GREENVILLE, Pa. (Oct. 29) – Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup with Thiel was one of positives and negatives for Waynesburg University. On one side, the Yellow Jackets put together easily its best offensive output of the 2016 season. On the other, the usually stout, productive Jacket defense gave up big play after big play to Thiel. Despite building a double-digit second-half lead, Waynesburg suffered the sting of a disappointing 50-42 defeat at the hands of the Tomcats.
 
Led by freshman quarterback Tyler Perone, Waynesburg (2-6, 2-4) nearly doubled its previous season high for points in a game (23). The team's 503 yards of total offense was its biggest output since Sept. 14, 2013. Unfortunately, Thiel's (3-5, 2-4) 50 points scored are also the most allowed by Waynesburg since 2014, while the 607 yards given up are the most in recent history.
 
Perone set personal collegiate single-game marks for completions (26) and attempts (51). Both of those marks are team single-game highs for 2016. He also recorded Waynesburg's first 400-yard passing output (401) since current assistant coach Carter Hill threw for a school-record 483 in a win over Frostburg State back in 2013.
 
The crowd of almost 1,000 in attendance at Thiel's Alumni Stadium witnessed one of the most thrilling and entertaining contests in the PAC this year. Things started well for the visiting Jackets when Perone capped an eight-play, 59-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Ta'Vaughn Johnson just 3:36 into the game.
 
Thiel needed less than two minutes to tie the game at 7-7. The Cats proceeded to end the first period with a go-ahead score with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter.
 
Momentum swung back to Waynesburg's corner when sophomore running back Ben Ciero ended a seven-play, 88-yard possession with a three-yard touchdown run roughly 21 minutes into the game. That score, combined with a successful PAT try by freshman kicker Mike Ryhal, knotted the score up at 14-14.
 
The Tomcats regained the lead (21-14) midway through the second, before Ciero ripped off a 26-yard scoring sprint with 3:49 left to play before halftime. The scoring remained fast and furious, as the home team knocked down the game's first field goal following a Jacket turnover. However, Waynesburg wasn't about to just cruise into halftime trailing 24-21.
 
Instead, the Orange and Black showed excellent clock management in piecing together an eight-play, 55-yard drive that concluded with Perone firing a 16-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Kevin Barnes, Jr. The possession lasted just 50 seconds. Ryhal successfully converted the PAT, but a Tomcat penalty moved the line of scrimmage up to between the one and two-yard lines, prompting head coach Rick Shepas to send his offense back onto the field. The all-time winningest coach in program history put the ball in Ciero's hands, and he responded by pounding in the two-point conversion to give his team a halftime lead of 29-24.
 
Waynesburg carried its momentum through the break into quarter number three. After the Jacket defense forced a Thiel punt, its offensive counterparts gave the Orange and Black not only its largest lead of the night, but of the entire season.
 
A pair of Perone completions to Johnson for nine and 31 yards sandwiched around a 19-yard run by Ciero moved the line of scrimmage to the Tomcat 12-yard-line. Freshman running back Whitney White, who returned to the Jacket backfield for the first time since suffering an injury against Geneva back on Oct. 8, combined three-straight carries for the final 12 yards needed to make the score 36-24 just over four minutes into the third quarter.
 
Just when it looked like the Jackets may have finally been able to breathe easy in a game this year, Thiel fired back with its first touchdown of the second half to trim its deficit down to 36-30. The Jackets regained a multi-score advantage on their ensuing possession.
 
Waynesburg put itself in a first-and-goal situation from the Tomcat 10-yard-line,but it only went backwards from there and had to settle for a 30-yard field goal from Ryhal that made the score 39-30 with 6:17 showing on the third-quarter clock.
 
Unfortunately, the heightened pace of the game appeared to have finally gotten to the Orange and Black, as Thiel ended the night on a 20-3 run that snatched away the victory. The Jackets got a second field goal from Ryhal early in the fourth quarter, but found itself down eight with just under eight minutes remaining in the ball game.
 
Waynesburg put itself in position to tie the contest during its waning minutes, as Perone drove his team 44 yards in 13 plays down to the Thiel 10-yard-line. Unfortunately, the young signal caller took a sack on third down that moved the line of scrimmage back to the 18. An absolutely fantastic day on the gridiron ended on the sourest of notes for Perone, when he was picked off in the end zone with just under four minutes left in the game.
 
The home team was able to run out the final 3:48 to secure Thiel's first victory over Waynesburg since 2005. By the time the final whistle had sounded, fans taking in the shootout were witness to three ties and three lead changes.
 
For the first time this year, the Jacket offense took center stage with Perone as the centerpiece of the attack. He allowed several of his receivers to put up more-than-respectable numbers against the Tomcats. Barnes led the way with six catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. Junior Mitch Kendra logged a team-high 143 yards on just four receptions, while Johnson snagged a game-high eight balls for a 94 yards and a score.
 
Ciero set a new personal collegiate high by rushing for 71 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries. That is the highest rushing total for any Jacket back this season. Saturday also marked the first time a Waynesburg player recorded multiple rushing touchdowns.
 
The Jacket defense was led by sophomore cornerback Justin Willkow, who piled up a team-high eight tackles, all of where solo stops. Sophomore linebacker Michael Heasley added seven total hits, six of which were solo stops. The Waynesburg native added 3.0 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery to his day.
 
Waynesburg will try to get over the bitterness of Saturday's loss under the lights as it prepares for its final road game of the year. The Jackets travel to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to face Saint Vincent on Saturday, Nov. 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.