W&J vs. CMU: Something is going to give
Presidents, Tartans meet with PAC titles hopes on line
By John Sacco
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
If Carnegie Mellon and Washington & Jefferson meeting on the football field is not enough to stir emotions, throwing a significant national importance on the game should make for a highly charged atmosphere Saturday afternoon at Cameron Stadium.
The Tartans and Presidents enter what will likely be their last football meeting for some time trying to take a huge step toward a Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship and NCAA Division III playoff spot.
Adding to the normal intrigue of a CMU-W&J game is that the Presidents are celebrating Homecoming and a few weeks ago it was announced that the Tartans are leaving as a PAC football affiliate to join the Centennial Conference.
While a win is important, Grove City, Case Western Reserve and Westminster will have a say in the final PAC outcome.
But CMU-W&J is first up in this key round-robin between the PAC’s top teams. A victory would be sweet in many ways for either team.
“We want to balance our aggression,” W&J Coach Mike Sirianni said. “We must take care of the football. The last two times we played, we did not. The last two games we turned the ball over and that led to CMU touchdowns. Two years ago, it was the difference. We cannot give away points.”
Two years ago, CMU turned a fourth-quarter pick-six into a 12-7 victory and helped the Tartans win a PAC championship. Last season, CMU smashed W&J, 35-14, after building a 32-7 halftime lead. The Tartans rushed for 265 yards, registered four quarterback sacks and forced three turnovers.
“We have to win the turnover battle,” CMU Coach Ryan Larsen said. “We have to play clean football. That means limiting penalties, miscommunications and misidentifications.
“We expect a dogfight until the end. It’s a great test. It should be a great game.”
Both teams are 3-0 and have experienced players.
W&J senior quarterback Jacob Pugh is fourth in the country with 997 passing yards and is second in passing efficiency. CMU’s Brendan McCullough, a Peters Township graduate, and W&J’s John Peduzzi both have five receiving TDs. Peduzzi ranks sixth in the country with 400 receiving yards.
W&J is fourth in points per game with 57.3 while the Tartans are seventh at 55. CMU is the top defense in the nation, yielding only 2.33 points a game. W&J is 10th at 9.67 per game.
“Something is going to give,” Larsen said.
CMU’s defense is one of the best in the country and it is led by All-America linebacker Robert Coury, who has 20 tackles, three sacks, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, a fumble recovery, a blocked punt and leads the nation with three forced fumbles. In his career, Coury holds the school record with 52 tackles-for-loss, ranks second in total tackles with 309 and has 20 sacks for his career. Coury heads a defense that is second in the country in total defense, allowing 108.3 yards per game.
Sirianni said CMU’s defense is stellar and provides a huge challenge for the Presidents’ offense.
He added that the CMU offense doesn’t get the credit it deserves and that W&J’s defense is underrated.
“CMU has a big, strong offensive line,” Sirianni said. “They have excellent skill players. It’s an outstanding offense. We’ll have to be really good on defense.
“No one has been able to run on them. We’ll have to make some adjustments. There’s just some stuff they’ll take away. Because it’s the first game between members of the top five, it would be a big win.”
Carnegie Mellon is ranked 15th by D3football.com, 11th in the AFCA Division III Coaches Poll. W&J is listed with others receiving votes in both polls.