Late Touchdown Gives #18 Tartans a 27-20 Victory at Waynesburg

(WAYNESBURG, Pa.) – The 18th-ranked Carnegie Mellon University football team continued Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play with a 27-20 win at Waynesburg University on Saturday afternoon.

Game Information
#18 Carnegie Mellon 27, Waynesburg 20
Records: Carnegie Mellon (6-0, 4-0 PAC), Waynesburg (2-3, 1-2 PAC)
Location: Waynesburg, Pa. (John F. Wiley Stadium)

How it Happened

• Freshman Joey McGinnis IV scored on a 1-yard run midway through the second quarter to give the Tartans a 7-0 advantage. The score capped off a 14-play, 84-yard drive that took 7:10 off the clock.
• A Carnegie Mellon fumble recovery by junior Jacob Nash gave the ball to the Tartans on the Waynesburg 24-yard line. Five plays later, freshman Willem Bouma scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 10-yard run. The point-after failed and the score was 13-0 with 3:17 to play in the half.
• It took the Yellow Jackets two plays to answer the Tartans. Quarterback Tyler Raines connected with Dakota Romantino on a 52-yard catch-and-run to make the score 13-7.
• Waynesburg cut the deficit in half on an 18-yard field goal by Keegan Raabe in the final seconds of the second quarter as the teams went into the locker room with the score 13-10.
• At the 9:30 mark of the third quarter, Raabe connected on his second field goal of the game. His 28-yard kick knotted the score at 13-13.
• Carnegie Mellon responded with a 10-play, 98-yard drive that resulted in a 20-yard touchdown pass from junior Ben Mills to sophomore Ben Condemi. The Tartans regained the lead 20-13 with 3:44 on the clock in the third quarter.
• On Waynesburg ensuing possession, Raines and Romantino again connected on a long catch-and-run, this time a 73-yard touchdown tying the score at 20-20.
• With 1:09 on the clock in regulation and a third-and-goal from the 10-yard line, Mills found sophomore Dominic Voiland in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
• An interception by junior Adrian Williams with 19 seconds left in the contest on the Tartans 22-yard line sealed the win for the Cardinal and Gray.

Stats

• The Yellow Jackets had the slight edge in total yards with 380 to the Tartans 373.
• The Tartans rushed for a season-best 183 yards.
• Bouma led the Tartans with a career-high 147 yards rushing on 28 carries for an average of 5.3 yards per touch while adding a touchdown.
• Mills finished the game completing 19-31 for 190 yards and two touchdowns.
• Senior Kris Hughes and Voiland each finished with five receptions. Hughes had 50 yards and Voiland 49.
• Junior Robert Coury and sophomore Evan Roper led the Tartans defense with 11 tackles each. Coury had nine solo stops, 6.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks while having a pass breakup. Roper's 11 tackles was a career-high as eight of his stops were solo and he recorded 2.0 tackles for loss.
• Raines threw for 274 yards on 16-31 passing with Romantino his leading receiver with six catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

Game Notes

• The Tartans extend their winning streak to 13 straight games, the longest active in Division III.
• The 13 wins matches the school-record streak for most consecutive games won. The other 13-game winning streak spanned across the 1989 and 1990 seasons.
• The Tartans' 6-0 start is the first time the program has won its first six games of the season since 2006. It marks the 11th time in program history that a Tartan team has started the season with six straight wins.
• Carnegie Mellon has now won nine straight games when winning the takeaway battle.
• Kris Hughes has 1,589 career receiving yards and ranks fifth all-time. He needs 52 yards to move into fourth.

Thoughts From Head Coach Ryan Larsen

• "That was a team win! Although not the prettiest, and we have plenty to improve on from it, I was very proud of how our young men found a way to get the win. A lot of credit should go to Waynesburg, they are much improved and played very hard."

Up Next

• Carnegie Mellon will travel to Washington & Jefferson College on Saturday, October 15. Kick is set for 1:00 p.m.