W&J starts strong in PAC, trounces Thiel
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Washington & Jefferson’s Jordan West breaks the tackle of Thiel’s Dusty Maines Saturday at Cameron Stadium.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Washington & Jefferson’s Andrew Wolf will again play a key role when Carnegie Mellon arrives for a Saturday night game.
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Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Washington & Jefferson’s Jordan West look for the opening during a game against Thiels at Washington & Jeffersons Cameron Stadiun on Saturday, September 8, 2018.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Washington & Jefferson’s EJ Thompson breaks the tackle of Thiels’ Matt Crawford Saturday at Cameron Stadium.
Celeste Van Kirk/For the Observer-Reporter
Washington & Jefferson tailback E.J. Thompson is part of a run game deemed critical to the Presidents’ success against Case Western today.
There were a number of distractions at Saturday’s college football game between Thiel and Washington & Jefferson.
Clouds formed early in the day and rain drenched the nearly 2,000 fans at Cameron Stadium.
The game itself was not competitive.
The Presidents rolled to a 55-0 victory in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
But if you were paying attention and looked into the statistics, the number 12 could have some meaning and make you feel better about the season.
That’s the number of combined points W&J’s defense has allowed in two games, a 37-12 victory over St. John Fisher and the rout of the Tomcats yesterday afternoon.
It’s important, and impressive, because graduation decimated the defense and, in comparative terms, it was supposed to be the weak part of the team. But over the past two weeks, W&J’s swarming defense has caused five turnovers and recorded 10 sacks, including seven against an overmatched Tomcats.
“I was shooting for 10 sacks today,” said Presidents’ nose tackle Jeffrey Oxner, who had three of the seven sacks against Thiel and four tackles overall in a little more than one half.
“When it comes to teams like Carnegie Mellon and Case Western, those are offensive powerhouses and we have to be ready for that. If the rushing yards are low and the TFLs (tackles for loss) and sack production are high, then that’s important against the top players.”
Last week, Zac Quattrone had two of W&J’s three interceptions, returning one for a 91-yard touchdown. Against Thiel, W&J’s front controlled the line of scrimmage, swallowing up the running backs and holding the Tomcats to minus-36 yards rushing on 36 attempts.
“They have a quick offensive line, so we practiced hard on different stunts,” said rush end Sal DeCario, who had a team-high seven tackles and 1.5 sacks. “All the hard work we’ve put in has worked out for us. My main focus is going 1-0 every week. We play as a team and we win as a team.”
The strong play of W&J’s defense is encouraging, especially considering one of its strongest tests of the season arrives in Carnegie Mellon Saturday.
“We’re not worried about the playoffs,” said W&J head coach Mike Sirianni. “We have a tough game next week against a good Carnegie Mellon team. … Our defense has played well and we expect them to play well. We want to stop the run and make teams one-dimensional. I think that’s what we’ve done.”
W&J’s offense was excellent but that’s not surprising considering Sirianni’s reputation for building high-powered and high-scoring units.
Against Thiel, W&J had a 21-0 lead 4:45 into the game, barely enough time for the rain to soak through a layer of clothing.
Junior quarterback Jacob Adams continued his growth spurt, completing 23 of 34 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns.
“We worked a lot on our vertical passing game this week,” said Adams. “It paid off today.”
Sophomore Andrew Wolf followed his nine-catch, 214-yard, three-touchdown day against St. John Fisher by catching six passes for 115 yards and two TDs.
The two-headed rushing attack of Jordan West and E.J. Thompson combined for 176 yards and four touchdowns. Joey Koroly, a freshman from Trinity High School, was impressive, gaining 50 yards on six carries and scoring his first collegiate touchdown on an 11-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
Notes
Thiel punted 12 times for 482 yards, an average of 40.2. … Jake Cullen led W&J with seven receptions. … Peters Township graduate Tim Swoope caught three passes for 86 yards and a touchdown for the Presidents.