WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College football team (4-1, 3-0) rolled up 665 total yards of offense and collected its fourth-straight home shutout in a lopsided 56-0 victory over Bethany College (2-4, 1-3) in the annual homecoming game at Cameron Stadium.
Freshman quarterback
Braylon Wagner (New Bethlehem, Pa./Redbank Valley) totaled five touchdowns in the first half. The reigning PAC Newcomer of the Week passed for four touchdowns and added a rushing score to his totals. Junior running back
Andrew Sharp (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) totaled 168 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 touches. Sophomore wideout
Szyair Dungee (Donora, Pa./Ringgold) tallied a pair of receiving touchdowns on 50 yards to lead the receiving corps.
Defensively,
Alex Boyce (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette),
Roclen Bettura (Columbiana, Ohio/Crestview) and
Da'Jahn Telfair (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) registered interceptions to keep the Bison off the board.
The Presidents opened the scoring on their initial drive of the game. After forcing a Bison punt, the Presidents drove 71 yards on seven plays for their first touchdown. Sharp raced in from 16 yards out to make it 7-0 at the 10:17 mark. A little more than three minutes later, Dungee hauled in a 16-yard pass from Wagner to make it 14-0 after the opening quarter.
W&J recorded four touchdowns during the second quarter. A 12-yard touchdown run by Sharp capped a long 88-yard, 13-play drive. The Sharp score came just 37 seconds into the second quarter. Wagner and Dungee connected for a nine-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 28-0 with 6:09 to play before halftime. Wagner found a wide-open
Drew Mahle (Parma Heights, Ohio/St. Edward) for an 18-yard touchdown pass that stretched the lead to 35-0 at the 2:40 mark. After forcing a quick punt, Wagner found
Joey DeSabato (Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler Area) for a one-handed juggling grab which resulted in a 41-yard gain. That set up a 32-yard rushing touchdown by Wagner on the next play. His fifth score of the half made it 42-0 at halftime.
The Presidents turned defense into offense in the third quarter. An interception by
Alex Boyce (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) set up the Presidents in Bison territory. Senior running back
Luke Edwards (New Wilmington, Pa./Wilmington) scored on an eight-yard rushing touchdown with 7:17 to play in third quarter.
Late in the fourth quarter, freshman running back
Robert Preston (Frederick, Md./Urbana) collected his first collegiate rushing touchdown. His nine-yard scoring run concluded the 10-play, 92-yard drive. The Preston score made it 56-0 with 5:55 remaining.
W&J out-gained Bethany by a 665-136 in terms of total yardage. The Presidents finished with a 37-6 advantage in first downs. The Red and Black finished with 357 yards rushing and 308 yards passing in the contest. The Presidents were 9-of-14 on third down conversions. Bethany was limited to just one third down conversion on 14 attempts.
The Presidents travel north to face Allegheny College on Saturday, Oct. 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
