WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The No. 15/17 Washington & Jefferson football team jumped out to a 37-0 lead at halftime to cruise to a 51-12 conference victory over Geneva at Cameron Stadium.
The Presidents topped 50 points for the fifth time this season and topped 500 yards of total offense for the sixth time this year en route to moving to 8-0 on the season and 6-0 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. By virtue of Waynesburg's 21-14 loss to Thomas More, W&J can clinch at least a share of the PAC crown and automatic qualifier to the NCAA playoffs for the third-straight season with a victory at Thiel next Saturday.
W&J forced the Golden Tornadoes to punt on the opening drive of the game and needed just six plays to go 49 yards for a score. On fourth and one at the Geneva 40-yard line, Ryan Ruffing picked up two yards to keep the drive alive. On first down, Pete Coughlin hit Michael Giampole for an 18-yard gain to the 20 and Daniel Lis made a beautiful one-handed catch just inside the pylon at the front of the end zone to put W&J ahead, 7-0, less than four minutes into the game.
The second punt in as many drives by Geneva set up an eight-play, 64-yard scoring drive by the Presidents that included 16- and 18-yard rushes by Ruffing. W&J got in the end zone when Coughlin dropped a pass right over Jesse Zubik's shoulder in the back right corner of the end zone from 16 yards out, 14-0.
Each of the next two drives by W&J also resulted in touchdowns as both ended in Ruffing trips to the end zone. The first was from one-yard out (on a drive set up by an interception from Jared Pratt) and the second was from 12 yards giving the leading scorer in all NCAA divisions 21 rushing touchdowns and 24 total scores. The school records for both were set in 1992 by former All-American and W&J Hall of Famer Chris Babirad (32 rushing TDs and 34 total TDs).
W&J's next drive ended at the Geneva one-yard line when a pass from Coughlin to Ruffing resulted in a seven-yard gain on fourth-and-goal from the eight.
Pratt turned the turnover on downs into points for the Presidents when he tackled the Geneva running back in the end zone for a safety, putting W&J ahead, 30-0, with just under a minute left.
It took just 39 seconds following the free kick for the Presidents to reach the end zone as Coughlin recorded his third scoring pass to a third receiver, this time hitting Max Creighan from 21 yards out to send W&J into halftime leading 37-0.
W&J punted to open the second half then held strong on a drive that at one point had the GT's with the ball at the W&J three-yard line. After an incomplete pass, a holding penalty and sack by Sly Revitsky, W&J took over on downs at the 16-yard line. The third play from scrimmage was a bubble screen pass to Zubik that he caught and found a seam to go 80 yards for a touchdown, 44-0.
The final scoring play of the day was a 52-yard quarterback keeper by Alex Rowse with 3:51 left in the fourth quarter.
Ruffing topped 100 yards (113 yards on 18 carries) for the eighth-straight game to start the season, topping Ryan Mendel's streak in the Mike Sirianni-era of seven games. It is also tied with Mendel for the longest string of 100-yard games during the head coach's tenure.
Coughlin finished 19-of-28 for 281 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 65 yards on six carries. Lis caught seven passes for 89 yards and score while Zubik made three receptions for 101 yards and a score.
For the fourth-straight game, the W&J defense held its opponent under 300 yards of total offense as Geneva managed just 137 yards passing.
Bryce Merrill led the Presidents with 12 tackles, including 2.0 for loss. Jon Turner had 3.5 sacks, accounting for 26 yards lost, to go with nine tackles. Ryan Torrance made 11 stops, tying his career high, and forced a fumble. Pratt, the PAC's leading tackler, made seven tackles and 2.0 for loss, while adding an interception. The senior also had an interception that he returned deep into Geneva territory called back due to a penalty.
Kickoff in Greenville next weekend is set for 1 p.m., as the Presidents look for their third-straight PAC title and automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
No. 15/17 W&J one win from NCAA berth
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141101_cl1r.xml
2014
Geneva
12
Washington and Jefferson
51
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva (2-6) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| No. 19 Washington and Jefferson (8-0) | 14 | 23 | 7 | 7 | 51 |
Nov 01, 2014