WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Presidents' offense struck for four scores of over 35 yards in the first quarter to build a 26-7 lead over Carnegie Mellon en route to a 36-14 victory against the Tartans under the lights at Cameron Stadium.
 
The No. 13 Washington & Jefferson football team received 186 yards and three touchdowns on five catches from sophomore wide receiver Andrew Wolf (Ashland, Ohio/Hillsdale) and junior running back Jordan West (Washington, Pa./Washington) rushed for a career-high 179 and two scores on his 29 carries.
 
The Presidents needed just 49 seconds and three plays into the game to hit pay dirt. West began the action with runs of eight and 26 yards before Wolf hauled in his first score – from 39 yards out – off the hand of junior quarterback Jacob Adams (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville). CMU responded with a 73-yard completion to the two-yard line on its first play from scrimmage, but the defense held stout and forced the Tartans to attempt a 22-yard field goal, which was missed. On the third play of W&J's next drive, Wolf raced past the secondary and Adams hit him in stride for a 66-yard score, 13-0.
 
Later in the quarter, Adams hit Wolf for the third time, this one from 67 yards, on the first play of a drive and the lead was built to 19-0 with 5:27 left in the first. The second play of CMU's ensuing possession was picked off by senior cornerback Zack Queen (Level Green, Pa./Penn-Trafford), and the Presidents found the end zone on a consecutive play when West gashed the defense for 37 yards and his first score.
 
After holding a 26-7 lead following the first 15 minutes, W&J's initial possession of the second period resulted in a 15-play, 93-yard drive that took up 5:09 of the clock, the longest scoring trip of the season in plays, yardage and time. West concluded the drive with four-straight runs from inside the five-yard line, capped by a one-yard push on fourth down and the lead was 33-7 with 7:55 left in the first half.
 
The lead stood at 33-14 at the intermission and a 28-yard field goal by junior kicker Adam Napotnik (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) at 1:57 of the third quarter would go down as the final points scored on the evening.
 
Yardage totals on the day were nearly identical as the Presidents held a slim edge at 501-498. CMU threw for 422 yards on 49 attempts after being forced to pass with the large margin early. On the ground, the Presidents rolled to a 217-76 margin, tripling the Tartans' output.
 
Senior wide receiver Tim Swoope (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) was second on the team with four receptions for 46 yards. Adams finished 14-of-25 for 284 yards and three scores, plus his first interception of the season.
 
Junior linebacker Nick Getz (Tyrone, Pa./Tyrone) led all players with a career-high 13 tackles (eight solo), including 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Senior safety Zac Quattrone (White Oak, Pa./Serra Catholic) recorded his first career double-digit tackles game by making 10 stops (eight solo). Sophomore linebackers Max Garda (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) and Sean Doran (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) both posted eight tackles, with Garda forcing a fumble and breaking up two passes. Queen and senior safety Zach Royba (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) each made five tackles and picked off a pass in the win.
 
The Presidents improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference with the victory. It was the 31st-straight regular season home win for W&J. Carnegie Mellon falls even to 1-1 with an 0-1 in the league.
 
W&J will complete its three-game homestand with a 1 p.m. kickoff against Grove City on Saturday, Sept. 22.