Box Score
 
GREENVILLE, Pa. (Sept. 29) – During last week's come-from-behind 14-10 win over Thomas More, the Waynesburg University football team got a big play from an unlikely hero when sophomore Willie Leavell blocked a punt and took it back for the game-deciding touchdown. During Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) road contest at Thiel, the Jackets again had their backs against the wall as they trailed 19-14 with less than seven minutes to play.
 
To make matters worse for the visiting team, senior starting quarterback Tyler Fatigante was on the sidelines after suffering big hit after big hit from the Thiel defense. However, Jacket backup quarterback Carter Hill stepped in and with 6:58 left in the game, he drilled a 15-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Bernie Thompson, who made a circus catch to keep the ball in bounds and give his team the one-point lead. Waynesburg missed the two-point conversion, but the defense made the one-point edge stand up as the Jackets held on for the 20-19 victory.
 
With the win, Waynesburg (5-0, 3-0) remained atop the PAC as the lone unbeaten team in the conference. The loss dropped the hard-luck Tomcats to 1-4 on the season and 1-2 in PAC play. Three of those losses have come by seven points or less.
 
The Jackets got the scoring going in the first quarter, when Fatigante capped an 11-play, 63-yard touchdown drive by finding fellow senior Adam Moses on a 10-yard scoring throw. First-year junior kicker Alex Henry tacked on the extra point to make the score 7-0 in favor of the visitors.
 
Waynesburg maintained its single-score advantage into the second quarter when the Tomcats found the end zone with 4:04 left to play in the first half. After the extra-point attempt was unsuccessful, the Jackets still led 7-6. The Orange and Black fired back with the perfect response to the Thiel score, which was a touchdown of its own with just over a minute to play in the first half. This time, Fatigante found pay dirt with his legs, capping a seven-play, 79-yard possession with a five-yard touchdown run. Henry tacked on the extra point with 1:10 showing on the second-quarter clock and Waynesburg looked to be in control of the contest going into the locker room.
 
However, Thiel had other ideas and posted the first score of the second half late in the third quarter. The Tomcats failed to convert a two-point conversion, which proved to be costly when all was said and done, and cut the deficit down to 14-12.
 
The Cats grabbed their first lead of the afternoon (19-14) with roughly 10 minutes left in regulation as the Thiel passing game moved the ball effectively against a stout Waynesburg defense, as it did all afternoon. Things looked dire for the Yellow Jackets, whose offense was stymied by the Tomcats' quick, aggressive defense. But, with 9:49 left to play and their undefeated season in jeopardy, the Jackets went on the attack at their own 47-yard line.
 
After a negative rushing play on first down, Hill hooked up with sophomore wide receiver Andrew English on a crucial 41-yard play that put the ball at the Thiel 17-yard line. After running for no gain on first down and suffering a holding penalty on second down, Waynesburg faced a second-and-20 at the Thiel 27-yard line. However, the Cats were hit with a pass interference penalty on second-and-long that not only gave the visitors a fresh set of downs, but put the ball at the opposing team's 12-yard line. Two plays later, on third-and-13, Hill found Thompson for the game-deciding score.
 
On Thiel's next offensive possession, the Tomcats not only failed to convert on fourth-and-13, but the Jackets forced a fumble that gave them the ball at the Cats' 37-yard line. After Waynesburg missed a field goal with 4:04 left in the contest, the home team went back on the attack at its own 21-yard line. Thiel managed to pick up a first down on its final possession, but wound up turning the ball over on downs with 2:41 showing on the game clock.
 
Thiel had one last chance to pull out the win after putting its opponent in a third-and-10 situation, but junior running back Bertrand Ngampa ripped off an 11-yard run to put his team in position to kneel on the football twice and get out of Greenville with the victory, which was Waynesburg's seventh-straight over the Tomcats.
 
Hill and Fatigante combined to go nine-of-19 passing for 141 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. They also ran the ball a total of 15 times for 56 yards, with 51 of those going to Fatigante, and a third score. English was the most popular Waynesburg target on the afternoon, going for a team-high four catches for a squad-best 73 yards.
 
The Waynesburg defense featured several standout performances, including the one turned in by senior safety Bryan Gary, who racked up a game-high 10 tackles, all of which were solo stops. Junior defensive end Brandon Fedorka had one of his best games of the season by picking up two of the team's four sacks as part of a 2.5-tackle day. Senior defensive lineman Matt Krause and sophomore linebacker John Sikora added a sack each to the winning effort.
 
The Jackets overcame several statistical deficits to pull out the thrilling win. They were out-gained 325-to-238 in total offensive yardage, gave up 98 yards in penalties to Thiel's 92 and held the ball for just 27:53.
 
After escaping Greenville with a win, Waynesburg faces a stiff test for its homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 6. The Yellow Jackets will square off with Grove City, which currently sits at 3-2 overall and 2-1 in PAC play. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.