WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Oct. 15) After a tightly contested first half, Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) exploded in the third quarter with a combined 28 points between Waynesburg and Thomas More. Unfortunately, the Saints, who came into the day ranked 17^th in the country, scored 21 points in the period before going on to a 40-7 victory.
 
Waynesburg's (2-5, 2-3) defense performed well against the balanced Thomas More (6-1, 5-0) offense over the half, as the Saints took a 10-0 lead into halftime. The score could have been even tighter, if not for a Waynesburg fumble at the visiting four-yard line on first-and-goal late in the second quarter. The Saints converted the turnover into a field goal with no time remaining in the opening half.
 
Thomas More grew its lead to 17-0 on the opening drive of the third quarter, but the home team was about to get a big jolt from one of its up-and-coming young players. Freshman wide receiver Ta'Vaughn Johnson fielded the ensuing kickoff and quickly cut to the near sideline in front of his teammates. Johnson turned up field and was never touched as he took off on a 97-yard kick return for a touchdown. It was Waynesburg's first special teams touchdown since 2014. Freshman Mike Ryhal tacked on the extra point to make the score 17-7.
 
Unfortunately for the home team, Thomas More proved to be unfazed by the electrifying return, as it fired back with a score of its own on its next possession. Those seven points started a game-ending 23-0 run for the visiting team that sealed up the victory.
 
Though it came in a losing effort, freshman quarterback Tyler Perone put together his best collegiate game. He completed 17-of-31 passes for a team season-high 272 yards. Perone was not intercepted on the day.
 
His favorite targets on the afternoon proved to be senior wide receivers Tim Cooper and Kevin Barnes, Jr. Cooper snared four balls for 80 yards, while Barnes recorded five catches for 76 yards, including a diving 27-yard grab on fourth-and-20 that put Waynesburg at the Saint four-yard-line. Johnson added four receptions for 58 yards to his special teams score. Jacket receivers combined for five catches of 20 yards or more, including a game-high 41-yard grab for Cooper.
 
Freshman Chad Walker paced the Waynesburg rushing attack with 39 yards on 15 carries.
 
Linebackers Brent Blacharczyk and Michael Heasley led Waynesburg with nine and eight tackles, respectively. Freshman defensive back Brennan Sefick chipped in seven stops, while senior defensive lineman John Babos went for six tackles, five of which were solo stops, two tackles for loss and a sack.
 
Waynesburg will get an extra week to prepare for its next game, a road trip to Thiel. After the Jackets complete their bye week, they will face the Tomcats on Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.