MEADVILLE, Pa. – Behind 24 unanswered points in the third quarter, visiting Wittenberg topped the Gators 44-14 on a rainy Saturday at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.

Holding onto a tenuous 10-7 halftime lead, the visiting Tigers (6-0, 5-0 North Coast Athletic Conference) out-scored the Gators (3-3, 3-2 NCAC) 24-0 over the decisive third quarter to pull away for the win. Paced by 368 passing yards from quarterback Jake Kennedy, the Tigers out-gained the Gators 453-238 for the game.

After being pinned inside its own two-yard line following a beautiful punt from Cody Went, the Tigers went to work on an impressive drive, marching 98 yards in 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead on a 12-yard Kennedy pass to Jeff Tiffner with 6:34 remaining in the opening stanza.

The teams would trade punts over the next several possessions, before the Gators ended the opening quarter driving,  as Logan Lee connected with Alex Victor for a 14-yard pass on the final play of the frame to set up first down inside the Wittenberg 40.

Two plays into the second quarter, Lee found Dwaine Barber for a 17-yard reception, before a pass interference infraction on Wittenberg gave the Gators a first down on the Wittenberg 15. Passes to Ben Bachik and Tristan Rhoades would give Allegheny first-and-goal inside the five, before Lee capped off the drive by finding Victor over the middle in the back of the end zone for a four-yard touchdown. Zach Bednarowicz's extra point topped off the 13-play, 55-yard drive, and tied the game at 7-all with 9:03 left in the first half.

Kennedy opened the ensuing drive with a pair of completions for 16 yards to bring the ball into Allegheny territory, but after a costly penalty, the Tiger drive was snuffed out when Chase Balla and Marcus Davenport teamed up for a nine-yard sack on third down to force a Wittenberg punt.

The Gators went three-and-out on their next trip, and the Tigers countered with another lengthy drive to close out the half. Wittenberg would eventually advance inside the Allegheny five, but the Gator defense would hold, and the Tigers' Adam Aquista connected on a 21-yard field goal as time expired to take a 10-7 lead into the intermission.

Receiving the opening kick in the second half, the Tigers wasted little time in upping their lead. On the second play of the half, Kennedy hooked up with Jeff Kayser for a 40-yard pass that set up first down inside the Gator 30. Three plays later, Tiffner hauled in his second touchdown grab of the day, this one from 12 yards out, to put the Tigers up 17-7 with 12:21 left in the third quarter.

The Gators looked to counter with a productive drive. After completing a 16-yard pass to Barber and a nine-yarder to Austin French, Lee hooked up with Tristan Rhoades for a 31-yard gain that set up first down on the Wittenberg 11-yard line. After the drive stalled, Bednarowicz's 26-yard field goal on fourth down was blocked.  

The Tigers quickly cashed in on the blocked kick, as on the next play, Kennedy hit Thaddeus Snodgrass over the middle, and the receiver out-raced the defense for an 80-yard touchdown that put the visitors in front 24-7.

Allegheny was forced to punt on each of its next three trips, and the Tigers answered with points each time to close the quarter, as Kennedy threw a 52-yard touchdown to Liam Dugan and Aquista connected on a 21-yard field goal to up the lead to 34-7 at the close of the third quarter.

After Kennedy's fifth touchdown pass of the day, a 19-yarder to Dugan, pushed the lead to 41-7 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, the Gators mounted a successful drive on their penultimate possession of the afternoon.

Kobe Pinkney kept the drive alive when he rumbled for three yards on fourth-and-one at the Wittenberg 42, before Lee hooked up with French for a 13-yard pass that brought the ball inside the Tigers' 30.  A four-yard run from Pinkney, a three-yard keeper from Lee, and a four-yard pass to Victor gave the Gators first down at the Wittenberg 18, before Tyler Balla burst through the line and into the end zone for his fifth rushing touchdown of the season to close out the afternoon's scoring with 6:19 left to play.

Lee completed 17 passes for 155 yards, with Victor hauling in a team-best four catches for 22 yards, and Rhoades three receptions for a team-leading 49 yards. Balla ran for 46 yards to top Allegheny.

Defensively, Quinten Hunt posted a team-high eight tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage. Corey Laskey made seven stops, assisting on one tackle for loss, while Davenport totaled six tackles, one TFL, and a half sack.

Kennedy completed 21 of 31 passes for 378 yards and five touchdowns, with Tiffner making nine catches for 104 yards and two scores. The Gators limited Wittenberg to just 75 rushing yards on the day, with the Tigers' Nick Kendall gaining 47 to lead both teams. Michael Ford led the Wittenberg defense with nine tackles, while Daniels had six tackles, 2.5 TFL's, and 1.5 sacks in addition to his blocked kick.

The Gators will return to action on Sat. Oct. 20, traveling to Gambier, Ohio to take on NCAC foe Kenyon beginning at 2 p.m.