MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Allegheny led at the end of both the first and second quarters, but was unable to hold on in a 28-19 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) defeat against Ohio Wesleyan on Blue & Gold Weekend 2021.
OWU got on the board first with a field goal at 8:27 of the first quarter following a goal-line stand by the Gators' defense. On the next drive, Allegheny marched 75 yards on 10 plays, capped with a 10-yard scoring strike from
Jack Johnson (Hingham, Mass./Hingham/Milford Academy) to a sliding
Mark Torsello (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) in the end zone with 5:06 left in the opening period.
The defense once again stepped up, forcing the Battling Bishops into a three-and-out and forcing a punt. On the opening play of the ensuing possession,
Tre Worship (East Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) broke free and scampered 75 yards for a score. The point after was missed and the Gators held a 13-3 lead before the first quarter was through. OWU scored the final eight points of the half on a safety thanks to a snap over punter
Marcus Wolf's (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) head and a blocked field goal returned 71 yards for a score. All told, the Gators held a 13-11 advantage at intermission.
In the third quarter, the Bishops scored 14 points to Allegheny's zero to make it 25-13, but the first play of the fourth period saw Johnson hit
Shane Cafardi (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) in stride for 79 yards to make it 25-19. OWU added a field goal late to set the final margin.
Defensively, Allegheny held NCAC-leading OWU to just 257 yards of total offense, 3.7 yards per play, 101 yards passing and 13 first downs.
Austin Ferguson (Creedmoor, N.C./South Granville) led all players with 12 tackles and had one of Allegheny's eight tackles for loss.
Hudson Alread (Victor, N.Y./Victor) added nine stops and 1.5 TFL, while
Jake Fedell (Allison Park, Pa./The Kiski School) (seven tackles),
Travis Dear (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) (six tackles) and
Maxwell Hammond (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes) (two tackles) all had sacks.
Johnson ended the game 24-of-40 for 243 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions. Cafardi's 79 yards topped all receivers, while Torsello had six grabs (for 53 yards) to pace the game. Worship finished with a career-best 111 yards on 13 totes, while
Kyrie Miller (Bolivar, Pa./Ligonier Valley) tallied 93 yards (a career high) on 14 rushes.
Allegheny will remain home next weekend when it hosts Kenyon at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2.
