Washington & Jefferson (9-1, 9-1 PAC) vs. Randolph-Macon (9-1, 7-0 ODAC) 

When: Saturday, November 30, 2024
Where: Ashland, Va.
Stadium: Day Field
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m.

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The Series: Washington & Jefferson and Randolph-Macon square off for their sixth all-time matchup. W&J first faced the Yellow Jackets in the 1984 NCAA Playoffs, the presidents' first ever playoff game. The Red & Black were victorious 22-21 in Ashland. The squads played again two years later in the 1986 regular season when Randolph-Macon won 21-7 in W&J's only regular season loss that year and Randolph-Macon's only win in the rivalry. In 1987, the Presidents avenged their loss from the previous season, winning 33-0 in Washington. The teams scheduled each other for the 1999 and 2000 seasons resulting in W&J victorious both times, winning 55-28 in Ashland and 53-12 in Washington.

Notable Notes:

CHAIN MOVERS: The W&J offense has picked up 273 first downs this season ranking fifth in Division III. The Presidents have succeeded at moving the ball due in large part to a timely offense that has converted 57.4% of third downs, which is fifth in the division.

DPOY DIETZ: Senior defensive tackle Dawson Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) was able to take home a long-awaited PAC Defensive Player of the Year award. The two-time All-American has racked up an impressive 13 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss, which both rank fifth in the nation and lead the PAC. Dietz is the first President to win the award since Gilbert Floyd in the 1991 season.

REPEAT PERFORMANCE: Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) has been awarded as the PAC's Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Pugh is the first quarterback to win the award in consecutive years since W&J's Jason Baer claimed the honor in 1995 and 1996. After leading the PAC in virtually every passing statistic in 2023, Pugh has done the same this season. The senior has guided W&J to a 9-1 record and a share of the PAC title, due in large part to his effectiveness throwing the football. Pugh has thrown for the eight most yards (3,011) and the fourth most touchdowns (39) in all of D-III.  Pugh is also ninth in passing efficiency (190.8). Pugh has also thrown a touchdown pass in 27 consecutive games.

IT STARTS AT THE TOP: For the eighth time as head coach of W&J football, Mike Sirianni was named as the PAC Coach of the Year. Despite losing each of his coordinators from last season, Sirianni has lead the Presidents to their first PAC title and first NCAA Playoff appearance since 2018.

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. Each receiver crossed the 1,000 yard mark during the week 11 win against Allegheny becoming the first pair of W&J receivers to reach the milestone in the same season. Peduzzi has snagged 54 passes for 1,007 yards and 13 scores, while Macosko has 72 grabs for 1,090 yards and 13 touchdowns. The yardage totals rank Macosko and Peduzzi 11th and 28th in the nation, respectively. The touchdown totals have the two tied for 15th nationally. Macosko's catch total also ranks tied for 20th in the division. The touchdown total for Peduzzi has moved him into fourth place on W&J's career receiving touchdowns list. Peduzzi's 39 touchdown grabs are tied for the third most in school history with Aaron Krepps '06 and are behind Jesse Zubik '18 (54) and Andrew Wolf '21 (40). Alex Baroffio '14 and Craig Besong '09 are tied for the fifth spot with 30 touchdown grabs. Peduzzi's 3,048 career receiving yards also stand at fourth all-time in receiving yards, as Peduzzi passed up Todd Fry '02 last week against Allegheny.

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 6.1 yards on 84 carries for a net of 516 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 596 scrimmage yards (408 rushing and 188 receiving) and has scored 12 touchdowns. Junior Troy Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) has also gotten into the mix in the Presidents' run game with 238 yards.

JOHNS STANDS ALONE: Fifth year linebacker Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) made his 349th career tackle in the second quarter against Allegheny, making him W&J's all-time leading tackler, passing Eric Field '05.

