W&J’s resolve rewarded with title, playoff game
By John Sacco
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
A handful of hopeful Washington & Jefferson College graduates returned in 2024 to settle some unfinished business.
The true seniors returning to the Presidents’ football team felt they had fallen short of their expectations established in late summer 2021 when they arrived on campus.
Stuck in their minds were these two realities: W&J had zero Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships and NCAA Division III playoff appearances in their careers.
That was not acceptable.
After a crushing, 30-27, overtime loss to rival Carnegie Mellon on Sept. 28, W&J’s vets realized two things:
N They had no margin for error.
N And by winning out, and getting a little help, they could still win a PAC title.
What hurt most about the loss to CMU was that the Presidents led 24-5 at halftime and poor special teams submarined W&J’s effort.
Six wins and two off weeks later, W&J’s veterans have a conference title — shared with Grove City and CMU — and a playoff game at noon Saturday in Ashland, Va., against Randolph-Macon in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
They’re exactly where they’ve aimed to be.
The NCAA expanding the Division III playoffs field from 32 to 40 allowed for some flexibility.
“Unlike prior years, we weren’t out of it after a loss,” senior defensive tackle Dawson Dietz said. “Once we thought about it, we realized we were far from out of it. We understood we had to be perfect. We had to put our foot on the gas. Everything came together. This has been so fun.”
Said fifth-year linebacker Justin Johns: “We had to dig in. We had to find our footing. I came back to help finish what we had been unable to finish.
“We came together and it definitely took multiple experienced guys to get the team into having the proper perspective. We knew we still had a chance. We took advantage of it.”
Veteran coach Mike Sirianni credits the oldest of the Presidents’ players for the surge after the defeat.
“We have great veteran players and they steadied everyone after the loss and got everyone to understand we weren’t done,” Sirianni said. “We didn’t play that well the next week but we managed to win the game against a good team (Westminster) on the road.
“From there, we’ve played well and we’ve played with maturity. We weren’t going to be defined by that loss but how we bounced back.”
Now, W&J (9-1) faces a good Randolph-Macon (9-1) team, with a strong running game, stout defense and playoff history.
Attempts to reach Yellow Jackets coach Pedro Arruza were not successful.
Two seniors on the Presidents’ offense – quarterback Jacob Pugh and offensive lineman Adam Kozera – are poised for the opportunity.
“We’ve been in playoff mode,” said Pugh. “This is what we wanted. We’re playing well. We must be laser focused and pay attention to every detail. We’ve been four years working at this.”
Said Kozera: “I knew I was coming back. I believed we had what it took to win the PAC and go to the playoffs. Since the loss, it’s been about leadership and executing.”
W&J’s offense has 273 first downs – ranking fifth in Division III. The Presidents have converted 57.4 percent of third downs, which is fifth in the country.
Pugh has thrown for the eighth-most yards (3,011) and the fourth-most touchdowns (39) in all of D-III. Pugh is also ninth in passing efficiency (190.8) and has thrown a touchdown pass in 27 consecutive games.
The defense has been stellar as well.
One man who has knowledge of both teams – Hampden-Sydney coach Vince Luvara, the Presidents’ former defensive coordinator, thinks the game features strong teams.
Hampden-Sydney lost to the Yellow Jackets but played them tough despite multiple injuries.
“It’s a good matchup,” Luvara said. “Both teams are really well-coached and both have really good players. They have two totally different styles.
“Randolph-Macon just plays its defense and doesn’t adjust at all. It has two all-conference defensive linemen. They are active inside. Their placekicker is really good.
“W&J has talent all over the field. Not turning the ball over is key.”
Notes
W&J is making its first NCAA playoff appearance since 2018 when the Presidents lost in the opening round to Centre (Ky). The last Presidents’ playoff victory came in 2017 against Johns Hopkins, 31-28. … This is W&J’s 28th playoff appearance, which ranks third all-time. It will also be the 12th time that Sirianni has taken the Presidents to the playoffs.