Complete Game Notes (.pdf)
 
#15 Case Western Reserve (8-0, 7-0) at Waynesburg (1-7, 1-6)
 
When: Nov. 9, 1:30 p.m.
 
Where: Waynesburg, Pa. (John F. Wiley Stadium)
 
Live Video: http://pacathletics.org/watch/default.aspx?Live=909&path=waynesburg
 
Live Stats: https://waynesburgsports.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
 
Radio: 99.5, WCYJ-FM (Waynesburg Broadcast)
 
Series Breakdown
All-Time Series: Case Western Reserve leads 4-1
First Meeting: 2014 (Waynesburg 35-15)
Last Meeting: 2018 (Case 41-17)
 
Saturday's home finale will be preceded by Waynesburg's annual senior day ceremony. Not only will 17 members of the football team be recognized before kickoff, but senior members of the cheerleading squad, pep band and athletic training staff will also be lauded for their efforts over the past four years.
 
Speaking of recognition, members of Waynesburg's women's cross country team, are scheduled to be on hand and honored at halftime for earning a fourth-straight Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) title this past Saturday. That string of championships is tied with the Yellow Jackets women's outdoor track program for the longest such run in school history.
 
While the women's harriers will get to show off its newest set of hardware at halftime, it could be Saturday's opponent, Case Western Reserve, that may get the final bow on the playing surface at John F. Wiley Stadium. A victory clinches the 2019 outright PAC title for the Spartans and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III championship tournament. It would be the third-straight season a conference champion clinches against the Yellow Jackets, a second-straight year it has been done at Wiley Stadium.
 
Saturday's game features the PAC's top pass defense going against arguably its best quarterback. Waynesburg is giving up the fewest passing yards in the league and second fewest in the country (89.6 ypg). The Jackets will face its biggest aerial threat in the form of sophomore Drew Saxton, who was named PAC Newcomer of the Year and first-team All-PAC after throwing for over 3,000 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2018. He comes into today with 2,188 yards passing and 21 scores. Saxton has struggled a bit with turnovers, tossing nine interceptions, but he has erased some of those mistakes with a pair of rushing touchdowns.
 
Waynesburg will lean heavily on two of this year's senior honorees to slow down Saxton. Defensive backs Brennan Sefick (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Catholic) and VaShon Graham (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Catholic) lead the Yellow Jackets with three and two interceptions, respectively. Sefick and Graham have totaled nine and eight passes defended, respectively, which rank them third and seventh in the PAC. Graham has also forced three fumbles and leads all PAC defensive backs in tackles (69) and tackles per game (8.6).
 
Speaking of returning award winners, senior defensive end Cameron Brown, the reigning PAC Defensive Player of the Week, was lauded as PAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2018. He enters today with league-leading totals in both sacks (9.5) and tackles for loss (15.5). His most recent quarterback takedown gave him the top spot in Spartan history with 33.5.
 
The Silver and Blue added two more weekly accolades to its most recent haul as junior linebacker Travis Johnston was named PAC Special Teams Player of the Week and junior wide receiver Colt Morgan was tabbed as the University Athletic Association (UAA) Offensive Player of the Week. Johnston literally did a little of everything to earn his award. He blocked a punt, launched three punts of his own, returned two kickoffs, scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, logged seven tackles, recovered a fumble and broke up a pass. Morgan, who is one of, if not the top pass catcher in the PAC, is now tied for the Case career touchdown catch mark with 31 after tallying eight grabs for 102 yards and two scores.
 
Waynesburg will need to pick its spot when passing the ball, as Case boasts a PAC-best 15 interceptions heading into Saturday's meeting.
 
One aspect of the game that the Jackets may be able to utilize in their upset bid is the punt return game. Waynesburg comes into Saturday ranked second in the PAC with an 11.7 yards per return average. Junior wide receiver Howard Metzger, Jr. (Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville) has logged all 10 of the team's returns.
 
When it comes to the Waynesburg offense, running back Justin Flack (Derry, Pa. / Derry) currently leads all PAC freshmen in total rushing yards (562). His 70.2 yards per game rank him seventh in the conference.