WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson football team scored 26 first quarter points and never looked back as they scored an impressive 50-7 victory over visiting Bethany College Saturday evening in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game at Cameron Stadium.
A week after suffering a 14-10 loss at Case Western Reserve, the W&J offense bounced back as they rolled up 50 points and 465 yards of total offense. The Bison had no answers for the W&J offense in the first 15 minutes. W&J found the end zone four times in the first quarter. The Presidents took the opening drive 54 yards on just five plays, as they reached the end zone on a 43-yard touchdown strike from
Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) to
TJ Troxell (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) to take a 6-0 edge.
A fumble by Bethany on the ensuing kickoff gave W&J great field position and set up another score. The Presidents needed just four plays to move 26 yards into the end zone for its second touchdown of the opening quarter. A three-yard rushing touchdown by
Raymond Holmes (Verona, Pa./Serra Catholic) made the score 12-0 in favor of W&J less than four minutes into the game.
After both teams came away empty handed on their next drives, W&J took over at its 40-yard line after a shanked 20-yard punt by Tre Dean.
Colton Jones (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) connected with
Anthony Rosati (Chardon, Ohio / Perry) for a 59-yard passing score. The point after was successful as W&J stretched its lead to 19-0 at the 1:29 mark.
The W&J defense forced another Bison turnover on the initial play of the next drive.
Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) caused and recovered a fumble by BC running back Tre'Jour Owens. Following a 16-yard rush by Pugh, a 13-yard pass by Jones to
Zach Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa. / Southmoreland) gave W&J its fourth touchdown of the first quarter. The PAT by
Deven Wyandt (Altoona, Pa. / Bishop Guilfoyle) extended the lead to 26-0 after the first quarter.
Dawson Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) continued his stellar sophomore season Saturday against the Bison. The sophomore forced a fumble, which was recovered by
Tyler Sabo (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) inside Bethany territory. Four plays later, Holmes raced 23 yards towards the end zone. The rushing TD was the second of the first half for Holmes. The PAT by Wyandt gave W&J a 33-0 advantage with 11:16 left in the second quarter.
The Bison marched 65 yards on nine plays to get its first points of the ballgame. A 16-yard touchdown pass by Marquice Robinson to De'Vaugh McWhorter came with 6:34 showing on the second quarter clock. W&J scored once again just before halftime, as Jones and Rosati connected for a touchdown strike for the second time. This connection spanned 12 yards and gave W&J a 40-7 lead at halftime.
W&J tacked on 10 fourth quarter points to close the scoring.
Shakir Perkins (Austintown, Ohio/Mineral Ridge) hauled in a six-yard reception from Pugh for W&J's final touchdown of the evening. The point after by
Ricky Hunter (Freeport, Pa./Freeport) gave W&J a 47-7 advantage. Hunter connected on his first collegiate field goal, a 26-yarder with 5:05 to play in the game.
The Presidents used four quarterbacks in the lopsided victory. The quartet combined to complete 25-of-31 passes for five touchdowns and 324 yards through the air. Rosati finished with five catches for 100 yards and two scores. A total of 13 Presidents recorded at least one catch.
Defensively, W&J recorded a season-best seven sacks, forced five turnovers and limited Bethany to just 126 yards of total offense. The disruptive front four was led by Dietz who posted eight tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the victory.
Jaren Thimons (Valencia, Pa./North Catholic) recorded 2.5 sacks, six tackles and a fumble recovery.
Alex Keith (Hartville, Ohio/Lake) added two sacks and a forced fumble.
Sean Berardino (Millersville, Md./Archbishop Spalding) added a sack to round out the effort for W&J.
Bruno Fabrycki (New Salem, Pa./Albert Gallatin) recorded a first-half interception, which was the first of his collegiate career.
W&J welcomes Allegheny College for a conference match Cameron Stadium on Saturday, October 1. The game will serve as the annual homecoming game at W&J. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
