MEADVILLE, Pa. -- A late comeback attempt was stalled as Allegheny dropped a 29-19 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) decision against Wittenberg at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.

The Gators struck first when Jack Johnson (Hingham, Mass./Hingham/Milford Academy) connected with Anthony Steinpreis (Tempe, Ariz./Marcos De Niza) from 15 yards out to cap a seven-play, 58-yard drive at 7:42 of the opening quarter. The drive was initiated by the Gators defense forcing a three-and-out on Wittenberg's first drive of the game.

A touchdown and field goal by the Tigers in the second quarter allowed the guests to take a 10-7 lead into intermission. Wittenberg built the lead to 17-7 on its opening drive of the second half and added another nine points throughout the period to hold a 26-7 lead through 45 minutes.

With 6:31 to play, Johnson connected with Vaun Ross (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) for a four-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion attempt failed and Allegheny was behind 26-13. Wittenberg pushed the lead back out to 16 points at 5:23 and the final score of the game came when Johnson hit Declan O'Brien (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) from 18 yards out.

O'Brien was the leading receiver for Allegheny, hauling in nine passes for 101 yards, his first career 100-yard game. Ross caught six balls for 79 yards and Steinpreis had four grabs for 67 yards. Mark Torsello (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) hauled in three passes for 58 yards. Johnson finished 36-of-50 for 376 yards and three scores. The 376 yards marked a career high and his second 300 yard game of the year.

Hudson Alread (Victor, N.Y./Victor) led all players with 10 tackles (including 0.5 for losses). Austin Ferguson (Creedmoor, N.C./South Granville), LJ Orbovich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Carrick) and Maxwell Hammond (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes) were tied for second on the team and had seven tackles. Hammond recorded 2.5 TFL and 2.0 sacks.

Allegheny will play its final NCAC road game on Saturday, Nov. 6 when it travels to Wooster for a 1 p.m. kickoff.