CLEVELAND, Ohio – Behind 341 rushing yards and a stifling defensive effort that included seven sacks, the Washington & Jefferson College football team (2-1, 1-0) rolled to a 35-7 road victory over the host Case Western Reserve University Spartans (2-1, 0-1) in the Presidents' Athletic Conference opener for both teams Saturday evening at DiSanto Field in Cleveland.
The victory is the 800th all-time for the W&J Football program. The Presidents are just the third program in Division III and 22nd overall in the NCAA to reach the 800-win mark.
Just like many of the 800 wins in program history, the Presidents turned in a well-rounded effort. Offensively, W&J put together its highest single-game rushing output since the 2022 regular season finale versus Waynesburg.
Andrew Sharp (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) gained 186 yards and four touchdowns on just 15 carries to power the ground game.
Braylon Wagner (New Bethlehem, Pa./Redbank Valley) added 120 yards and a score on just seven rushes. This also marks the first time in nearly four years that W&J had a pair of 100+ yard rushers in the same game.
The Presidents were as equally successful on the defensive side of the football. W&J collected seven sacks, forced two turnovers, three turnovers on downs and limited CWRU to 3-of-15 on third down attempts.
Brock Sherman (Copley, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) led the defense with a game-high 12 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Alex Boyce (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) also chipped in 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Additionally,
Dante DeRubbo (Washington, Pa./Trinity) picked off a CWRU pass for an interception.
Sharp found the end zone three times in the first half. His four-yard touchdown run opened the scoring at the 5:20 mark of the first quarter. The initial score was set up by a strip-sack by Boyce that was recovered by
Nathaniel Kadosh-Harris (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) deep inside CWRU territory.
Sharp tacked on a pair of rushing scores in the second quarter. Following an interception by DeRubbo, Sharp raced 43 yards to put the Presidents up 14-0 with 11:52 remaining before halftime. A little more than seven minutes later, Sharp rushed 21 yards for another touchdown, eventually extending the W&J advantage to 21-0 at halftime.
The Presidents wasted little time adding to its lead, as Wagner rushed 77 yards early in the third quarter for his first collegiate touchdown. CWRU took its ensuing possession deep into W&J territory. However, the Presidents turned away the Spartans, stopping the hosts on a 4th and goal play from the five-yard line. W&J quickly worked its way down the field before Sharp found the end zone for a fourth time. Sharp galloped 52 yards up the middle, capping a four-play, 95-yard drive that extended the Presidents' lead to 35-0.
CWRU broke up the shutout late in the fourth. The Spartans put together a 16-play, 80-yard drive that spanned 8:45 of game time, as a 14-yard run by Andy Kavcic made it 35-7.
The Presidents ran out the final six-plus minutes of game clock to register the historic 800th win. W&J joins Mount Union and Wittenberg as the lone programs in Division III to reach the elite milestone.
W&J welcomes Geneva College for a conference game at Cameron Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
