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Allegheny College Athletics

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Jack Johnson, Allegheny College football vs. Union, Sept. 3, 2022. Photo by Ed Mailliard.
Ed Mailliard
21
Allegheny ALL 2-4 , 1-3
35
Winner Geneva GEN 1-4 , 1-2
Allegheny ALL
2-4 , 1-3
21
Final
35
Geneva GEN
1-4 , 1-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ALL Allegheny 7 0 7 7 21
GEN Geneva 7 14 0 14 35

Game Recap: Football |

Football Sets Program Record in Loss at Geneva

BEAVER FALLS, Pa. -- The Allegheny College football scored the first points in Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest and set a new program record in the third quarter, but the Gators fell, 35-21, on the road against Geneva College at Reeves Field.

The Gators (2-4, 1-3 PAC) got off to a strong start in the first two possessions, as they scored a big-play touchdown on their opening drive and stuffed the Golden Tornadoes (1-4, 1-2 PAC) on a fourth-and-2 play at midfield to halt Geneva's first drive. Third-year quarterback Jack Johnson (Hingham, Mass./Hingham/Milford Academy) and classmate Declan O'Brien (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) turned a third-and-11 from the Allegheny 39-yard line into a 61-yard score for the first touchdown of the contest. Lined on the right side of the shotgun formation, O'Brien simply raced by Richard Ray and beat the Geneva defensive back in a foot race to the end zone. Two minutes later, the Gators stopped Josh Syster for no gain on a fourth-down run at the 50.

Despite the early momentum, Allegheny turned the ball over on two of its next three drives. Meanwhile, the Golden Tornadoes' option offense began to find a groove. Geneva tied the game at 7-all before the end of the first quarter and carried a 21-7 lead into the halftime intermission.

Just like the start of the first half, the Gators opened the second half with a highlight-reel scoring play. A perfect punt by Geneva's Eduardo Santiago backed the Allegheny offense to the 1-yard line, but senior tailback Tre Worship (East Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) set a new program record with a 99-yard rushing touchdown on the first play of the drive. Lined up in the shotgun, Worship took the handoff up the middle, hit the A-gap between center Carson Messemer (Schenectady, N.Y./Schalmont) and right guard Alex Rogowski (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca East), and went untouched for the length of the field until he was tripped-up crossing the goal line. The play represents the longest rushing touchdown in Allegheny history and the longest since Gerald Watson went for 96-yards against Dickinson University in 1948.

Geneva extended its lead to 35-14 with 10:38 to play in the fourth quarter. With a sense of urgency, Johnson hit Levi Swartz (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) for 20 yards and Worship for 28 more before completing a 15-yard touchdown to O'Brien in the back corner of the end zone. The drive took less than a minute off the clock, and was followed by a three-and-out by Geneva. However, Johnson was intercepted in the end zone on Allegheny's next drive while trying to find O'Brien on a hitch-n-go route down the left side. The Golden Tornadoes ran the remaining five-and-a-half minutes off the clock to seal the win.

Inside the Box Score
  • The Gators produced 390 yards of total offense and led both teams with 7.1 yards per play.
  • Johnson completed 15-of-27 (55.6%) for a game-high 228 yards with two scores and two interceptions.
  • Worship was responsible for 118 of Allegheny's 162 rushing yards, highlighted by the 99-yard touchdown.
  • Worship was one of three 100-yard rushers in the game, as Geneva's Brutus Ogilvie (135) and Logan Kent (100) both reached the mark.
  • O'Brien led all Gators with seven catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
  • Hudson Alread (Victor, N.Y./Victor) paced the AC defense with 16 total tackles against Geneva's run-first offense.
  • David Babb (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Chaminade Madonna) also reached double-digits with 10 tackles.

News and Notes
  • The Allegheny offense finished with its second-highest totals of 2022 in both passing (228) and rushing (162) yards.
  • Worship surpassed 100 yards on the ground for the third time in his career.
  • Through six games in 2022, Worship has a new single-season career-high with 493 rushing yards.
  • Worship's 99-yard run is only the second in PAC history and the first since 1956.
  • Johnson tossed multiple touchdowns in a game for the eighth time in his career.
  • O'Brien's 101 yards receiving are tied for the second-most in a game in his career, while Saturday's contest marks his second with multiple touchdowns.
  • Alread's 16 tackles are a single-game career-high.

Up Next
The Gators return to Frank B. Fuhrer Field for a three-game homestand, which begins on Saturday, October 15. That night at 7:00 p.m., Allegheny will host Grove City College under the lights.


 
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