Cal, W&J lose close one; Waynesburg wins
Despite senior quarterback Noah Mitchell breaking the all-time school record for passing yards, the California University Vulcans suffered a 26-23 overtime loss at No. 4 Shepherd on Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Crossover play.
With the loss, Cal moved to 1-2 this season with both losses by five points or less against teams that appeared in the 2021 NCAA Playoffs. Meanwhile, the Rams improved to 3-0 overall following an appearance in the national semifinals last fall.
The Vulcans held a 23-13 lead with 10:02 left to play in the fourth quarter before the Rams eventually forced overtime with a 42-yard field goal as time expired. Cal received the initial possession in overtime and was unsuccessful on a 34-yard field-goal attempt. The Rams then advanced to the five-yard line of the Vulcans before converting the game-winning, 23-yard field goal.
Mitchell finished the game with 282 passing yards on 24-of-42 attempts with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He eclipsed the mark of 8,690 career passing yards that was held for over three decades by Sam Mannery (1987-90).
Mitchell, who already holds the all-time school record for completions and passing touchdowns, broke the yardage record midway through the second quarter on a 64-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver JaQuae Jackson.
W&J falls to Case
Missed opportunities by the Washington & Jefferson College football team aided Case Western Reserve in a 14-10 defeat of the Presidents in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference opener Saturday evening at DiSanto Field in Cleveland.
The W&J defense played well but CWRU scored a pair of touchdowns on lengthy pass plays to secure the victory. A 59-yard touchdown strike from CWRU quarterback Drew Saxton, South Fayette graduate, to Ethan Dahlem gave the hosts the lead for good with 4:21 to play.
W&J punted five times, turned the ball over on downs once and managed just three first downs in the first half. The Spartans marched 80 yards on nine plays to take a 7-0 lead on a 42-yard touchdown pass by Saxton to Drew Coyne with just 13 seconds left in the first half.
W&J was poised to get one more shot after forcing a three and out defensively. However, a muffed punt near midfield was recovered by CWRU. The Spartans ran out the clock and sealed the victory.
The Presidents finished the game 0-for-14 on third down. The Spartans were 6-for-17. W&J finished with 251 yards of total offense. They had just 24 yards on 24 attempts on the ground.
Waynesburg downs Geneva
After seeing a first half dominated by the two offenses, the two defensive units took control of the final 30 minutes of competition. One of those impactful plays, a safety with 5:41 left in the fourth quarter, helped seal the Jackets’ 37-30 victory.
Saturday marked the first conference victory for first-year head coach Dr. Cornelius Coleman. It was also the first time Waynesburg (2-1, 1-0) won its PAC lid-lifter since 2014, when the Yellow Jackets defeated Geneva (0-3, 0-1) in a 44-38 overtime thriller. The Jackets’ most recent win snapped a three-game losing streak to the Golden Tornadoes.
The game played out like two different contests separated by the halftime break. In the first half, the two teams combined for 52 points on close to 600 yards of total offense. Over the final 30 minutes of play, the two squads tallied just 15 points, including two in the fourth quarter.
Justin {span}Flack paced all ball carriers with 170 yards and two scores on just 10 carries. Hunter Cameron had the most productive day of his young collegiate career after going for 77 yards and a score on just four carries.