CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind.—A big second quarter by 21
st-ranked Wabash College proved to be too much for the Allegheny College football team as they fell 54-17 on the road Saturday (Nov. 3).
The Gators answered an opening drive Wabash touchdown with one of their own, but the Little Giants outscored the Gators 27-3 the rest of the second half to pull away.
The Little Giants (8-1, 7-1 NCAC) totaled 590 yards of total offense, with 426 coming on the ground as they defeated the Gators (5-4, 5-3 NCAC).
Tyler Balla led the way for the Gator rushing game, netting 131 yards on the ground. It marked his fifth 100-yard performance of the season.
Logan Lee completed 19-of-35 passes for 237 yards.
Alex Victor caught 12 of those passes for 159 yards. The 12 receptions tied Victor for the fourth most in a single game for the Gators. Victor also scored both Gator touchdowns on the ground.
Wabash received the opening kickoff and strung together a nine-play, 66-yard drive over the opening four minutes, culminating in an eight-yard Jake Reid pass to Ra'Shawn Jones.
The Gators were quick to respond.
Chase Balla took the ensuing kickoff a season-high 74-yards down the field to the Wabash 12-yard line. Four plays later on 3
rd-and-8, Victor carried the ball in from 10-yards out. A
Zach Bednarowicz extra point tied the game at seven.
The next Little Giant drive was capped off by a 36-yard touchdown pass from Reid to Jones to push their lead to 14-7 midway through the opening quarter.
The next two drives ended in three-and-outs.
Heading into the second quarter, the Gators were driving down the field, but Brock Heffron stepped in front of a Lee pass to end the drive. Wabash took advantage of the Gator miscue as four plays later, Isaac Avant scored on a run from nine-yards out. The Little Giants missed the extra point attempt, but their lead grew to 20-7.
After holding the Gators to a three-and-out, the Little Giants scored their fourth touchdown of the half. A six-play, 60-yard drive ended with a Reid 31-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Thomas, making it 27-7.
The Gators answered with a long 15 play drive.
Tyler Balla accounted for 38 of the 64 yards on the drive which ended in a Bednarowicz 22-yard field goal, cutting the lead to 27-10. The field goal was Bednzrowicz's 12
th of the season, which ties him for the second most in a single season for the Gators.
The Little Giants were pinned at their own two-yard line on the kickoff, but Avant broke through on the first play for a 98-yard touchdown to close the scoring for the half.
The first drive of the second half for Allegheny ended in an interception by Jamari Washington, which was returned to the Gator 11-yard line. Three plays later, Avant lunged in from two-yards out to make it 41-10.
After forcing a Gator punt, the Little Giants tacked on another rushing touchdown, this time from Micah Walker from one-yard out. Wabash would score their final touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter on a two-yard Tanner Skeel run.
The Gators responded on the following drive with another Victor rushing touchdown. Balla once again proved to be a force on the drive accounting for 41 rushing yards. Victor capped off the eight-play, 69-yard drive with a seven-yard score.
Tristan Rhoades and
Dwaine Barber hauled in three passes apiece for 33 and 23 yards, respectively.
Balla averaged 4.9 yards per carry on his 27 attempts. Victor added 12 yards on three carries.
Defensively,
Francisco Guzman led the way for the Gators with 11 total tackles.
Kyle McGee totaled seven tackles while
Quinten Hunt and
Chase Balla had six apiece.
Bryan Lopez provided the lone Gator sack.
Chase Balla totaled 99 kickoff return yards.
Avant led the Little Giant offense with 229 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries. Reid threw for 164 yards and three touchdowns.
The Gators return to Meadville to close out the season next Saturday (Nov. 10) against Oberlin College.
