MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College football team kicked off the 2022 season with a tough 42-27 loss to Union College (N.Y.) on Saturday at Community Day 2022, presented by ERIEBANK at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.

The Dutchmen (1-0), who received votes in both the D3football.com and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) preseason polls, brought an impressive run game with them across the New York-Pennsylvania border. Union netted 342 yards on the ground and had four players amass at least 67 rushing yards. As a result, the Dutchmen outgained Allegheny (0-1) in total offense, 462 yards to 274.

The contest started in a promising fashion for the Gators, who received an explosive 68-yard kick return from Levi Swartz (Greenville, Pa./Greenville). Swartz's return moved the ball deep into Union territory, which helped set Garrett Paxton (Freedom, Pa./Freedom Area) up for a 15-yard field goal for the afternoon's first points. However, the Dutchmen scored 21 unanswered points, including a pair of rushing touchdowns by quarterback Donovan Pacatte, and led 21-6 at halftime.

The Gators showed plenty of life in the later stages of Saturday's non-conference matchup. Trailing 35-6 with 4:36 remaining in the third quarter, Jack Johnson (Hingham, Mass./Milford Academy) rolled out of the pocket to the left and found Declan O'Brien (Irwin, Pa./Norwin), who made a leaping snag and a shaky move to reach the end zone.

Defensive end Maxwell Hammond (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes) set up Allegheny's next scoring drive by intercepting a lazy pass near the line of scrimmage by Pacatte. Hammond raced 44 yards down the sideline into the red zone, and back-to-back runs by John Ian Duron (Coral Springs, Fla./J.P. Taravella) put six on the board less than 30 seconds later.

In the closing minutes, second-year quarterback Trevor Brncic (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional) marched the Gators down the field on a 15-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a 25-yard toss to Hunter Lohr (Bowdoinham, Maine/Mt. Ararat).

Inside the Box

• Allegheny gained 214 yards through the air and 60 more on the ground for 274 total yards.
• Union added 120 yards on 12 pass attempts to go along with 342 rushing yards.
• Despite converting only 4-of-19 third-down tries, Allegheny was 5-of-6 on fourth down.
• The Gators were efficient in the red zone, turning all four visits into touchdowns.
• Johnson collected 115 yards on 16-of-31 passing with one touchdown.
• Brncic took over in the second half and went 9-of-16 with 99 yards and a score.
• Worship paced all Gators with 59 rushing yards on 16 carries.
• O'Brien hauled in six catches for 69 yards with one touchdown.
• Union's Pacatte, who threw a trio of touchdowns, ran for a game-high 98 yards with two scores.
• Travis Dear (Webster, N.Y./Wester Schroeder) recorded a game-best 10 tackles, followed by Vital Joseph II (Humble, Texas/Summer Creek) and David Babb (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Chaminade Madonna) with seven apiece.
• Paxton was a perfect 2-for-2 on field goals.

News and Notes

• Saturday's game was the first-ever between Allegheny and Union.
• Dating back to 2021, Johnson has thrown at least one touchdown in four consecutive games.
• Brncic's 99 yards represent his second-highest single-game total.
• Duron's rushing touchdown was the second of his collegiate career.
• Lohr, a three-year member of the Allegheny baseball team, caught four passes for 36 yards and a touchdown in his first-ever game.
• Samuel Caito (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy), a true freshman defensive back, was among team leaders with six total tackles in his debut.
• The interception was a career first for Hammond.

Up Next
On Saturday, September 10, Allegheny makes its return to the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) with a 1:00 p.m. road game against Thiel College.