WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Nov. 22) – The Waynesburg University football team played host to Buffalo State University in the 2014 ECAC Southwest Bowl on Saturday at a dreary John F. Wiley Stadium. The Yellow Jackets scored first, but the Bengals wound up taking up the trophy for the postseason contest after scoring a 59-36 victory.
 
Things started about as well as they possibly could for the Jackets (8-3). After Waynesburg won the toss and deferred possession until the second half, Buffalo State (8-3) took the opening kickoff and returned it to its own 12-yard-line. On the first play from scrimmage, the Bengals fumbled the football, which was recovered by Waynesburg senior defensive end Josh Tolliver.
 
The very next play saw senior quarterback Carter Hill find sophomore wide receiver Tim Cooper for a 15-yard touchdown pass that put the home team up 6-0 less than 20 seconds into the contest. Junior kicker Scott Lewis connected on his first extra point try of the day to make the score 7-0.
 
Unfortunately, that fast start was quickly overcome by BSU, which responded with 21-straight points to take a two-touchdown lead halfway through the second quarter. Waynesburg slowed down the Bengals' momentum when Hill hooked up with senior wide receiver Bernie Thompson on a 26-yard touchdown pass that capped a five-play, 69-yard possession with 4:48 to play until halftime. A second successful kick by Lewis cut the home team's deficit down to 21-14.
 
Buffalo State didn't wait long to respond as it posted a touchdown run and a field goal on consecutive possessions before the conclusion of the half to build a 31-14 halftime lead. The Bengals didn't let up on their hosts when the third quarter got underway, as their fifth touchdown of the game, which came on the team's opening possession, put them up 38-14 early in the half.
 
The Waynesburg deficit stayed at 24 points for most of the third quarter, before the Jacket offense found its rhythm just before the end of the period. Hill notched touchdown pass number three just before the beginning of the fourth quarter when he found senior wide receiver Andrew English from 29 yards out with 1:09 showing on the clock. Hill then connected with Thompson for the two-point conversion to make the score 38-22.
 
Unfortunately, the Bengals put the game away with two more touchdowns over the first 10 minutes of the final period of play. To their credit, the Jackets didn't give up, despite facing a 52-22 deficit 8:34 left to play.
 
Hill connected with senior Willie Leavell on a 29-yard touchdown pass with 5:02 showing on the clock to make the score 52-28. After junior defensive back Mike Lopuchovsky recovered an onside kick try on the ensuing kickoff, Hill found Leavell again, this time from 22 yards out, to further cut into the Buffalo lead. Hill and Thompson combined for another successful two-point conversion try with just over 3:30 left to play that made the score 52-36.
 
Waynesburg looked to keep the late rally going with a second-straight onside kick try, but the attempt was recovered by the visitors, who turned it into the game's final score. Before the contest ended, Hill was recognized by the home crowd for his historic career with a standing ovation after the Jackets took a timeout. After throwing for 282 yards and five touchdowns in his final collegiate game, the Columbiana, Ohio native set a single-season school record for scoring passes (34). He also holds the top school career touchdown pass mark with 72 over just two-plus years as a starter, as well as the number-two spot for career passing yardage (6,976).
 
Thompson led all Waynesburg receivers with seven catches for 81 yards. Leavell snared five balls for 73 yards. Senior Jake Forsythe paced the Waynesburg running game with 14 carries for 48 yards.
 
The Jacket defense was paced by sophomore Zach Sniadach, who racked up game-high nine tackles, two of which were solo stops. Tolliver piled up five tackles, three of which were solo stops, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
 
NOTE: Buffalo State wide receiver Mike Doherty was named the game's Most Outstanding Player after racking up 15 catches for 201 yards and two touchdowns.