MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Allegheny rolled up nearly 500 yards of total offense and saw six different players find the end zone as it opened up the 2021 football campaign with a decisive, 42-14, win over Thiel in nonconference action at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.

Sophomore quarterback Jack Johnson (Hingham, Mass./Hingham/Milford Academy) tossed four touchdown passes in his collegiate debut, junior wide receiver Shane Cafardi (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) went over 100 yards receiving (8 receptions, 103 yards, TD), and junior linebacker Austin Ferguson (Creedmoor, N.C./South Granville) led the Gators in tackles (7) and returned an interception for a touchdown in the win.

Other bright spots saw the running game put up 252 yards on 48 attempts, led by John Ian Duron (Coral Springs, Fla./J.P. Taravella) rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown on 13 totes. Christian Calle (Waterbury, Conn./Career Academy) finished second on the team with 67 yards on just four carries, highlighted by a 69-yard run that saw him stopped four yards from the end zone.

After a scoreless first quarter, Johnson started the scoring in the second period when he hit senior wide receiver Mark Torsello (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) for an 18-yard scoring strike 1:48 into the second. Allegheny eventually got the ball back at its own six-yard line with 5:47 to go in the half, but marched 94 yards on 13 plays, capped by a 22-yard pass from Johnson to senior tight end Jack Parker (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane) with 49 seconds remaining, that allowed the home team to take a 14-0 lead into intermission.

Following a three-and-out forced by the defense early in the second half, Allegheny took over at its own 31 and used 10 plays to cover the necessary 69 yards, ending with Johnson and Cafardi hooking up for a 30-yard touchdown near the midway point of the quarter, 21-0. Thiel would get on the board before the end of the frame, but the Gators still held a 21-7 lead through 45 minutes.

A wrap-around drive closed out the third and started the fourth quarter that saw Allegheny run 14 plays and take 6:58 off the clock, but the drive stalled and senior Marcus Wolf (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) was called upon to punt and pinned the Tomcats at their own six-yard line. After another three-and-out and just a 10-yard punt from Thiel, Allegheny needed just one play to cover the 31 yards it took over as Johnson found senior Anthony Steinpreis (Tempe, Ariz./Marcos De Niza) for the score. That drive was the first of three straight with scores that would set the eventual final margin. Thiel responded by reaching paydirt through the air, 28-14, but then on the third play of the ensuing possession, Duron raced 57 yards for a touchdown to stretch the lead back to three scores. The very first play of Thiel's next drive was picked off by Ferguson, who jetted 41 yards untouched for the final tally.

Sophomore defensive back Justin Campbell (Buffalo, N.Y./Bennet) finished second on the team with six stops and had one of Allegheny's three interceptions. Classmate corner Azariah Beaugard (Santa Clarita, Calif./Saugus) recorded the other, along with Ferguson's pick-six. The Gators finished with four tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks, one by junior defensive lineman Maxwell Hammond (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes) and the other by junior defensive lineman Ocean Parodie (Parkland, Fla./Marjory Stoneman Douglas). As a team, Allegheny held Thiel under 300 yards of total offense, surrendering 296, and only 53 net rushing yards, and kept the Tomcats to just 3-of-14 on third downs. The Gators also held a more than seven-minute advantage in time of possession, 33:48-26:12.

Allegheny will open up its final season of North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) competition with a pair of road games, beginning with a 3 p.m. kickoff in Granville, Ohio on Saturday, Sept. 11 when the Gators take on Denison.