Box Score PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Carnegie Mellon scored 19 unanswered second half points to hand the Gators their second straight defeat to open the season, 26-7.

Junior Andrew Niklaus posted career-highs with eight catches and 113 yards for Allegheny (0-2), but it wasn't enough, as Carnegie Mellon (1-1) amassed 410 yards of total offense, and its defense forced a pair of fourth quarter turnovers to top the Gators for the second straight season.

Determined to shake off its early performance in its season-opener against Kenyon, in which the Lords scored on each of their first four possessions of the first half, the Gator defense looked to make a statement against Carnegie Mellon from the start, forcing a pair of first quarter turnovers.  However, the Allegheny offense was unable to cash in on either miscue.

On just the third play of the day, Raysean Glenn forced a fumble on a Tartan pass completion, recovered by Ronnie Borne at the Allegheny 30.    Carnegie Mellon went three-and-out on its next possession, and then looked to be driving to close out the first quarter, covering 67 yards in nine plays to set up first-and-goal inside the three.  However, the Gators' Jake Szoszorek quashed the scoring threat and closed out the quarter by intercepting a Rob Kalkstein pass in the end zone.

The Gators were again forced to punt for the third straight time, and Carnegie Mellon answered by embarking on an eight-play, 51-yard drive, capped off with a Zachary Erra-Hernandez touchdown plunge to go up 7-0 with just under eight minutes left until the intermission.

After Allegheny was stopped on a fourth-and-two inside the CMU 25, the Tartans again embarked on a lengthy drive, moving the ball to the Gator 30, before the Gator defense came with yet another big play when CMU went for it on fourth down, as Glenn tallied his team's second interception of the half, returning it to the Allegheny 38.

With 37 seconds left until the half, Gator quarterback Jon Nigro completed a 20-yard strike to Niklaus, before a three-yard run from Nick Deichler put the ball on the CMU 39.  As time expired, Nigro would launch a Hail Mary into the end zone, and it was snagged by Niklaus for the dramatic touchdown.  Ryan Mong's extra point kick was good, and the teams went into the locker room deadlocked at seven.

Allegheny couldn't hold on to the momentum entering the second half, as the Nigro-to-Niklaus bomb proved to be the team's last offensive highlight of the day.  The Gators were forced to punt on both of its third quarter possessions, while the Tartans took a 13-7 lead on a 13-yard Troy Witt run midway through the third quarter.

The Gators were unable to put together a comeback attempt in the fourth, as Carnegie Mellon turned a pair of Nigro interceptions into touchdowns to close out the 26-7 win.

Over the second half, the Tartans scored on three of their five possessions, and out-gained the Gators 207-106, with 120 yards on the ground. 

Nigro went 12-for-25 through the air for 137 yards on the day, with one touchdown and two interceptions.  On the ground, the Gators rushed for 129 yards, with six different players credited with carries.  Kyle Smith ran for 43 yards on five attempts, while Tyler Smith ran nine times for 35 yards, and Nick Deichler 12 times for 34 yards.

Defensively, Trevor Colvin racked up a game-high nine tackles (five solo), while Glenn, Szoszorek, and Cody Stolar added seven stops apiece.

Kalkstein completed 14 of 21 passes for 188 yards for the Tartans, with Tim Kitka making four receptions for 170 yards.  Witt gained 103 yards on 19 carries, and Hernandez 89 yards on 19 rushes. Defensively, Akwasi Brefo led CMU with nine tackles.

Allegheny will look to avoid its first 0-3 start to the season since 2005 next Saturday (Sept. 21), when it hosts North Coast Athletic Conference foe Hiram at 1 p.m. at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.