Washington & Jefferson (8-1) vs. Allegheny (1-8) 

When: Saturday, November 16, 2024
Where: Meadville, Pa.
Stadium: Frank B. Fuhrer Field
Kickoff: 1:05 p.m.

Gameday Coverage - Follow Live: WJPA Radio | Live Video | Live Stats
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The Series: Washington & Jefferson and Allegheny square off for the third time after renewing the series in 2022 with Allegheny's return to the PAC. W&J extended a narrow series lead to 23-20-1 with a 35-28 victory in Washington last fall. W&J has won six-straight matchups in the rivalry. The last Gators win was back in 2002, in Meadville.

Notable Notes:

CHAIN MOVERS: The W&J offense has picked up 206 first downs through eight games which leads Division III. The Presidents have succeeded at moving the ball due in large part to a timely offense which has converted 55.6% of third downs, which is sixth in the division.

DYNAMIC DUO: Junior wideouts John Peduzzi (Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head Christian Academy) and Jacob Macosko (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) have produced week-in and week-out for the Red and Black. Peduzzi has snagged 47 passes for 904 yards and 11 scores, while Macosko has 66 grabs for 955 yards and 11 touchdowns. The yardage totals rank Macosko and Peduzzi 15th and 23rd in the nation, respectively. The touchdown totals have the two tied for 17th in the nation. Macosko's catch total also ranks tied for 10th in the division. The touchdown total for Peduzzi has moved him into fourth place on W&J's career receiving touchdowns list. Peduzzi's 37 touchdown grabs stand behind Jesse Zubik (54), Andrew Wolf (40), and Aaron Krepps (39). Alex Baroffio and Craig Besong are tied for the fifth spot with 30 touchdown grabs. Peduzzi's yardage gains have also placed him in the top five of W&J career receiving, as his 2,955 yards ranks fifth.

HALFWAY HOME: One of the things that has allowed W&J to have such success under Sirianni is that his teams are extremely good at winning games in which they're leading at halftime, boasting a 151-6 record in those contests, good for a .962 winning percentage.

DIETZ DOMINANCE: Senior defensive tackle Dawson Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) has led the way for the Red and Black up front. The two-time All-American has racked up an impressive 12.5 sacks, which ranks fourth in Division III, and 22 tackles for loss, ranking second.

SHARING THE LOAD: The Presidents have found success utilizing a committee approach in the backfield. Senior Owen Petrisek (Ellsworth, Pa./Bentworth) has led the way on the ground, averaging 6.5 yards on 75 carries for a net of 484 yards. The Presidents leading rusher from 2023 has found the endzone four times this season. Junior Kobe Derosa (New Castle, Pa./Laurel) has been the dynamic threat out of the backfield for W&J. DeRosa has racked up 536 scrimmage yards (348 rushing and 188 receiving) and has scored 11 touchdowns. Junior Troy Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) has also gotten into the mix in the Presidents' run game.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION: After defeating Grove City in week seven, W&J jumped into the D3football.com and AFCA Top 25 polls. This week, W&J earned 217 points in the former, ranking 18th, while garnering 287 points in the latter poll, which put W&J at 19th. Conference foes Grove City and Carnegie Mellon are also ranked in the top 20 of each poll. As for other ratings, W&J is the 12th ranked team in the Massey Ratings, the 22nd ranked team in the Hansen Ratings, and the 20th ranked team in the NCAA Power Index.

PASSER PERFECTION: Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) has had an effective season so far for the Red and Black. The senior has guided W&J to an 8-1 start, due in large part to his effectiveness throwing the football. Pugh has thrown for the fifth most yards (2,716) and the sixth most touchdowns (34) in all of D-III.  Pugh also ranks 12th in passing efficiency (184.4). After being honored as the PAC's Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, Pugh has been awarded as the conference's Offensive Player of the Week after six-touchdown performances in both week one and week six. Pugh will look to succeed against an Allegheny defense that allowed Carnegie Mellon to pass for five touchdowns.

THE PAC PICTURE: As it stands the PAC currently has a three-way tie at the top of the conference, as W&J, Grove City, and Carnegie Mellon each hold a record of 8-1. Any tie at the top of the conference would result in the tied teams being named as co-champions of the PAC. If the current tie holds, the conference's Pool-A (automatic) bid to the NCAA would go to the team that has the best point diferential in their games with the tied teams. In the case of a two-way tie the bid would go to the team who won the head-to-head matchup between the tied teams. The top seeded PAC team that is not a participant in the NCAA playoffs will play the top Ohio Athletic Conference team that does not make the playoff in the Opendorse Extra Points Bowl at 6:00 PM on November 23, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Other league members who are a part of the ECAC will be on the lookout for one of the conference's bowl games.

CAREER PERFORMANCES: Senior tight end Zach Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) compiled a career day against Case Western Reserve in week nine. Cernuto caught 14 passes for 123 yards. The senior also logged a touchdown. His 14 receptions were the most by a W&J receiver since Payton Skalos (16 receptions vs. Westminster Oct. 26, 2019). On the defensive side senior safety Brandon Brown (Monessen, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) also had an excellent day, grabbing two interceptions.

NOTABLE NUMBERS AND RECORDS: 

- Fifth year linebacker Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) currently stands at 344 career tackles, putting Johns in second place on Washington & Jefferson's career tackles list. Johns trails only Eric Field, who stands just four tackles in front. 

- Senior quarterback Jake Pugh surpassed the 7,000 career passing yards milestone against Case Western Reserve. The senior's third passing touchdown against the Spartans was his 87th career passing score, and the 100th offensive touchdown of his career. The passing touchdown total is now tied with Chris Edwards '06 and Jason Baer '96 for fourth in program history. Pugh is now at 7,102 career passing yards which is 448 yards behind Baer for fifth in school history.

- A week after setting a new personal best in sacks with three against Bethany, Dawson Dietz topped the performance by racking up 3.5 sacks against Case Western Reserve. Dietz moved his season total to 12.5 which passed his previous single season career-high of 11. Dietz stands at 30 career sacks and is one behind of Mike Brooder who holds the fifth spot on W&J's career sacks list.