Box Score
 
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Sept. 22) – Last year, the Waynesburg University football team scored one of its biggest wins in recent program history when the Yellow Jackets stunned then sixth-ranked Thomas More at the Saints' home field. One of the players that wasn't able to participate in the victory was then-freshman Willie Leavell, who missed all of the 2011 campaign with a knee injury. During Saturday's re-match at sunny John F. Wiley Stadium, Leavell was not only in uniform, but he made the biggest play of the Yellow Jackets' season to lead his team to a 14-10 victory over the 23^rd-ranked Saints.
 
With Waynesburg Trailing 10-7 in the fourth quarter, the Jacket defense forced Thomas More to punt from its own 30-yard line. The Saints got the kick off to a good start, but Leavell busted through the opposing protection and not only blocked the punt, but fielded the ball almost immediately off the foot of Saint punter Mitch McDowell. After cleanly pulling the ball into his arms, Leavell took off untouched for the end zone and raised his index finger into the air as he scored the game-deciding touchdown.
 
With the win, the Jackets maintained its status as the only unbeaten team in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) at 4-0 and improved their conference record to 2-0. The loss dropped the Saints to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in PAC action.
 
While the game was decided in a most thrilling fashion, the two teams struggled through most of the day. The Thomas More passing game was hindered by the windy conditions in Waynesburg and a slew of dropped passes, while the Jackets committed an uncharacteristic four turnovers on two interceptions and two lost fumbles. The day started with a pair of miscues by the home team as senior Christian Jackson took the opening kickoff and appeared to be free for a 100-yard touchdown return. Unfortunately, he tripped at the Saint 20-yard line to set up the Jackets' first offensive possession. After committing a penalty on the first play from scrimmage, Senior quarterback Tyler Fatigante had his first pass of the game intercepted and nearly returned for a touchdown. However, Fatigante kept his head and ran down the Saints' Zach Autenrieb at the Waynesburg 11-yard line.
 
As they did all day, the Jacket defense helped to cover up the home team's errors and turned back Thomas More, which ended its first offensive possession with a missed field goal. After the next two possessions both ended in punts, Waynesburg broke up the scoreless shutout with just over eight minutes left to play.
 
The Orange and Black started at its own 20-yard line and on third-and-two, senior running back Dominic Moore broke free for a career-long 56 yards to the Saints' 15-yard line. Two plays later, both of which were runs by junior running back Bertrand Ngampa, Waynesburg took a 6-0 lead on a two-yard scoring tote by the third-year back. Junior kicker Alex Henry drilled the extra point try and with 8:12 left to play in the first quarter, the Jackets held a 7-0 advantage.
 
The home team maintained its one-score lead through the opening period, but Thomas More found the end zone in the second quarter after a 10-play, 80-yard possession. The game remained tied until the second half, when Saints kicker Tim Gormly knocked in a 21-yard field goal halfway through the third quarter to put his team ahead 10-7.
 
Waynesburg looked poised to regain the advantage early in the fourth quarter when the Jacket offense drove into Saint territory. On fourth-and-10, senior tight end Adam Moses showed the skills that made him an All-American by leaping over several defenders in the middle of the field and snaring a 13-yard pass at the opposition's 21-yard line. Unfortunately, an interception ended the threat and kept Thomas More in the driver's seat. Luckily, the ensuing Saint possession ended with Leavell's highlight reel play on special teams.
 
From there, the Waynesburg defense put the finishing touches on the thrilling win by forcing a punt and a four-and-out before Fatigante was able to kneel on the football to melt away the remaining seconds of the game.
 
For the first time this season, Waynesburg failed to crack the 200-yard rushing mark, but the Jackets still out-gained the Saints on the ground by a 165-to-143 margin. Moore led the way with his second-straight 100-yard effort on the ground (106 on 21 carries).
 
Fatigante completed 10-of-20 pass attempts for 93 yards on the day. The majority of those completions went to Moses and Jackson. The senior standouts pulled in a game-high four receptions each, with Moses posting a game-high 56 yards on the day. Jackson chipped in 25 receiving yards.
 
The Waynesburg defense was led by junior safety Bryan Gary, who paced all defenders with nine total tackles, including five solo stops. Three other Jackets recorded seven tackles each. The trio included junior defensive back Logan McAnany, junior linebacker Ronnie Skinner and senior defensive lineman Matt Krause. Skinner made 1.5 of stops in the Saint backfield.
 
While Leavell made the most noticeable impact on special teams, senior punter Zack Rogers continued a fantastic final year in orange and black. The veteran booted seven punts and averaged 43.1 yards per kick. He also dropped three attempts inside the Saint 20-yard line and launched a long kick of 57 yards.
 
After beating a nationally-ranked Thomas More team for a second-straight season, Waynesburg will look to run their season-opening win streak to five games when the Jackets head on the road to square off with Thiel on Saturday, Sept. 29. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.