WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Sept. 16) – The Waynesburg University football team hosted Carnegie Mellon on Saturday at John F. Wiley Stadium and late in the third quarter, looked prime to pull the upset against the unbeaten Tartans. Unfortunately, CMU broke out to outscore the Yellow Jackets 24-7 over the final 15:02 to pull out a 30-20 victory.
 
The game served as the opener for both teams' Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) schedule.
 
Carnegie Mellon (3-0, 1-0) took advantage of a first-quarter Waynesburg (0-3, 0-1) turnover to take a 6-0 lead. A missed extra point with 12:08 remaining in the opening period kept the deficit at six points.
 
Waynesburg got on the board almost 10 minutes later when junior kicker Garret Guthrie knocked in his first field goal of the season from 33 yards out to cut the Tartan lead in half. The successful attempt capped a marathon 19-play 62-yard drive that lasted 9:44 of game time.
 
The Jackets put together another lengthy possession in the second quarter to take its first lead of the contest. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Perone ended a 12-play, 74-yard march to the end zone with a two-yard touchdown run that put the home team ahead 9-6. Guthrie's PAT ran the advantage to 10-6, which was also the score at halftime.
 
The Waynesburg defense continued to do its part in keeping the hopes for an upset alive and held CMU off the board. The Jackets extended their lead to a team-high seven points when Guthrie drilled his second field goal of the afternoon, this one coming from 36 yards out. Once again, the successful kick came at the end of another double-digit-play drive, this one lasting 14 plays and covering 63 yards of turf.
 
Unfortunately for the home team, the Tartans were able to figure out the Waynesburg defense with just two seconds showing on the third-quarter clock. At that point, the visiting team got back in the end zone to tie the game at 13-13 and begin its game-deciding run.
 
Trailing 30-13 late in the afternoon, Waynesburg was able to end the day on a high note when Perone hooked up with junior Jake Dougherty on a 20-yard touchdown pass with 1:15 remaining in the contest.
 
Though victory ultimately evaded the Jackets, the offense showed noticeable signs of improvement on the sunny Saturday at Wiley Stadium. Perone completed 23-of-43 passes for a season-high 203 yards, a touchdown and a pick.
 
Perone's favorite target on the day for a second-straight game was sophomore Chad Walker, who hauled in a game-high seven catches for 38 yards. Freshman Cole Booth added four grabs for 37 yards.
 
Junior Ben Ciero paced the Jacket running attack with 41 yards on 15 carries. Sophomore Jarves Crews chipped in 30 yards on 10 carries.
 
Speaking of rushing, the Waynesburg defense did something few teams have been able to do over the past four years: keep Carnegie Mellon star running back Sam Benger under 100 yards on the ground. Benger tallied just 34 yards on eight carries. The Jackets held the opposition to a season-low 125 yards on 29 carries.
 
Senior linebacker Brent Blacharczyk led the Waynesburg defense with a pair of solo sacks as part of a six-tackle day. Sophomore safety VaShon Graham led the Jackets with seven tackles, three of which were solo stops. Junior defensive back Andrew Brncic blocked a punt to highlight his day.
 
Waynesburg did a fantastic job of controlling the football. The home team possessed the pigskin for 38:35. It also converted 11-of-21 third down attempts, as well as its only fourth down try.
 
The Jackets hit the road next week for a PAC showdown at Case Western Reserve. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.