Allegheny College Athletics

MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College football team took advantage of several Waynesburg University turnovers to overcome a sluggish start and defeat the Yellow Jackets, 38-20, on Blue and Gold Weekend at Frank B. Fuhrer '48 Field.

With Saturday's come-from-behind victory, the Gators (3-0, 1-0 PAC) continued their undefeated start to the year and improved to 3-0 to start a season for the first time in 17 years. The last time Allegheny opened with three consecutive wins was 2009, when the team went 8-2 and placed third in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings.

Although Allegheny was the favorite in their Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup, Waynesburg (0-3, 0-1 PAC) did all it could to put an end to the Gators' win streak. Neither offense looked their best, and the Yellow Jackets were the first to take a turnover to the house. After facing relentless blitz on Allegheny's first three drives, quarterback Carson Colucci (Brewster, Ohio/Fairless) was picked off by linebacker Joanes Polynice, who took it the distance for a 35-yard touchdown and an early 7-0 lead.

Waynesburg's lead lasted for most of the second quarter. However, on their seventh possession of the first half, the Gator offense finally found the end zone on an 11-play, 65-yard drive. Allegheny received a second life on a failed third-and-16 thanks to a roughing the passer flag, before Colucci connected with a diving Remington Rossow (West Palm Beach, Fla./Forest Hill) near the goal line for a 30-yard gain. Two plays later, he tied the game on a short completion to Steven Zerbe (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East).

The Yellow Jackets opened both the third and fourth quarters with go-ahead drives, but the Gators responded both times. The first momentum shift of the second half was a Coltin Colucci (Brewster, Ohio/Fairless) 37-yard pick-six in the third quarter. In the fourth, Micah Smith (Greensboro, N.C./Northern Guilford) was a shoelace tackle away from taking a kickoff all the way, but instead set up the Gators deep in Waynesburg territory with a 62-yard return. D'Ante Washington (Georgetown, S.C./Georgetown) punched in a third-and-goal carry on Allegheny's ensuing drive to jump back on top, 24-20. The next Waynesburg possession ended with a botched snap on a punt attempt that Cortlon Campbell (Rocky River, Ohio/Lutheran West) recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.

Three plays later, corner Ashton Chambers (Bluffton, S.C./Bluffton) sealed the win with another pick-six. Safety Chase Weirauch (Springdale, Pa./Springdale) could have added more salt to the wound with an interception 80 seconds later, but chose stop at the six-yard line so the offense could kneel the remaining time off the clock.

Inside the Box Score

• Offense wasn't the name of Saturday's game; Allegheny logged just 157 total yards to Waynesburg's 95.
• Allegheny averaged 2.9 yards per play, while Waynesburg was held to just 1.5 yards per play.
• Colucci was 16-of-30 for 167 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
• Waynesburg starting quarterback Luke Hudson was 17-of-32 for just 99 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
• Hudson's backup, Dominic Hickman, attempted three passes, but two resulted in interceptions.
• Coltin Colucci's interception return measured 37 yards, while Chambers needed 41 yards to score.
• Carson Colucci's top target was wide receiver Terran Mitchell (St. Louis, Mo./Affton), who had six catches for 72 yards.
• Zerbe caught Allegheny's first touchdown, one of three receptions for 29 yards.
• Washington carried the ball four times for three yards, including a goal line punch-in the fourth quarter.
• Linebackers Ryan Croston (Jefferson, Ohio/Pymatuning Valley) and Javi Edwards (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline) led the defense with eight and seven tackles, respectively. 
• Edge rusher Drew Evans (Erie, Colo./Erie ) had four tackles with a team-high two sacks.
• Polynice had a team-high six tackles for Waynesburg, including a sack, in addition to a 35-yard interception return.

News and Notes

• Allegheny's undefeated streak is alive at 3-0 following Saturday's win.
• The Gators are 3-0 to start a season for the first time since 2009.
• Allegheny improved to 4-1 in their last of five contests with Waynesburg.
• The Allegheny defense has held two of its three opponents to negative rushing yards.
• Waynesburg's 99 passing yards are the fewest allowed in a game since the Gators held Thiel College to 81 on September 20, 2025.
• The Gators have seven interceptions in three games to start the 2026 season.
• In his first year as a starting corner, Chambers has posted an interception in all three games.
• Coltin Colucci logged his third career interception and scored his third defensive touchdown.
• Weihrauch's interception was the first of his career.

Up Next
The Gators will look to defend their unbeaten streak when they travel to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, September 26, for a 1 p.m. showdown against Saint Vincent College.