Box Score GROVE CITY, Pa. (Oct. 4) – The Waynesburg University football team's 33-27 loss at Bethany last week left a bad taste in the mouths of Yellow Jacket players, coaches and fans. This past Saturday, the Jackets took out their frustrations on Grove City during a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup. The Waynesburg defense pitched its second shutout of the season and senior quarterback
Carter Hill returned to his 2013 first-team All-PAC form during a 35-0 win over the Wolverines.
Saturday's victory marked Waynesburg's (4-1, 1-1) second-straight shutout of GCC (0-4. 0-2) after beating the Wolverines 38-0 in 2013. It is also the Yellow Jackets' fifth-straight win in the series, which is tied for the Orange and Black's longest such stretch of success against any PAC team.
The Jackets needed just 4:21 to put up the eventual game-winning points. Waynesburg methodically marched 63 yards in 12 plays to reach the opposing end zone for the afternoon's first touchdown. Hill completed five-of-eight pass attempts for 50 yards and a touchdown to senior wide receiver
Bernie Thompson. Junior kicker
Scott Lewis tacked on the extra point to give his team a 7-0 lead.
After the offense set the tone on its side of the ball, the defense did the same on GCC's first possession when junior defensive end
Jordan Voitus recovered a fumble at the visiting 43-yard-line. Waynesburg's ensuing possession took the Jackets into the Grove City red zone, but the Jackets were unable to convert on fourth-and-10. Both defenses played well throughout the remainder of the opening period.
Waynesburg senior running back
Willie Leavell re-ignited Jacket fans who made the trip into Mercer County for Saturday's game when he and Hill hooked up on a 91-yard touchdown catch-and-run. Waynesburg's longest play from scrimmage of 2014, combined with another Lewis PAT try, doubled the Jacket advantage to 14-0.
The Waynesburg defense did not suffer a similar breakdown and forced the Wolverines into another punt. Hill notched touchdown pass number three on the day when he found Leavell from 15 yards out for the third Jacket score of the half.
Already up 21-0, the Waynesburg offense made it three-straight second-quarter drives with a touchdown when Hill capped a nine-play, 71-yard drive with a 30-yard scoring strike to Thompson. After Lewis split the uprights for a fourth time in the half, the Jackets were ahead 28-0 with just under two minutes showing on the second-quarter clock.
The visiting team took its four-touchdown advantage into the second half, where the defense picked up right where it left off by forcing a GCC punt. The Yellow Jackets scored their fifth-and-final touchdown of the day on their first possession of the third quarter after Thompson ran the kick back to the Wolverine 21-yard-line. Seven plays later, Hill hooked up with senior wide out
Andrew English from eight yards out with just under 10 minutes left in the period. Lewis officially closed up the scoring with his final extra point of the day.
Waynesburg and Grove City traded possessions for the remainder of the contest before backup quarterback
Dave O'Brien was given the honors of kneeling on the football to run out the final seconds of the victory. The senior picked up his own highlight reel play of theday when he scrambled for 17 yards before taking a final knee.
After taking a bit of a back seat to the Jacket running game over the first four games of 2014, Hill reminded everyone of just what he can do with the football by completing 20-of-34 passes for 311 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. Thompson and English tied for the game lead in receptions with six each. Leavell led the way in receiving yards with 125 on just four grabs.
The Jacket running game was still potent against GCC, as the Orange and Black cranked out 158 yards on 36 carries. Senior running back
Jake Forsythe saw his run of three-straight 100-yard rushing performances come to an end, but not by a wide margin. Forsythe posted a game-high 90 yards on 23 carries.
As good as the Waynesburg offense was (469 yards, no turnovers), the defense turned in a truly dominant performance. The Jackets held the opposition to just 232 yards of total offense, including just 60 yards on the ground. Grove City possessed the ball for just 26:46. Junior linebacker
Aaron Palmer tied for the team lead with six total tackles and added two sacks to his day.
After playing back-to-back games on the road, Waynesburg comes home on Saturday, Oct. 11, for homecoming. The Yellow Jackets will face off with Case Western Reserve University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
