WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Sept. 1) – The Waynesburg University football team kicked off its 2018 season with a home non-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) match against visiting Muskingum under warm, sunny skies at John F. Wiley Stadium. The Yellow Jackets looked poised to avenge last year's 19-0 loss in New Concord, Ohio, but a big third quarter for the visiting team, which included a disastrous series of events on special teams, ultimately led to Muskingum coming back to pick up a 31-24 win.
 
The Yellow Jacket (0-1) defense played an outstanding first half in holding the Muskies (1-0) to just seven first-half points on 92 yards of offense. Conversely, the Waynesburg attack opened the scoring with 1:50 showing on the first-half clock. Senior quarterback Jake Dougherty pounded in a five-yard touchdown run to cap a short four-play, 14-yard possession that was set up by the Jackets' first interception of the year that came courtesy of senior safety Andrew Brncic.
 
Waynesburg's extra point try was blocked, giving the home team a 6-0 lead. Muskingum took its first lead of the day on its opening drive of the second quarter. The Muskies tallied their first touchdown of the season and converted the PAT to go up 7-6 with 10:16 remaining in the second quarter.
 
The rest of the first half belonged to Waynesburg, as the Jackets built up a 17-7 advantage before the break. The home team took possession of the football with eight minutes showing on the second-quarter clock. Facing a third-and-two at his own 28-yard-line, junior quarterback Tyler Perone drilled a pass into the arms of sophomore wide receiver Cole Booth, who turned the slant route into a 72-yard touchdown that gave the lead back to the Orange and Black at 12-7. Dougherty came back into the game to convert the two-point conversion on a run play and make the score 14-7.
 
After the defense forced another Muskingum punt, the Yellow Jackets took over at their own 42-yard-line with 3:46 remaining in the half. Waynesburg managed to cover 54 yards in eight plays, but its final drive of the period stalled at the four-yard-line. The home team still managed to pick up three points on the final play of the half thanks to freshman Garrett Horne, who drilled his first collegiate field goal try from 21 yards out to bring up the halftime score of 17-7.
 
Everything seemed to be going Waynesburg's way as the second half got underway. After scoring the last 11 points, the Jackets received the opening kickoff with a chance to take firm control of the contest. The Yellow Jackets put together an 11-play possession to open the third quarter, but were forced to punt the ball away after killing 5:38 of game time.
 
After freshman Nik Gibson pinned the opposition back at its own 17-yard-line, a pair of pass plays moved the line of scrimmage 68 yards to the Waynesburg 15. Two plays later, Muskingum cut its deficit down to 17-14.
 
After forcing a Yellow Jacket punt, Muskingum went 61 yards in eight plays to set up a game-tying 23-yard field goal. However, that was far from the most impactful special teams play on the afternoon. That particular occurrence was right around the corner.
 
The ensuing kickoff was fumbled by the Jackets' JaWuan Jones around the goal line and recovered by a defender in the end zone to make the score 24-17 with 2:18 left in the third quarter. With time running short, the home team managed to turn things around as the game entered its final 15 minutes.
 
Once again, it was Dougherty leading the charge, this time driving his team 74 yards on 14 plays for the game-tying score. The veteran signal-caller showed no fear of contact by lowering his shoulder and driving through a crowded line of scrimmage from three yards out for his second rushing touchdown. He also converted a fourth-and-one on the ground on the third play of the possession and hit Booth for a 16-yard gain on third-and-10 a few players later. It was the only pass play of the drive.
 
After both teams traded punts, Muskingum went 65 yards on seven plays to retake a seven-point lead (31-24). The Jackets got the ball back with 1:59 left to play and two timeouts. A potential game-tying or game-winning drive got off to a solid start following a 30-yard pass play that moved the line of scrimmage to the Muskingum 35. However, a controversial flag for a personal foul called against Waynesburg when junior lineman Tanner Six's helmet was ripped off two plays later put the home team in a second-and-20 situation at the Muskingum 45.
 
Dougherty and Booth combined to regain 13 of those yards and bring up a third-and-seven. Unfortunately, a pair of pass attempts from Dougherty failed to find the mark, giving the ball to Muskingum on downs. The Muskies ran off the few remaining seconds of the game to leave Waynesburg with the win.
 
Waynesburg junior Chad Walker led all players with 72 yards on 17 carries. Freshman Jordan Taylor chipped in 34 yards on 11 totes, while Dougherty added 20 yards and his two rushing scores.
 
Perone hit on seven-of-15 pass attempts for 151 yards and his 72-yard scoring toss to Booth. Booth had arguably his best day as a Yellow Jacket, going for a contest-best 139 yards on four grabs.
 
The Jacket defense was led by junior linebacker Tyler Smith, who tallied a team-best seven tackles.
 
Waynesburg will try to rebound from the disappointing loss on Saturday, Sept. 8, when it hosts Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rival Westminster, in a non-conference matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.