jmontecalvo@observer-reporter.com
They combined for more than 1,200 yards of offense, an amazing 17 touchdowns and 59 first downs. The Washington & Jefferson and Bethany college football teams certainly had their offenses working well Saturday afternoon during a marathon of a Presidents' Athletic Conference regular-season finale.
So if you're a fan of high-scoring affairs, you definitely got your money's worth at Cameron Stadium.
Then again, such gaudy numbers aren't all that unusual for W&J, which boasts the second-ranked offense in NCAA Division III at 522.9 yards per game. Then there's quarterback Bobby Swallow, who led all divisions entering the game with a 195.2 passer rating.
But it was quite a surprise that Bethany, which hadn't scored a touchdown against the Presidents since 2002, nearly matched W&J in total yards and actually had 126 more through the air.
And for one half, the Bison threatened to ruin the Presidents' shot at their first undefeated regular season since 2004 and a possible top seed in the upcoming NCAA playoffs.
W&J clinched its 22nd PAC title and the conference's first automatic bid with last week's 42-0 win at Thomas More, but the Presidents needed a win over Bethany to bolster their chances of having home-field advantage through potentially three playoff rounds.
Bethany scored on its first three possessions and trailed 28-26 at the half, but W&J used a few quick scoring drives and a couple Bethany turnovers in the second half to pull away for a 77-39 victory.
W&J will find out its first-round opponent and site when the pairings are released today (11:30 a.m.) on ESPNU.
"I don't want to look at it like we played bad," W&J head coach Mike Sirianni said. "We just went 10-0, won the conference and clinched a playoff berth. And Bethany played good on offense. The quarterback played a great game and they have some weapons."
The most potent of those weapons included wide receiver Taylor McNeil, who caught 13 passes for 221 yards, and quarterback Milton Joyner, who completed 28 of 48 attempts for 375 yards and touchdowns to five different receivers. Joyner also led the Bison (2-4, 4-6) with 78 rushing yards and broke the Bethany single-season record for touchdown passes.
"We came in without our two best running backs, our best receiver and our top cover corner," Bethany coach Tim Weaver said. "But W&J is good. They have a good team and a good staff. We hadn't scored a touchdown against them since they started playing football with lights. So it was good that we came in and competed."
W&J took a 35-26 lead on its first possession of the second half when Swallow hit Tom McCafferty on a 10-yard TD pass. Bethany, though, answered less than two minutes later when Joyner found Nick Neratka from 16 yards out.
The Presidents scored the next two touchdowns on runs by Mathews and Brendan O'Mahony, but Bethany closed the gap to 49-39 with 2:59 left in the third when McNeil hauled in a 52-yard scoring pass from Joyner.
"Bethany played really well and our defense did not," said defensive back Todd Keenan, who made six tackles. "We knew we had to play better. We finally got with it in the second half."
The final four scores belonged to W&J.
Mathews, who ran for a career-high 208 yards, scored two of his three rushing touchdowns in the last 1:24 of the third quarter. His 28-yard scamper gave the Presidents a 56-39 edge and he added a 17-yard TD three plays after a Bethany fumble.
The Bison fumbled away the ensuing kickoff and Swallow put the game out of reach when he hit David Ravida for a 14-yard score.
"We have confidence each week that we are going to go out and score points," said Adam Shallcross, a three-year starter at offensive guard. "Knowing that its going to be hard to stop us has given us the passion and the perseverance we need."
Swallow led the way for W&J. He threw for 296 yards and six scores, tying the record for touchdown passes in a game that he shares with Brian Dawson and Chris Edwards. Ryan Church caught two TD passes and Curt Jones closed out the scoring with a 44-yard run in the fourth.
"We have room to improve and we're still playing," Sirianni said. "It's a neat experience to be in the playoffs. There are no teams that aren't going to come out and play you hard."
Notes
The 77 points were the most scored by W&J since a 105-0 win over Dickinson in 1914 and third most in its history. ... The game also involved the most combined points in the 116-year history of W&J football. The previous high came in a 55-48 double-overtime win over Bridgewater in 2004. ... Bethany's last win over W&J was 28-9 in 1982. ... W&J cornerbacks Ryan Mullen and Chris Kessler suffered concussions and defensive lineman Russ Chase will undergo an MRI for a knee injury. Sirianni believes all three could be ready by this weekend. ... Sirianni earned his 50th career win. ... The Presidents outgained Bethany 640-601 in total yards.