./North Catholic) tallied six tackles, a breakup and a quarterback hurry. Tanner Volpatti finished with six tackles, a fumble recovery and the critical sack to end the game. Simmons tallied five tackles, three pass break ups and his punt block & return for touchdown.
Allegheny wide receiver set a school record with 18 receptions for 233 yards in the loss. Kyrie Miller reached the end zone three times for the Gators, who drop to 2-4 in 2023.
W&J heads into its bye week at 5-1 overall. The Presidents will travel to Carnegie Mellon University for a night game on Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff in Pittsburgh is scheduled for 7 p.m.
W&J holds off Allegheny for homecoming win
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20231007_2eyx.xml
2023
Allegheny
28
Washington and Jefferson
35
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny (2-4) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| Washington and Jefferson (5-1) | 21 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
Oct 07, 2023