MEADVILLE, Pa. - In a game that saw three ties and three lead changes in the second half alone, visiting Wabash scored the eventual game-winning touchdown with 34 seconds left to escape Frank B. Fuhrer Field with a wild 48-41 victory over the Gators.

Trailing 34-20 in the closing minutes of the third quarter, the Gators eventually tied the game at 41 on a 25-yard touchdown strike from Logan Lee to Angel Alvarez with 2:32 left in the final quarter (pictured above).  After an Allegheny interception was negated on Wabash's ensuing drive, the Little Giants would methodically move down the field, with Ike James' fourth rushing touchdown of the day giving them back the lead with 34 seconds to go.  The visitors would then thwart the Gators' subsequent drive by forcing a fumble at midfield with seven seconds left to seal the win.

The Little Giants improve to 7-2 overall, and 6-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, while the Gators fall to 3-6 overall and 2-6 in the conference.

With a career-high 374 passing yards, Logan Lee upped his season total to 2,602, breaking the previous school record of 2,472 set by Jimmy Savage in 2006.  The 374 yards are the second most by a Gator signal caller in a game in team history, behind only Savage's 400-yard performance in Oct. 2006, also against Wabash.

Tyler Balla ran for 157 yards on 24 carries to top the century mark for the fourth time this season, as the Gators amassed 534 yards of total offense against a Wabash defensive unit that entered the week having allowed the fewest yards (291.6 per game) and second-fewest points (18.4 per game) in the NCAC.

The two teams combined for 1,027 yards of total offense, as Wabash totaled 493, including 273 on the ground.

Sophomore Alex Victor hauled in three receptions for 157 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown reception, his 13th touchdown catch of the year to set a new single-season team record.  Through just 18 career games, Victor now has 21 career touchdown receptions, breaking the team's previous record of 20 set in 2003 by Jon Turner.

The Gators got off to a strong start, picking up points on their first trip of the game.  On the first play from scrimmage, Lee scrambled 17 yards on a keeper, before Balla reeled off a 38-yard run to set up first down at the Wabash 10.  The Wabash defense would produce the early goal line stand, but the Gators' Zach Bednarowicz hit a 29-yard field goal to put the hosts in front 3-0 with 12:22 left in the quarter.

The two teams would trade fumbles on the next two possessions, before the Gators upped their lead in the closing minutes of the quarter.  After Lee completed a 7-yard pass to Alvarez and a 17-yarder to Tristan Rhoades to set up first and goal at the eight, back-to-back handoffs to Balla resulted in the Gators' first touchdown of the day, a one-yard plunge by the junior, to increase the lead to 10-0 with 2:10 left in the quarter.

With 90 seconds left in the frame, the Gators took over at their own 30 following Wabash's second punt of the afternoon.  On the second play of the drive, Lee hit Victor for a 52-yard catch and run to set up first down inside the Wabash 20 as the quarter drew to a close.  The drive would stall, but Bednarowicz's added onto the Gator lead with his second field goal of the day, a 35-yarder that put the hsots up 13-0 with 13:56 left in the half.

Momentum would then swing in favor of the Little Giants, who took advantage of a Gator turnover to score 14 unanswered points in a four-minute span, first on a one-yard plunge from James and then on a 21-yard completion from Weston Murphy to Dylan Buresh that gave the visitors a 14-13 lead with just inside 10 minutes remaining in the quarter.

Each of the next four series' would end in punts, and the teams would enter the intermission with Wabash holding on to the one-point lead.

Allegheny quickly reclaimed the lead on its first possession following halftime.  Taking over at their own 37 following a punt, Balla rattled off a 9-yard run, before Lee and Alvarez hooked up for a 10-yard game to advance the ball inside Wabash territory.  Two plays later, Lee lofted a deep ball to Dwaine Barber, who made the catch in stride and dashed 44 yards for the touchdown to give the Gators a 20-14 lead.

The Little Giants wasted little time in answering, as Murphy completed a 53-yard pass to Matt Penola, before James bust off a highlight-reel run, zigzagging through the defense for a 22-yard touchdown to put his team back in front 21-20 with 11 minutes left in the quarter.

Following a Gator three-and-out, James would pick up his third touchdown run of the day, this one from 49 yards out, to push the Little Giants in front 28-20 with 6:33 remaining in the third.

The Gators' subsequent possession ended in a punt that backed Wabash up inside their own 15, but the Little Giants would go back to the ground to quickly make it a two-score game.  On second down, Isaac Avant busted out for an 80-yard run to set up first and goal, before Austin Nightingale's quarterback sneak resulted in an 8-yard touchdown and a 34-20 Wabash lead with 3:14 left in the third.

