WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Oct. 8) – Prior to the kickoff of Saturday's homecoming game with Geneva, Waynesburg University and its fans honored the legendary 1966 NAIA National Championship  team. While it wasn't as dominant a performance as some of those put up by that by those great men who were celebrating the 50^th anniversary of their monumental achievement, this year's Yellow Jackets pulled together in the second half to weather the Golden Tornadoes of Geneva for a 10-9 win.
 
The victory marked the first time Waynesburg (2-4, 2-2) has triumphed in back-to-back weeks since 2014. It also avenged a 41-24 loss to Geneva (2-3, 1-2) from last year.
 
The Jacket defense produced a second-straight stellar week, despite the unique challenge of facing the run-heavy triple option offense. The unit was particularly impressive in the first half, as they were charged with keeping the home team in the contest while it dealt with three first-half turnovers.
 
After, the two teams slugged it out through a scoreless first half, Geneva broke up the scoreless tied with a long touchdown run 4:20 into the third quarter. After Waynesburg's offense was unable to respond in kind, the defense took the ball right back when sophomore linebacker Michael Heasley jarred the ball loose from the Tornado ball carrier. Senior safety Eli Hargis pounced on the loose pig skin, putting the offense back on the field at the Geneva 27-yard-line.
 
Two plays later, freshman quarterback Aaron Jenkins, who was making his first collegiate start, lofted a 30-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Kevin Barnes, Jr.  for the touchdown. Freshman Mike Ryhal connected on the game-tying PAT to make the score 7-7 with 4:55 left to play in the period.
 
Things stayed knotted up until the fourth quarter, when Ryhal came through with the biggest kick of his young Jacket career.  Not surprisingly, the eventual game-winning kick was set up by the Waynesburg defense. After the Golden Tornadoes mistimed an option pitch, junior linebacker Tristan Sandrosky recovered the fumble, allowing his team to set up shop at the visiting 21-yard-line.
 
Waynesburg nearly punched the ball in on its first play from scrimmage, when Jenkins connected with Barnes to move the line of scrimmage to the one. Unfortunately, the Geneva defense was able to push the home team back to the 11, where the drive stalled out. Veteran head coach Rick Shepas gave Ryhal the chance to give his team its first lead of the day, which he did by converting his first collegiate field goal from 28 yards away to make the score 10-7 with 11:53 remaining in the contest.
 
The Orange and Black defense was able to seal the victory by not allowing another offensive point. Geneva picked up its final score of the afternoon when Waynesburg was called for holding in its own end zone, resulting in a safety.
 
After the ensuing free kick, Geneva looked to retake the lead after setting up shop at its own 47. Facing a third-and-three, Sandrosky and freshman defensive lineman Jordan Henderson combined to drop the Golden Tornado ball carrier for an eight-yard loss. Geneva came to the line on fourth-and-11, but was held just shy of first-down yardage by the Jacket defense.
 
Waynesburg still needed at least one first down to kill the final 2:37 of game time. Geneva burned its final timeout with 1:48 showing on the clock. Waynesburg still possessed the ball, but was staring at a third-and-three at the visiting 49. Though he struggled at times in the early portion of the game, Jenkins made the big play when it mattered the most by hooking up with freshman wide receiver Ta'Vaughn Johnson for nine yards and the game-clinching first down.
 
The Jackets were able to melt away the remainder of the game clock before joyfully rushing the field to celebrate in front of the homecoming crowd that braved the cold and rain.
 
To call Waynesburg's defensive effort during the one-point win a team effort is an understatement. In all, 21 different defenders recorded stops on the day. Junior linebacker Brent Blacharczyk and junior defensive lineman Brad Grinnen tied for the team high with eight total tackles each. Sandrosky, Hargis and senior defensive lineman John Babos each notched seven total stops.
 
The Jacket defense made school history by not allowing a pass completion on three Golden Tornado attempts.  It is the just the second time in the program's 113-season history that an opposing offense failed to pick up a single passing yard (1965). Despite facing just four drop backs by Geneva quarterbacks, Waynesburg notched its 19^th sack, which is good for second in the PAC. The Orange and Black also recovered four fumbles, the most since scooping up four loose balls in 2002.
 
Jenkins bounced back from throwing three first-half interceptions to complete 19-of-32 attempts for 190 yards and a touchdown. His two favorite targets on the day were Johnson and Barnes. Johnson snagged a game-high 11 receptions for 65 yards. That is the highest single-game total for a Waynesburg player since Bernie Thompson brought in 14 balls in against Washington & Jefferson in 2013.
 
Jenkins chipped in 23 yards on 12 carries. Freshman running back Chad Walker led Waynesburg with a team-high 38 yards on 10 totes.
 
Waynesburg will be at home on Saturday, Oct. 15, to face Thomas More. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. and it is the only time this year that the Jackets will play consecutive home games.