Oct 4, 2018 4 min read

Drew Saxton has been preparing for this day for quite a while.

The freshman will be under center for Case Western Reserve Saturday when the Spartans play Washington & Jefferson at Cameron Stadium with first place on the line in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. W&J has a 5-0 record, 4-0 in the conference. Case Western Reserve is 4-0, 3-0 in the PAC.

Saxton honed his skills while coming through South Fayette High School’s program. His rise at Case has been as sudden as it’s been dramatic.

Saxton won the quarterback job over junior Ryan Coolidge and has passed for 1,183 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has been intercepted just twice in 129 attempts.

“It was different walking out there (as Case Western Reserve’s) starter,” said the 6-0, 185-pound Saxton. “I was a little nervous but after the first couple plays, it was fun. It feels odd not wearing green and white now, but I owe where I am all to (South Fayette) and the coaches there.”

Saxton said W&J recruited him but Case was a great fit.

“(Saxton) has played outstanding, so far,” said Presidents head coach Mike Sirianni. “He throws everything on time. He’s a product of his high school program. He was a really good high school quarterback and Coach (Joe) Rossi deserves a lot of credit for his development. We tried to recruit him but didn’t do a very good job because he went somewhere else.”

Saxton left South Fayette ranked sixth in WPIAL history in passing yards (7,452) and second in touchdown passes (94). He led the Lions to three appearances in the WPIAL playoffs, including a trip to the finals in 2015.

Saxton’s counterpart, Jake Adams, also is having a superb season, passing for 1,451 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has four interceptions in 140 attempts. This game has the makings of a high-scoring affair.

“Case has a good defensive line,” Adams said. “They are very big. It will take a lot of preparation.”

W&J is coming off a closer-than expected 27-20 win against Bethany. Adams was sacked five times but still passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns.

“Give a lot of credit to Bethany,” he said. “It was Homecoming and they played well. It’s a long season and it’s hard to get wins by multiple touchdowns every game.”

Kickoff is 1 p.m.

CMU at Waynesburg

Kickoff: 1:30 p.m., Saturday

Waynesburg is hoping to stretch its winning streak to three games when Carnegie Mellon visits Wiley Stadium.

The Yellow Jackets (2-2, 2-3) have wins over Geneva and Thiel in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.

Carnegie Mellon (1-2, 2-2) is coming off a 31-21 loss to Grove City.

The Yellow Jackets have the top pass defense in the PAC, allowing 156.4 yards per game. They have three interceptions.

CMU defense is led by senior defensive end Long Tran, who has a team-high three sacks. Junior linebacker Darian Cohen leads Carnegie Mellon with 33 tackles.

California at Clarion

Kickoff: 2 p.m., Saturday

California had one week to enjoy upending No. 2 Indiana before the next major challenge.

Clarion (2-0, 4-1) and the Vulcans (2-0, 3-2) will battle to stay at the top of the PSAC West Division standings. The two teams and Slippery Rock are tied for first place.

If Clarion hopes to win, its offense must control Cal safety Lamont McPhatter. The junior has 20 tackles (12 solo) and two defensive touchdowns. He has created a turnover in each of Cal’s five games, including a game-clinching 100-yard interception return against IUP. McPhatter is one of three players in the PSAC with at least four interceptions and leads the league with 154 interception return yards.

Clarion, riding a four-game winning streak, has a defense that ranks third in NCAA Division II and second in the PSAC in rushing defense, allowing opposing teams an average of only 63.0 yards per game. Since giving up 299 rushing yards over the first two games, the Golden Eagles have allowed just 32 over the last three.