PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Sept. 17) – The Waynesburg University football team traveled to Carnegie Mellon for its first regular season meeting with the Tartans since 1963. After three mostly defense-oriented quarters, both offenses exploded in the fourth. By the time the dust had settled, Waynesburg found itself on the wrong end of a 35-23 final score.
 
Saturday's matchup was the first between the two schools since CMU (1-1, 1-0) became a provisional member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) in 2014. Waynesburg (0-3, 0-1) scored its most points of the season in the loss.
 
Waynesburg kicked off to open the game, but forced the Tartans into a punt on their first possession. Unfortunately, a Jacket turnover gave the home team possession at its own one-yard line and CMU took a 7-0 lead two plays later.
 
Carnegie Mellon maintained its one-score advantage until late in the second quarter, when the Orange and Black offense put together one of its best drives of the season. The Yellow Jackets took possession of the ball at their own 20-yard line and quickly faced a third-and-two situation. Freshman running back Chad Walker ripped off his longest run of 2016, when he went 27 yards to the CMU 45.
 
Two plays later, sophomore quarterback Jake Dougherty connected on a 24-yard hookup with junior wide receiver Mitch Kendra that put the line of scrimmage at the home 19. Three plays later, another young member of the Waynesburg offense, freshman running back Whitney White, capped the 10-play possession with a three-yard touchdown run. Sophomore Garrett Guthrie knocked in his first PAT of the day to knot the score at 7-7, which was also the score at halftime.
 
Carnegie Mellon regained the advantage with a touchdown halfway through the third period. Trailing 14-7, Guthrie connected on his first successful collegiate field goal try, which came from 33 yards out with just over two minutes remaining in the third period. The three points cut Waynesburg's deficit down to 14-10.
 
Waynesburg grabbed its only lead of the afternoon in the first minute of the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to the defense. Sophomore linebacker Michael Heasley chased down Carnegie Mellon quarterback Alex Cline and not only recorded the sack, but stripped the football free deep in Tartan territory. Junior defensive lineman James Roundtree III recovered the loose ball to set up his offensive mates at the opposing 19-yard line with three seconds left in the third.
 
Three plays later, Dougherty connected with senior wide receiver Tim Cooper from 20 yards out to give the Jackets a 16-14 advantage. Guthrie's second extra point of the day stretched the lead to 17-14.
 
Unfortunately, Waynesburg's advantage lasted roughly three minutes, as a long pass on the first play of CMU's ensuing possession flipped field position and set the home team up for a go-ahead touchdown that made the score 21-17. The Tartans made it 14-straight points following a touchdown with just under five minutes left in the game.
 
Freshman Ta'Vaughn Johnson gave some hope to a late comeback try with a team-season-long 50-yard kick return that put the ball at the Carnegie Mellon 47. Dougherty proceeded to complete four-straight passes, the last of which covered 16 yards to senior wide receiver Kevin Barnes, Jr., for a score with just under 3:30 left to play. After Waynesburg failed to pick up the two-point conversion, the Orange and Black still trailed 28-23.
 
After keeping the powerful Carnegie Mellon rushing game in check for the majority of the game, the Tartans traversed 70 yards on four carries to score the game-clinching touchdown with around 1:20 showing on the game clock.
 
With his team trailing 35-23, Johnson put together another solid kick return, this one covering 37 yards and putting the football at Waynesburg's 42. Unfortunately, the Jackets' last possession met its end at the CMU 21.
 
Dougherty produced his best game of the year, and one of the best of his young Waynesburg career. He completed 22-of-39 passes for 259 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Most of those completions went to Barnes and Kendra, who hauled in seven passes each for 113 and 94 yards, respectively. Those were the top two receiving performances for either team.
 
Once again, Waynesburg's line led the defensive charge. Junior tackle Brad Grinnen went for eight tackles, including 1.5 for loss. Senior Aniellieo DeStefano added seven stops, two tackles for loss and a sack, while classmate Zach Machuga chipped in six total tackles. Another senior defensive lineman, John Babos, saw two of his three total tackles go for loss.
 
Heasley produced arguably his best collegiate showing by racking up a game-high nine tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
 
Waynesburg returns to John F. Wiley Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 24, for its first home game after back-to-back road trips. The Jackets host Case Western Reserve in a 1:30 p.m. PAC showdown.