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Washington & Jefferson College Athletics

Official athletic website of the Washington & Jefferson Presidents
Austin Kemp action
Martin Santek Photography
20
Wooster WOO 0-1
58
Winner Wash. & Jeff. WJC 1-0
Wooster WOO
0-1
20
Final
58
Wash. & Jeff. WJC
1-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
WOO Wooster 3 10 0 7 20
WJC Wash. & Jeff. 7 14 30 7 58

Game Recap: Football |

Offense comes alive in third quarter of 58-20 win over Wooster

WASHINGTON, Pa. – Sophomore Austin Kemp (Pittsburgh, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) rushed for three touchdowns and senior Pete Coughlin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) tossed four more as the Presidents opened up the 125th season in program history with a 58-20 win over Wooster.
 
On the day, W&J rolled up 582 yards of total offense, including 223 on the ground, over 91 plays. Wooster totaled 347 yards of total offense, but netted just 12 yards on the ground.
 
Offensively, the Presidents were balanced with their 32 first downs as 16 came through the air and 13 were via the rush, plus three by way of Fighting Scots' penalties.
 
A 45-yard scoring strike from Coughlin to junior Jesse Zubik (Sewickley, Pa./Avonworth) on the first play from scrimmage of the third W&J drive of the day put the Presidents on the scoreboard and overtook an early 3-0 Wooster lead.


The visitors scored the next 10 points, however, to take a 13-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
 
W&J got the lead back for good though, at 4:42 of the period when Coughlin hooked up with sophomore Jake Cullen (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) from 10 yards out, 14-13.


Kemp's first touchdown run of the afternoon came with 41 seconds left in the first half and sent W&J into the locker room with a 21-13 lead.

 
The sophomore running back added his second and third scores of the day within the first 5:45 of the second half, plunging in from three and one yards, respectively, 35-13. The final of Kemp's three rushing scores was set up thanks to an interception by junior Tom Marra (Moon Township, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart).




After a punt by Wooster, junior Trevor Morrow (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) turned a five-yard pass from Coughlin into W&J's fifth-straight touchdown, this one coming with 6:12 left in the third quarter.

 
On the ensuing possession, following a touchback by sophomore Ted Ford (Carnegie, Pa./Carlynton), senior Justin Bauer (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brentwood) and junior Zach Walker (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) combined for a sack that led to a seven-yard loss. The next play involved the Wooster center snapping the ball over the quarterback's head, which was recovered in the end zone by the Scots for a W&J safety.
 
Just 55 seconds later, and set up by a 38-yard return by junior Luke Merhaut (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland), 21-yard reception by Zubik and 12-yard rush by junior Justin Vickless (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brentwood), Coughlin found sophomore Tim Swoope (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) in the back corner of the end zone from six yards out for the sophomore's first career touchdown and fourth TD pass of the day for the senior, capping a 30-point third quarter.

 
Wooster got on the board once again 1:22 into the fourth quarter with a 17-yard touchdown catch, but junior Alex Rowse (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) connected with senior Anthony Keriotis (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) for a 13-yard touchdown, which would prove to be the final score of the game and make it a 58-20 margin.

 
Coughlin went over 300 yards for the 12th time in his career and fifth-straight game, dating back to Oct. 24 last season at Case Western Reserve, by completing 27-of-37 attempts for 332 yards. In the process, he topped the 7,000-yard mark for his career. Zubik caught a game-high nine passes for 124 yards, his 11th 100-yard performance in 22 career games. The junior eclipsed the 2,000-yard plateau with the showing. Kemp led all players in carries (17) and rushing yards (81), while Morrow (47 yards) and Vickless (42 yards) each carried nine times.
 
Playing in his first game as a President, junior Nick Murgo (Warren, R.I./Mount Hope) led the way with seven tackles (five solo). Merhaut was next at five stops. Senior Ryan Snedeker (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) recorded 2.0 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss as part of his three stops. Senior Lucas Parrish (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) added 1.0 sack, 2.0 TFL and a forced fumble. Bauer finished with 1.5 TFL and 0.5 sack as W&J sacked Wooster's quarterbacks four times and collected 11.0 tackles for loss.
 
The victory was the sixth-straight season-opening win for W&J, who improved to 10-1-1 against the Fighting Scots all-time. The Presidents will return home next Saturday, Sept. 10, for a 2 p.m. kickoff against Presidents' Athletic Conference foe Grove City, in a game that will not count toward the league standings due to the unbalanced schedule.
 
 
 
 
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