Waynesburg drops opener to Muskingum, 17-16
WAYNESBURG — In a back-and-forth contest to kick off the 2016 season, the Waynesburg University football team couldn’t come up with enough big plays in the final 15 minutes and dropped their season opener, 17-16, to Muskingum University Saturday afternoon at John F. Wiley Stadium.
With the loss, Waynesburg’s four-game winning streak against Muskingum is snapped. The Yellow Jackets still lead the all-time series 10-8.
“It’s a big win for our program,” Muskingum coach Al Logan said. “Waynesburg has had our number the last couple of seasons. We are a young team and these kids were hungry for a win today. Our defense was strong and we made some big stops late. The offense was hit-or-miss, but we just made enough plays for the win.”
Trailing 17-14 at the start of the fourth quarter, Waynesburg trimmed the deficit to a single point after defensive tackle Brad Grinnen recorded a sack for a safety at the 9:11 mark of the period.
After both teams traded empty possessions, the Yellow Jackets (0-1) were mounting a late drive that brought the ball down to the 15-yard line.
After two incomplete passes, Waynesburg opted to go for a 32-yard field goal, but Garret Guthrie’s kick ricocheted off the left side of the upright with 1:22 left in the game.
The Muskies (1-0) took a couple of quarterback kneel downs to preserve the win and get out of town with the non-conference triumph.
Muskingum took the early lead in the first quarter, capitalizing on a fumble by the home team at the 16-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Griffin Degener found tailback Jordan Scanlon for a 10-yard scoring toss at the 5:08 mark of the opening period.
The Muskies extended their advantage to 10-0 after a 33-yard field goal by Cody Dent with 7:30 left in the second stanza.
Waynesburg’s offense finally awoke in the late stages of the second quarter when the Jackets put together a nine-play, 48-yard drive that ended with a two-yard pass to running back Alec Watts from signal caller Jake Dougherty with 48 seconds left in the first half.
“We struggled a little and were disjointed on offense early in the game,” Waynesburg coach Rick Shepas said. “We spread them out and got in some rushing lanes. We kicked up the tempo and we got into the game. That final drive in the first half was huge for our confidence. We are learning and we are still learning which grouping and personnel is going to work for us.”
After muffing the opening kickoff at the two-yard line, Waynesburg got out of the shadows of its own end zone with a 43-yard run by Ben Ciero.
Three plays later, Dougherty found a streaking Mitch Kendra down the middle of the field for a 52-yard touchdown pass and Waynesburg’s first lead, 14-10, minutes into the third quarter.
Muskingum quickly responded less than two minutes later, as Degener found Damon Jones for a 42-yard scoring toss for a 17-14 lead.
Ciero was the leading rushing in the contest with 73 yards on 12 carries. Dougherty ended his day with 203 yards on 21-of-39 passes. Kendra was the leading receiver with four receptions for 112 yards.
“We slowed them down early in the first half,” Logan said. “Our line was strong and our young secondary was up to the task. This was a team win. All three phases chipped in today. We played hard and used our talent. We need to get better, but I like that we got the win today.”
Zach Machuga collected a team-high eight tackles with a sack and 3陆 tackles for loss. Tristan Sandrosky recorded seven stops, while Grinnen ended his day with four sacks.
“I liked our defensive effort,” Shepas said. “Our line was dominant at times and got some sacks. We had the right rotation and kept them off-balance. We blew a coverage on their first touchdown and then they got the long pass in the third quarter. We are fine on defense.”
Waynesburg hits the road Saturday against Westminster. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.