WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Behind 52 first-half points, the Presidents rolled to a 52-21 halftime lead before finishing off a 66-42 victory over Bethany at Cameron Stadium.
No. 18/16 Washington & Jefferson (5-1, 3-1 Presidents' Athletic Conference) scored 21 points in the first quarter and 31 points in the second quarter to open up the 52-21 lead.
In total, the two teams combined for 925 yards of total offense, with Bethany (2-5, 1-4) holding the ever-so slight 464-461 edge.
The yardage totals aren't quite indicative of how the game played out, as W&J routinely started drives near midfield or in Bethany territory. W&J scored on nine of its first 10 drives in the game, with the longest drive in that span taking 2:15 and lasting eight plays for 79 yards.
Daniel Lis opened the scoring after catching an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Pete Coughlin after Tim Blair ended Bethany's first drive with an interception, the first of four on the day for the Presidents.
After the Bison answered with their own score, Jesse Zubik capped the eight-play, 79-yard drive with a 14-yard TD reception on a slant play that he took all the way across the field to the opposite side of the end zone, 14-7. With the game tied at 14-14, a 45-yard kickoff return by Luke Merhaut set up an 18-yard TD rush by Ryan Ruffing, which gave the Presidents a 21-14 lead after 15 minutes.
The home team needed only 1:26 into the second quarter to find the end zone again as Coughlin found Zubik on a 48-yard scoring strike to make it a 28-14 advantage. Bethany brought the margin within 28-21, but the Presidents closed the first half with 24 unanswered points to open up the 52-21 midway lead. Ruffing went in from three yards out for his second score of the day, extending the lead to 35-31 as 6:51 showed on the clock.
The W&J defense then forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive, ending with a punt that was blocked by Asa Costelnock and recovered in the end zone by Will Bowser, 42-21.
Ruffing scored the final touchdown of the first half with 4:01 left in the second quarter with his second 18-yard scoring jaunt of the game and third total rushing TD. A Ted Ford field goal as time expired, set up by a Dan Graziano interception and 34-yard return, sent the Presidents into the locker room ahead, 52-21.
The Presidents scored a touchdown in each of the final quarters, the first coming on the opening drive of the second half in the form of a 10-yard Coughlin run, and the last on the first career TD for Justin Vickless, a 21-yard rush on a lateral pass with 9:28 to play in the game, the first score for his career.
The 66 points represented the highest scoring output for the Presidents since they posted 72 on Oct. 18, 2008 against Saint Vincent.
Ruffing led W&J on the ground, topping 100 yards for the 14th time in the last two seasons, totaling 116 yards on 17 carries and three scores. Coughlin completed 15-of-19 passes for 202 yards and three scoring strikes. Lis was his favorite target, catching seven passes for 30 yards and score, with Eric Scott pulling in three for 86 yards and Zubik picking up three receptions for 76 yards and two scores.
Graziano, Merhaut, Blair and Zach Queen recorded the four interceptions in the game, representing 80 percent of W&J's five takeaways. Tom Marra recovered a fumble that was forced by Ryan Snedeker for the other takeaway. Jalen Morris tied for the game high with a career-best 11 tackles, one of eight Presidents to record at least five stops.
W&J will hit the road for the next two weeks, traveling to Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday, Oct. 24 for a 6 p.m. kickoff against PAC co-leader Case Western Reserve.
First half surge powers No. 18/16 Presidents past Bison, 66-42
/seasons/2015/boxscores/20151017_6qum.xml
2015
Bethany
42
Washington and Jefferson
66
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany (2-5) | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 42 |
| Washington and Jefferson (5-1) | 21 | 31 | 7 | 7 | 66 |
Oct 17, 2015