WASHINGTON, Pa. – Washington & Jefferson College junior quarterback Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) tossed four first half touchdowns Saturday in a 33-28 win over visiting Waynesburg University in the regular season finale at Cameron Stadium.
The win improves the Presidents to 8-2 overall. The Yellow Jackets finish their season at 2-8 overall. W&J will await word of a possible ECAC bowl berth. The pairings for the 2023 ECAC bowls will be announced on Monday afternoon.
Pugh was once again a catalyst for a Presidents victory. A strong contender for PAC Offensive Player of the Year, the junior signal caller completed 27-of-36 passes for 355 yards and four touchdowns in the win over the Yellow Jackets. Pugh finishes the regular season with 32 passing touchdowns and just five interceptions. Pugh has totaled 2,752 yards passing in 2023.
Following turnovers on both teams opening possessions, Pugh found Zach Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) for a four-yard touchdown pass to cap a five-play, 48-yard scoring drive. W&J was set up with good field position after an interception by senior linebacker Tanner Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park).
Following another defensive stop, W&J marched 75 yards on eight plays to find the end zone again. Three-straight completions by Pugh to sophomore receiver John Peduzzi (Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head Christian Academy) accounted for 41 yards. Two plays later, Pugh hit Peduzzi for a 12-yard gain. Senior running back Justin Huss (Derry, Pa./Derry Area) then raced 15 yards down to the one-yard line. The Huss run set the stage for a one-yard touchdown run by Cernuto. The point after made it 14-0 W&J with 5:34 to play in the first.
Waynesburg got on the board when Zayne Cawley rushed in for a seven-yard touchdown to finish off an eight-play, 62-yards with 2:27 to play in the first.
W&J missed an opportunity to answer back. The Presidents pushed the ball down to the Waynesburg one-yard line before a fumble into the end zone resulted in a touchback. After a Waynesburg punt, W&J was able to extend the lead to 21-7 when Pugh hit Peduzzi for a 62-yard touchdown catch and run.
Later in the second quarter, Pugh hit sophomore Zach Seaman (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) for a 27-yard touchdown pass. The Seaman touchdown, his first of the season, extended the W&J lead to 27-7 with 3:43 showing on the clock.
Waynesburg's punter had trouble with the snap and rushed short of the line to gain to set W&J up in the red zone. An 11-yard touchdown pass from Pugh to Peduzzi swelled the Presidents' lead to 33-7 at halftime.
W&J had a chance to bury Waynesburg in the third quarter. However, a pair of missed opportunities, enable Waynesburg to stay in the game. Cernuto had the ball knocked loose at the Waynesburg one-yard line and recovered by the Yellow Jackets in the end zone for a touchback.
Waynesburg capitalized with an 11-play drive that accounted for 80 yards and chewed up 5:21 of game time. Cawley ended the scoring drive with an 11-yard run at the 3:20 mark.
The Yellow Jackets quickly forced a three-and-out and blocked a punt to take over inside the W&J five. After a false start, Waynesburg QB Samuel Barber used a nine-yard keeper to trim the deficit to 33-21 late in the third.
W&J had another chance to put more points on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter. Sophomore cornerback Bruno Fabrycki (New Salem, Pa./Albert Gallatin) intercepted a Waynesburg pass to set the Presidents up at the 35-yard line. Pugh had a near touchdown connection to Peduzzi dropped near the goal line. That took the wind out of the sails on the drive for W&J.
Waynesburg cut the deficit to just five points when Barber hit Dakota Romantino for a 23-yard touchdown on a 4th and 10 play with 1:05 remaining.
Troy Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) put an end to Waynesburg's chances when he recovered an onside kick.
Derosa was W&J's top rusher with 77 yards. Sophomore running back Owen Petrisek (Ellsworth, Pa./Bentworth) finished with 58 yards.
Peduzzi hauled in 10 catches for 179 yards and two scores. Peduzzi's efforts Saturday helped him move his season totals to 54 receptions and 1030 yards. He has 16 receiving touchdowns.
Senior linebacker Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) finished with a game-high 13 tackles. Avery Keith (Hartville, Ohio/Lake) added 10 tackles. Sophomore Tyler Primose (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic) had 1.5 sacks for the defensive unit.
The win Saturday moved W&J's lopsided lead in the all-time series to 47-4 over Waynesburg.
W&J finishes the regular season with a perfect 5-0 mark at home.
Pugh tosses four touchdowns as W&J escapes with 33-28 win over Waynesburg
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20231111_bkgm.xml
2023
Waynesburg
28
Washington and Jefferson
33
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waynesburg (2-8) | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| Washington and Jefferson (8-2) | 14 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
Nov 11, 2023