Tartans Fast Start Leads to 34-7 Win at Saint Vincent

(LATROBE, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team traveled to Latrobe, Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon to play the Bearcats of Saint Vincent College in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action. The Tartans jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in a 34-7 win. It was the Tartans fifth straight win as they move to 6-2 overall and 6-1 in the PAC with the Bearcats now 4-4, 3-4.

The Tartans run defense once again was dominate holding the Bearcats to 0 yards on the ground. It marked the seventh game this season Carnegie Mellon has held its opponent to under 100 yards on the ground and the fifth straight holding the opposition under 50 yards rushing. During the five-game span the Tartans have allowed a total of 89 yards rushing.

Carnegie Mellon outgained Saint Vincent 333-208. Junior Zach Martens (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) and sophomore Logan Young (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) led the Tartans with each having a career-high seven tackles. Both recorded five solo and two assisted.

The Cardinal and Gray forced three turnovers with seniors Sean Knight (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) and Nick Cizik (Portland, Ore./Sunset) both recorded interceptions in the win. Knight now has 14 for his career which is tied for second most in program history. The senior needs one more to move into a tie for first and two to become the all-time leader alone.

Sophomore Ben Mills (The Woodland, Taxes/Woodlands) threw for 172 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-25. Senior Kris Hughes (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) led the Tartans with eight catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Tre Vasiliadis (Great Falls, Va./Langley) recorded his third 100-yard game this season as he carried the ball 24 times for 102 yards and three touchdowns.

Carnegie Mellon's first score of the game came on its opening possession. The Cardinal and Gray marched 72 yards on eight plays and took five minutes off the clock with the result in a 6-yard touchdown run by Vasiliadis. The extra-point made the score 7-0 with 4:51 to play in the first quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, freshman Nolan Pitsenberger (Earlysville, Va./Albemarle) recovered a fumble for the Tartans on the Bearcats 28-yard line. Three plays later, Vasiliadis scored on a 2-yard run to push the lead to 14-0.

Less than a minute into the second quarter, the Tartans extend the lead to 21-0. Carnegie Mellon faced a third-and-15 from the Bearcat 25-yard line and Mills connected with Hughes over the middle and then Hughes sprinted to the end zone after breaking a tackle.

Five minutes later and after the Tartans defense held Saint Vincent to a three-and-out, Vasiliadis scored his third rushing touchdown of the afternoon. The sophomores 1-yard plunge capped off a six-play, 68-yard drive that left the score 28-0.

With six minutes to play in the half, Saint Vincent got on the scoreboard when Brady Walker connected with Molayo Irefin for an 18-yard touchdown to make the score 28-7.

On the opening kickoff of the second half, the Tartans pushed their lead to 34-7, as sophomore Minwoo Eom (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue) returned the kick 90 yards for the score. It was the first kickoff return for a Tartans since 2018 when Rory Hubbard at a school record return of 95 yards against Saint Vincent.

Carnegie Mellon will return to Gesling Stadium on Saturday, November 6 when the 24th-ranked Presidents of Washington & Jefferson College travel to Pittsburgh for a 1:00 p.m. kick.