NEW CONCORD, Ohio (Sept. 5) – Waynesburg University's rebuilt offense enjoyed a productive start to its 2015 season, which kicked off on Saturday at Muskingum. Freshman quarterback Jake Dougherty and senior running back Jerry Lawman led the charge, as the Yellow Jackets defeated the Muskies 35-10.
 
Saturday marked the sixth-straight win for Waynesburg (1-0) over Muskingum (0-1). It was the fourth-straight season-opener between the two squads. The victory also held special meaning for 11^th-year head coach Rick Shepas, who improved to 65-40 as the leader of the Orange and Black, tying him with Frank N. Wolf (65-63) for the most wins in program history.
 
Things started slowly for both squads, which traded punts over the first four possessions on the afternoon. The Jacket defense came up with the first big play of the day, when junior safety Roomel Reese forced a fumble at the Muskingum 22-yard-line, which was recovered by junior linebacker Tristan Sandrosky at the Muskies' 26-yard-line.
 
On the very next play, Dougherty completed a 26-yard pass to junior wide receiver Tim Cooper for the year's first touchdown. Senior kicker Scott Lewis tacked on the extra point and Waynesburg held a 7-0 advantage early in the first quarter.
 
Waynesburg's defense produced its second turnover over a stretch of five plays when sophomore Christian Breisinger, who moved from quarterback to safety in the offseason, picked off his first collegiate pass. The interception gave Dougherty and his offensive mates the ball at the Muskingum 47.
 
The freshman signal-caller helped get Kevin Barnes, Jr. his first collegiate touchdown by hooking up with the junior wide receiver on a 30-yard scoring strike. Barnes made the catch a little more exciting by juggling the pig skin before pulling it down in the end zone. Another Lewis PAT doubled the Waynesburg advantage to 14-0 late in the opening period.
 
Things slowed down for the Orange and Black offense over the remainder of the first half, as it was unable to add on to its two-touchdown advantage. Muskingum, on the other hand, pulled itself back into the game by posting the final 10 points of the second quarter. By the time the two teams broke for their respective locker rooms, the Jackets led 14-10.
 
After Waynesburg punted to end its opening possession of the third quarter, the defense notched its third turnover on the afternoon. Sophomore linebacker Brent Blacharczyk scooped up a fumble on the second play of the drive to give the Jacket offense another short field at the home team's 20-yard-line.
 
Lawman, who is looking to bounce back from three injury-plagued seasons, carried the ball three times for 22 yards and his first touchdown of 2015 on the possession. The Poland, Ohio, native struck pay dirt from 10 yards out to put his team up 20-10. Lewis connected on his third point-after attempt to run the score to 21-10.
 
Lawman and the defense combined to put the game away over the remainder of the game. Junior defensive back Eli Hargis stuffed a Muskingum run on fourth-and-two to turn the ball over on downs. Lawman capped the ensuing drive with a three-yard touchdown run to move Waynesburg's lead to 28-10.
 
A sack fumble forced by junior defensive lineman Zach Machuga was recovered by senior defensive end Aniellio DeStefano to stop the ensuing Muskingum possession. After a Jacket punt, junior cornerback Josh Mundell intercepted a Muskie pass that put the Waynesburg offense back on the field at the opposing 49-yard-line. A five-yard touchdown run by Lawman late in the third quarter capped the day's scoring.
 
Lawman led the charge to victory with 113 yards and three touchdowns, both of which were game highs, on just 16 carries. Freshman Austin Wilson added six totes for 40 yards, as the Jackets rushed for 163 yards as a team.
 
Dougherty got off to a hot start, completing 10 of his first 14 passes. He wound up hitting on 16-of-26 attempts for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Cooper pulled in a game-high six catches for 72 yards and a score, while Barnes paced all Jackets with 76 yards and a touchdown on just four grabs.
 
The Jacket defense lived in the Muskingum backfield while piling up eight tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Jonathan Carlier racked up a team-high nine total tackles, including seven solo stops. Reese added eight total stops, including seven solo hits.
 
Waynesburg is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 12, when it travels to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to face Saint Vincent College in a non-conference matchup of Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rivals. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.