W&J scores 42 straight; Pugh throws for 6 TDs in rout
Geneva had a seven-point lead with 2:08 left in the first quarter before Washington & Jefferson decided it had enough during Saturday’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) game at Cameron Stadium.
The Presidents responded with 42 straight points in a 73-21 victory.
John Peduzzi caught a 62-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Pugh and Deven Wyandt made the second of seven PATs to tie the game at 14 with 1:32 left in the first quarter. Jacob Macosko pulled in his second touchdown reception from Pugh, this one from seven yards out for a 21-14 advantage with 10 seconds left in the first period.
Pugh threw touchdown passes to Zach Cernuto (2 yards) and Peduzzi (13 yards) in the second quarter, and Kobe Derosa scored from four yards out, as Washington & Jefferson (5-1, 5-1) extended its lead to 42-14 at the half.
Derosa’s one-yard run at 9:43 of the third quarter pushed the Presidents’ advantage to 49-14 before Landon Smith stopped the bleeding for the Golden Tornadoes (2-4, 2-4) on an eight-yard touchdown run with 2:03 left in the third period. Smith scored two touchdowns for the visitors.
Bentworth graduate Owen Petrisek took a pass from Pugh 60 yards into the end zone for a 56-21 lead with 50 seconds remaining in the third.
Pugh was 17 of 24 for 324 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. Peduzzi caught 5 passes for 121 yards and Macosko pulled in 5 receptions for 84 yards.
The Presidents’ Dom Barca (19 yards) scored on a fourth-quarter touchdown run and Chris Hood returned a fumble recovery 24 yards for a touchdown in the final period. Wyandt made a 20-yard field goal in the fourth.
W&J hosts undefeated Grove City (5-0, 5-0) next Saturday at 6 p.m. The Presidents have an opportunity to force a three-team tie at the top of the PAC standings if they defeat the Wolverines, who topped Carnegie Mellon in a battle of undefeated teams Saturday afternoon. Grove City is the defending conference champion.