On the opening play of Allegheny's next trip, Lee connected with Victor over the middle for a 65-yard touchdown to quickly cut the deficit to 34-27.   The Gator defense would hold, and the third quarter ended with a Wabash punt.

Taking over at their own 22 to start the final quarter, Lee and Victor again quickly tilted the field in the Gators' favor, as they connected for a 40-yard gain to advance the ball inside the Wabash 30.  Following a six-yard run by Brandon Sellers, Balla burst through the line for a 22-yard touchdown to tie the game at 34 with 12:33 left in regulation.

The back-and-forth theme continued, with Wabash re-gaining a 41-34 lead on a 42 yard touchdown pass from Weston Murphy to Ra'Shawn Jones with 7:02 left, and the teams would then go on to trade punts on the next two trips.

Following a Wabash punt with 4:01 left, the Gators took over at the Wabash 45.  Gaining just six yards on their first three plays of the series, the Gators went for it on fourth down, and it paid off, as Lee connected with Alvarez for a five-yard gain to bring the ball inside the Wabash 40.  On the next play, the Little Giants were flagged for defensive holding, putting the ball at the 25.  Lee would promptly cash in on the infraction, as he found Alvarez for the 25-yard touchdown to tie the game at 41 with 2:28 left in regulation.

On the second play of the ensuing drive, the Gators' Colten Buzard broke through the line and pressured Murphy into an errant pass, which appeared to be intercepted by Silas Garrison, giving Allegheny the ball at midfield with just over two minutes remaining. However, after a lengthy discussion, the officials determined that Buzard took Murphy down before he released the throw, therefore negating the interception.  The Little Giants took advantage of the second life, using a 22-yard pass from Murphy to Buresh followed by a 26-yard run from James to set up first down at the 11 yardline.  Allegheny's defense initially withstood the threat, ceding just four yards over the next three plays to bring up fourth-and-goal.  On fourth down, however, the Gators were whistled for an offsides penalty, and Wabash would promptly answer with James' 1-yard touchdown run to go up 48-41 with 35 seconds left.

Lee opened the Gators' final drive with an 18-yard completion to Rhoades and an 11-yarder to Alvarez to set up first down at the Wabash 46, but the Gators would get no closer, as Wabash's Byshup Rhodes broke through for a strip sack with eight seconds left to effectively end the wild game.

Alvarez enjoyed the most productive game of his rookie season, totaling season highs with nine receptions and 89 yards.  In addition to Victor's three-catch, 157-yard performance, Barber and Rhoades also made three receptions each, with the former gaining 64 yards, and the latter 54.

Defensively, Marcus Davenport led both sides with 11 total tackles, including 2.0 for loss.  Freddy Ruiz posted nine stops, including 2.5 for loss, while Chase Balla made eight tackles, and assisted on a sack.  Buzard made six tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss and his team-leading 11th sack.

The Wabash offense was led by James, as the NCAC's leading rusher tallied 160 yards on 25 carries.  Avant added 88 yards on 11 tries, while Murphy completed 13 of 23 passes for 220 yards.  Buresh made four catches for 70 yards, and Penola three for 60.  Defensively, Klay Fullencamp mae seven tackles for the Little Giants and Brock Heffron six, while Rhodes was credited with 1.5 of the team's five sacks.

The Gators will now close out the 2017 regular season with a trip to Oberlin College on Saturday, Nov. 11.  Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. 
 
GATOR BYTES: Lee now owns the team's single-season record in both passing yards (2,602) and touchdown passes (29), while his 181 completions are fifth-most all time…  After his 65-yard and 52-yard receptions, Victor has now been involved in 12 plays that have gone for over 40 yards, including each of the team's five longest plays from scrimmage.  His 858 receiving yards this season rank third all-time in program history, and he is 51-yards away from breaking the school record set in 1959 by Jay Lewis…  After picking up 3.5 tackles for loss, Buzard upped his total to 16.5 on the season, eighth most in a single season in team history and the most since 2001, when David Piscanick totaled 19.0.  With 11.0 sacks on the season, Buzard is now just one away from tying Joe Rossi's school record of 12 set in 2000… The Gators entered the week having dropped four straight games to Wabash by a combined score of 241-7.  Allegheny's last win over the Little Giants came in 2012, a 20-17 overtime decision in Indiana… Prior to the game, the Gators' senior class of John Horan, Aspen Matthey-Feldman, Ben Marks, Andrew Murphy, Freddy Ruiz, Brian Stoldt, Travis Thomas, Jake Wilson, and Nick Wojnar was recognized in an on-field ceremony.