Box Score

WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Sept. 7) – When Waynesburg University quarterbacks needed a big catch last year, they could turn to All-American tight end Adam Moses or speedy All-Presidents' Athletic Conference wide receiver Christian Jackson. With both of those then-senior standouts having moved on from their playing days, some wondered who on the 2013 roster the team could turn to in a clutch situation. During Saturday's season opener against Muskingum, that question was answered.
 
With 23 seconds remaining on the fourth-quarter clock and the Yellow Jackets trailing 17-14, junior signal-caller Carter Hill brought his offense to the line looking to keep a possible game-deciding drive alive. After taking the snap at the Muskingum 23-yard line, Hill dropped a short pass off to junior Bernie Thompson, who slipped a tackle, kept his balance and righted himself before sprinting to the end zone for the game-winning points in a 21-17 Jacket victory.
 
Hill, who is in his first full year as a starter with Waynesburg (1-0), put together a memorable possession to pull out the comeback win. After completing attempts of nine and eight yards, respectively, to freshman wide receiver Jake Danks to put the ball at the Muskingum (0-1) 48-yard line, Hill misfired on back-to-back tries to bring up a third-and-10 situation. The Columbiana, Ohio native hooked up with junior wide out Andrew English for 25 yards to put the home team in striking distance of the end zone at the 23. Two plays later, Hill and Thompson came together for the play of the game that sent the home crowd away happy in the warm sunny conditions.
 
The final few seconds of the contest looked a lot different than the majority of the first half, which was dominated by Waynesburg. After winning the toss and electing to kick off to open the game, Waynesburg forced the Muskies into a punting situation that gave the Orange and Black possession at its own 30-yard line.
 
Hill came firing out of the gate to open the 2013 season by completing five-of-six pass attempts on the possession for 48 yards. The last completion of the drive went to junior running back Willie Leavell, who scored his team's first touchdown of the year on a 24-yard play that put Waynesburg ahead 6-0 with 4:09 left to play in the opening period. Senior Alex Henry nailed down his first extra point of the year to run the Jacket advantage to 7-0.
 
The defenses took center stage over the next handful of possessions, until the Jackets, who were aided by a short Muskingum punt, went on offense at the visiting 45-yard line. Once again, Hill was on target with his throws and completed all three of his tosses for 45 yards and his second touchdown of the day. The recipient of score number two was junior wide receiver Andrew English, who snared a nine-yard scoring strike to make the score 13-0. It was English's second catch on the drive, the first of which went for 33 yards. Henry's second successful PAT try ran the Jacket advantage to 14-0 with 4:20 showing on the second-quarter scoreboard.
 
Unfortunately for the host team, that was the last point scored by the Jackets for more than two quarters. Muskingum, on the other hand, seemed to get its spread option offense into rhythm, and with nine second showing on the clock , the Muskies broke up the shutout with their first touchdown of 2013. The Jackets got into the locker room with its seven-point lead (14-7) intact, but little did they know that they would soon be on the other side of a comeback attempt.
 
After halftime expired and Waynesburg went three-and-out on its opening possession of the half, the Muskies needed just four plays to get in field goal range. Muskingum cashed in for three points with a successful try from 32 yards away. As the third quarter expired, the Jackets were still clinging to a 14-10 advantage.
 
The Red and Black kept the pressure on the Jackets and with just over four minutes remaining in regulation, the Muskies grabbed its first lead of the day thanks to a 66-yard touchdown run by quarterback C.J. Snider. After the PAT was successful, Muskingum led 17-14 and seemed just minutes away from spoiling Waynesburg's home opener.
 
Things took an even more dire turn during the Jackets' ensuing possession, which resulted in the home team turning the ball over on downs. However, a costly holding penalty by Muskingum turned what was originally a game-sealing touchdown run, into a fourth-and-long situation of its own. The Waynesburg defense stood tall against the opposition and snatched possession back for its offensive unit. Hill didn't disappoint, as he turned the defensive stop into six game-winning points.
 
The Muskies had two chances for a miracle victory, but a sack by senior defensive end Brandon Fedorka, combined with a fine job by the entire Waynesburg defense during the final play of the game, put the finishing touches on a thrilling victory. The triumph gave veteran Jacket head coach Rick Shepas his 50^th victory as the leader of the program.
 
Despite slowing down somewhat in the third and more of the fourth quarter, Hill turned in a more than respectable effort on the day. He completed 19-of-34 attempts for 222 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Eight different Jacket caught at least one pass in the win, including English and Danks, who snagged six and five balls, respectively. English also paced his team in receiving yards (104). First-year junior transfer Jake Forsythe paced the Waynesburg running attack by picking up 62 yards on 13 carries.
 
Senior safety Bryan Gary showed no lingering effects from a season-ending injury he suffered in 2012, as he racked up a game-high 12 tackles, nine of which were solo stops. Gary picked up two tackles for loss and broke up his first pass of the year. Senior safety Logan McAnany added eight tackles in the victory, while Fedorka piled up an impressive 4.0 tackles for loss and two sacks.
 
The Yellow Jackets overcame a near-100-yard difference in total yardage (396 to 298) and an even bigger deficit in rushing yardage (239 to 76) to grab victory. Muskingum also won the time of possession battle, holding onto the ball for 33:49, to the Jackets' 26:11 mark.
 
Waynesburg will look to complete an undefeated non-PAC schedule on Saturday, Sept. 14, with a road trip to Frostburg State University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.