RETURN TO THE PLAYOFFS: W&J will make its first NCAA playoff appearance since the 2018 season, when the Presidents lost in the opening round to Centre. The last Presidents playoff victory came in 2017 against Johns Hopkins, when W&J won 31-28 at Cameron Stadium. This marks W&J's 27th playoff appearance, which ranks third all-time. This will also be the 12th time that Mike Sirianni has taken the Presidents to the postseason as the head coach.

CO-CHAMPIONS: With W&J, Grove City, and Carnegie Mellon each at 9-1, the trio of teams are PAC Co-Champions. W&J wins its 27th conference title, and its first since 2018 and received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament via tiebreaker. Grove City claims their fourth conference title after winning last year in 2023. Carnegie Mellon collects its tenth PAC title and its third PAC championship in four years after sharing the title in 2021 with Westminster and going undefeated in conference play in 2022.

SCOUTING RANDOLPH-MACON: The Yellow Jackets have followed up their best season in program history with another strong, ODAC championship season. After going 2-1 in their out-of-conference schedule, RMC was able to sweep the ODAC, and win the conference for the third straight season. This is due in large part to their impressive turnover margin, as the Yellow Jackets have forced 32 turnovers while committing just 14. Their margin of plus-18 is tied for third-best in the division. RMC has also scored five defensive touchdowns, ranking second nationally. Offensively, the Yellow Jackets are led by a strong run game, averaging 213.9 rushing yards per game. RMC has six rushers with at least 100 yards on the ground, including 4 above 300 yards. The Yellow Jackets have the fourth highest average time of possession (34:20) in Division III. RMC has also been incredibly disciplined this season, committing the eight fewest penalties (34) in the division.

THE LAST MATCHUP IN DETAIL: The last time that Washington & Jefferson matched up against Randolph-Macon was on September 16, 2000, in Washington. The Presidents got off to a hot start with Brian Dawson '03 throwing four first quarter touchdown passes and jolting the Presidents to an early 26-0 lead. Dawson tossed for two more scores in the second quarter, as the Presidents took a 47-6 lead into the halftime break. Randolph-Macon and W&J would each find the endzone in the fourth quarter to bring the score to its 53-12 final.

The Presidents picked up 540 yards, including 386 through the air, and overmatched the Yellow Jackets who picked up 265 yards. Dawson finished with 306 yards and six touchdowns on just 19 attempts, which all came in the first half of the game. Ryan Silvis was the Red and Black's top target, catching eight passes for 169 yards and four scores. Randolph-Macon's Hunter Price found the endzone once and accumulated just 140 yards on 35 attempts.

FACING THE OLD DOMINION: In all-time matchups against programs that make up the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, W&J holds an 11-4 record.

- 1-2 vs. Bridgewater
- 1-1 vs. Ferrum
- 2-0 vs. Hampden-Sydney
- 4-1 vs. Randolph-Macon
- 3-0 vs. Washington & Lee

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 152-6 record in those contests, good for a .962 winning percentage.

NEW STREAMING SYSTEM: Starting this season, all NCAA Division III playoff games through the semifinals will be available for video streaming through ESPN+ which requires a subscription. Broadcasts through the quarterfinals will be produced by individual campuses, but will only air on ESPN+. The championship game will be broadcasted live on ESPN.

NOVEMBERS TO REMEMBER: The Presidents own a 22-5 (.815) record in the month of November over the last ten seasons. In Sirianni's entire tenure, W&J holds a 52-14 (.788) record in the month of November.

POTENT PASS DEFENSE: The Presidents defense has had a successful 2024 campaign, allowing the 16th fewest yards per game (238.6) in Division III. The Presidents are tied for seventh in the nation with 35 sacks on the campaign and have allowed the 6th fewest passing yards per game (141.5). Some standouts up front for W&J have been seniors Dawson Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) and Avery Keith (Hartville, Ohio/Lake) along with Junior defensive tackle Aidan Thomas (Johnstown, Pa./Richland). The Presidents have also gotten strong seasons from fifth year senior inside linebacker Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) and freshman outside backer Brock Sherman (Copley, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit). The Red and Black have held it down in the secondary with strong play from veterans. Safeties Brandon Brown (Monessen, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) and senior Zachai Simmons (Hawthorne, N.J./Linsly (W. Va.)) have put together strong seasons, while junior corners Angelo Volomino (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) and Carson Laconi (Butler, Pa./North Catholic)  have also thrived. 

