GREENVILLE, Pa. (Sept. 27) – The Waynesburg University football team looked to play spoiler on Saturday when it traveled to Thiel for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown. The Yellow Jackets indeed put a damper on the Tomcats' Homecoming game by rolling to a 45-14 victory.
 
The Yellow Jackets (2-2, 2-0) never trailed on the afternoon and got a head start on their opening scoring drive when Thiel (0-4, 0-2) attempted to pull a fast one on the visitors with an onside kick. Sophomore Mutwali Stewart (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Central Catholic) wasn't fooled by the special teams trickery and pounced on the kick at the home team's 46 yard line.
 
Sophomore quarterback Luke Hudson (Morgantown, W.Va. / University) kept the momentum going with a 30-yard completion to junior wide receiver Tyler Richmond (Carmichaels, Pa. / Carmichaels) to move the Jackets into the Thiel red zone. Four plays later, all of which were runs by junior running back Carson Shriver (Fairview, W.Va. / Clay-Battelle), the Orange and Black was on the board with a three-yard plunge into the end zone.
 
Junior kicker Drew Pinkerton (Fayetteville, Pa. / Chambersburg) added the extra point to put his team ahead 7-0 less than three minutes into the contest.
 
The Waynesburg defense made its presence known by forcing a four-and-out during its first drive of the game, but a turnover gave the ball back to the host team. Thiel took advantage of a short field and tied the game at 7-7, which was also the score at the end of the opening 15 minutes of play.
 
The Jackets needed just six plays to traverse 46 yards, the final 23 of which went to senior wide receiver Isaac Trout (Ruffs Dale, Pa. / Southmoreland) for a go-ahead touchdown. Another Pinkerton PAT put the Orange and Black ahead 14-7 1:34 into the second quarter.
 
Another Thiel special teams gaffe led to more Jacket points as a muffed kickoff turned into a safety that stretched the visitors' advantage to 16-7.
 
Yet another special teams error, this one happening when the Tomcats' ensuing free kick sailed out of bounds at midfield, gave Waynesburg outstanding field position. Shriver did the heavy lifting on a four-play possession that included a 32-yard run on the first snap of drive. A penalty moved the ball to the Tomcat nine, and three Shriver totes later, the Jackets found themselves with a 22-7 advantage. The Jackets cashed in on a two-point conversion to extend their lead to 24-7 with 11:50 showing on the clock.
 
After the two teams traded punts, Waynesburg junior defensive back Joanes Polynice (Winter Garden, Fla. / West Orange) slammed the door on a promising Thiel drive deep in Jacket territory with his first interception of the year.
 
That turnover helped the visitors take their 17-point lead to the locker room at halftime.
 
Waynesburg's defense picked up right where it left off by forcing punts on each of Thiel's first two drives of the third quarter. The Jackets effectively put an exclamation point on their second-straight win of the season with a 92-yard march to pay dirt. The drive was highlighted by a 28-yard run by Shriver and a 36-yard completion to Trout that put the ball at the opposing nine-yard line. Two Shriver totes later and Waynesburg was ahead 31-7.
 
The host squad cut into its deficit with its final score of the day and by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Waynesburg was ahead 31-14.
 
The Jackets got another explosive play for their next touchdown when Hudson hit sophomore wide receiver Elija Jackson (Morgantown, W.Va. / University) on a four-yard completion that he turned into a 43-yard dash over the goal line.
 
Following a Thiel punt, Waynesburg put the icing on the cake with an eight-play, 49-yard possession that ended with Hudson hooking back up with Trout, this time from 16 yards out, to bring about the eventual final score.
 
Saturday's 31-point margin of victory was Waynesburg's largest since defeating Gallaudet 52-14 in week one of the 2022 campaign.
 
Shriver set new personal collegiate highs for carries (25), rushing yards (161) and touchdown runs (3) to pace the Jacket ground game that churned out 201 net yards.
 
Hudson added some balance to an offensive attack that produced a season-high 414 yards with 203 through the air on 13-of-15 passing. His three touchdown tosses are a personal collegiate-best.
 
Seven different Jackets pulled in at least one pass on the day, including Trout, Jackson and Richmond, who snared a game-high three each. Trout led all players with contest bests in receiving yards (75) and touchdowns (2).
 
Sophomore defensive lineman Isshak Adam (Carnegie, Pa. / Chartiers Valley) continued his strong play as of late with a personal collegiate-best and team-high eight tackles, six of which were solo stops. He also collected a sack, which gave him a Waynesburg-best 2.5 for the season.
 
Waynesburg outgained Thiel by nearly 200 total offensive yards (414-236) and went a perfect four-for-four in the red zone.
 
The Jackets will try to make it three-straight victories to open conference play when they host Allegheny at John F. Wiley Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 4, for Homecoming. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.