Nov 8, 2016 4 min read

The postseason is not out of the question for Washington & Jefferson College’s football team.

Just not the type of game the Presidents hoped to have.

Losses to Thomas More and Westminster knocked W&J out of contention for the NCAA Division III playoffs. But a victory Saturday at Waynesburg (1:30 p.m. kickoff) could put the Presidents into one of the six ECAC Bowl games in Philadelphia the following week.

“We want to play this game for two reasons: one, we want to win, and two, we want to play an extra game,” said W&J head coach Mike Sirianni. “I think it’s important but we have to win this game.”

The ECAC will bring 12 teams to Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania for a three-day footballfest. Games are tentatively scheduled for 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 18; noon and 5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 19; and noon and 5 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 20.

W&J enters this Presidents’ Athletic Conference game with a 7-2 record, 5-2 in the conference. Waynesburg is 2-7, 2-5 in the conference.

“We’re still playing for something,” said Sirianni. “We want to reward (our seniors) for having a good career. We are 100 percent focused on getting past (Waynesburg) by winning this football game.”

The Presidents are coming off a 17-7 win over Geneva in which no team scored in the second half and the Presidents had the ball for just three minutes of the third quarter. Waynesburg fell to Saint Vincent, 30-12, giving up 16 first-half points.

Senior quarterback Pete Coughlin completed 29 of 36 pass attempts for 291 yards and a touchdown. Thirteen of those completions and 129 of those yards went to Jesse Zubik.

“I’m excited for this game,” said Coughlin. “It’s a big rivalry but we have to treat it like any other game. I want to try to end my career on a high note.”

Zubik became just the sixth player in PAC history, and third W&J player, to go over 1,200 yards in a season. He is 18 yards from breaking Alex Baroffio’s W&J career receiving yards record of 3,203. Zubik also moved into the top five on W&J career receptions. He is third and three away from second place (189). That’s fifth in PAC history.

“From year-to-year, we’ve been able to build a stronger chemistry,” said Coughlin of his favorite wide receiver. “Last year, we started connecting on shorter routes. This year, we topped all the stats.”

Waynesburg has slogged its way through a difficult season, losing sophomore quarterback Jake Dougherty early in the season with a shoulder injury. The running game never materialized, and a string of rushers could not revive it.

“We knew what kind of team we could have had,” said Waynesburg defensive lineman Zach Machuga, second on the team with 51 tackles. “W&J has a good quarterback and a good receiver. It’s going to be a challenge for us.”

Waynesburg’s struggles on offense has put a strain on the defense. Opponents average 3 1/2 minutes more of possession time.

“W&J’s offense goes fast,” Machuga said. “We’ve had teams play fast before but they are the fastest. The key for us is to get them off the field on third down.”

Coughlin needs 111 passing yards to reach 2,500 for the season. He’s thrown for 31 touchdowns. … Four Waynesburg rushers have gained between 155 and 209 yards. The 209 yards belongs to Whitney White. The Yellow Jackets have rushed for just six touchdowns. … Waynesburg junior linebacker Brent Blacharczyk, a graduate of McGuffey High School, has a team-high 64 tackles.