NOTABLE NUMBERS AND RECORDS: 

- Senior quarterback Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) threw for passing touchdowns against the Allegheny bringing his career total to 92. Pugh broke a three-way tie with Chris Edwards '06 and Jason Baer '96, and now has sole possession of the fourth spot all time in touchdown heaves for W&J. Pugh is three passing scores behind Pete Coughlin '17 for the third spot in the category. Pugh is now at 7,397 career passing yards which is 153 yards behind Baer for the fifth most in school history. Pugh's 2024 season has also made its way to the record books. Pugh's 3,011 yards passing are approaching top five status as Brian Dawson '03 and his 2001 season total stands 196 yards ahead of Pugh's total. Pugh's 39 passing touchdowns this season are the second most in a single season in school history and are seven behind Bobby Swallow '09 and his 2007 season where he threw for 46 scores. The senior has also thrown a touchdown pass in 27 consecutive outings.

- A week after setting a new personal best in sacks with three against Bethany, Dawson Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) topped the performance by racking up 3.5 sacks against Case Western Reserve. Dietz moved his season total to 13 which passed his previous single season career-high of 11. Dietz stands at 30.5 career sacks and is one behind of Mike Brooder who holds the fifth spot on W&J's career sacks list.

- Junior running back Troy Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) moved within 100 yards of crossing the 1,000 yard rushing milestone in his career with a season high of 75 yards against Allegheny. Volpatti stands at 238 yards on the season and 908 total yards in his career.

- Junior safety Jalen Broxie (Coraopolis, Pa./Moon) grabbed his first career interception in the week 11 matchup against Allegheny.

2024 Individual Honors

Brandon Brown (Monessen, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic), 5th, Safety
All-PAC Honorable Mention (DB)

Zach Cernuto (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland), Sr., Tight End
All-PAC First Team (TE)
D3football.com Team of the Week (Nov. 5)
PAC Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 4)

Grant Cullen (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic), Sr., Center
All-PAC Honorable Mention (OL)

Kobe Derosa (New Castle, Pa./Laurel), Jr., Running Back
All-PAC Honorable Mention (RB)
President of the Week (Sept. 17)

Dawson Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton), Sr., Defensive Tackle
PAC Defensive Player of the Year
All-PAC First Team (DL)
2x D3football.com Team of the Week (Oct. 29, Nov. 5)
President of the Week (Oct. 29)
2x PAC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 16, Oct. 28)
D3football.com Preseason All-America

Raymond Holmes (Verona, Pa./Serra Catholic), Sr., Tight End
All-PAC Honorable Mention (TE)

Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional), 5th, Inside Linebacker
All-PAC First Team (LB)

Avery Keith (Hartville, Ohio/Lake), Sr., Defensive End
All-PAC First Team (DL)

Adam Kozera (Sharpsburg, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic), 5th, Offensive Guard
All-PAC First Team (OL)

Jacob Macosko (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township), Jr., Wide Receiver
All-PAC First Team (WR)
President of the Week (Oct. 22)
PAC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 21)

John Peduzzi (Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head Christian Academy), Jr., Wide Receiver
All-PAC Second Team (WR)

Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson), Sr., Quarterback
PAC Offensive Player of the Year
All-PAC First Team (QB)
3x PAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 18)
President of the Week (Sept. 9)

Elijah Staub (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic), Jr., Offensive Tackle
All-PAC Second Team (OL)

Angelo Volomino (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson), Jr., Cornerback
All-PAC Honorable Mention (DB)

Deven Wyandt (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle), Jr., Kicker
All-PAC Honorable Mention (K)
PAC Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 9)