MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Undefeated and No. 23 nationally-ranked Grove City College earned a 31-7 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory over the Allegheny College football team on chilly and rainy Saturday evening at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.

Facing a nationally-ranked opponent for the second time in the past three weeks, the Gators (2-5, 2-5 PAC) struggled to slow down Grove City's (7-0, 7-0 PAC) overpowering run game. The Wolverines ran the ball 41 times compared to only 10 pass attempts, and averaged nearly seven yards a carry. Starting tailback Nico Flati conducted the majority of the ground attack with 186 yards and two of Grove City's four touchdowns.

Allegheny showed signs of life in the first half, but its first two possessions ended with turnovers. On the first offensive drive, Jack Johnson (Hingham, Mass./Hingham/Milford Academy) made several impressive throws to Austin Williams (Warsaw, N.Y./Warsaw Central), Ian Durci (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell), and Kyrie Miller (Bolivar, Pa./Ligonier Valley) for gains of 16, 13, and 12 yards, respectively. On a 1st-and-10 from the Grove City 24-yard line, however, Johnson lost the ball on a strip sack. The following drive featured a 25-yard scramble by Johnson, which helped the Gators flip the field after starting deep in their own territory. Alas, the possession ended with a turnover on downs.

Grove City built a 24-0 lead before halftime, but the second half was a more even battle. After pitching a second-half shutout last weekend at Washington and Jefferson College, the Allegheny defense only allowed one third-quarter touchdown and surrendered no points in the fourth.

Roughing the passer and pass interference penalties against the Wolverines helped Allegheny piece together its only scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Miller capped the seven-play, 68-yard series with an 11-yard touchdown run.

Despite the loss, Johnson achieved a major milestone in his third season as Allegheny's starting quarterback. With 247 yards against Grove City, he eclipsed the 6,000-yard mark for his career, surpassing Bubba Smith '04 (5,881) for third place in team history. With 6,067 passing yards, Johnson joins exclusive company as only the third Allegheny quarterback to surpass 6,000 yards, joining  Logan Lee '19 (7,191) and TJ Salopek '11 (7,897).

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny finished with a five-minute advantage in time of possession, but Grove City had more yards of offense, 391-to-263.
• Most of Allegheny's yards came through the air, as Johnson finished 25-of-41 (61.0%) for 247 yards.
• On the other hand, the Wolverines did more damage on the ground with 280 rushing yards.
• Declan O'Brien (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) led all receivers with eight catches for 89 yards.
• Williams had seven receptions for 67 yards.
• Durci, who nearly broke off a kick return for a score, ended with five catches for 45 yards.
• Miller, who ran for 31 yards, added 40 receiving yards.
• Flati and Clayton Parrish each ran for two touchdowns for the Wolverines.
• Nigel Williams (Buffalo, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) logged a team-leading nine tackles, followed by David Marquez (Chandler, Ariz./Basha) with seven.

News and Notes

• Grove City has won two in a row against Allegheny, extending its slight lead in the series to 33-31-7.
• Johnson moved into third-place all-time in Allegheny history with 6,067 career passing yards.
• Johnson surpassed Bubba Smith '04 (5,881), becoming only the third Gator to reach the 6,000-yard milestone.
• With 986 receiving yards this season, O'Brien needs only 14 more yards to record just the third 1,000-yard season in team history.
• Nigel Williams, Marquez, Ja'Karri Young (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid), and Chase Smith (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) each posted career highs in tackles.

Up Next
The Gators will travel to New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, for a PAC matchup at Westminster College on Saturday, October 28. The opening kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. under the lights.