#20 Tartans Win School Record 14th Straight Defeating Washington & Jefferson 12-7

(WASHINGTON, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team, ranked 20th nationally, traveled to Washington, Pennsylvania, to play the Presidents of Washington & Jefferson College. The Tartans strong second half lifted them to a 12-7 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory.

Game Information
Carnegie Mellon 12, W&J 7
Records: Carnegie Mellon (7-0, 5-0 PAC), W&J (5-2, 3-2 PAC)
Location: Washington, Pa. (Cameron Stadium)

How it Happened

• With three minutes remaining in the first half, W&J scored the only points of the half to take a 7-0 lead. On a 4th-and-1 from the Tartans' 41-yard line, Jacob Pugh faked a quarterback draw, stepped back and found Keaton Hall in the flat. Hall then sprinted down the sideline for the score.
• The Tartans got on the scoreboard with 6:56 to play in the third quarter when graduate student placekicker Cole Hanna capped off a 10-play drive with a 33-yard field goal. Hanna's boot made the score 7-3.
• Hanna made the score 7-6 with 9:45 to play in the contest after connecting on a 29-yard field goal.
• Carnegie Mellon junior Logan Young intercepted Colton Jones at the W&J 42-yard line and returned it for a touchdown. The Tartans two-point attempt failed and the score was 12-7 with 7:59 to play.
• An interception by sophomore Vincent Ceci with 16 seconds left in the contest sealed the win for the Cardinal and Gray.

Stats

• After being held to 33 yards of total offense in the first half, Carnegie Mellon racked up 188 in the second and finished with 221 yards.
• The Presidents' totaled 225 yards of offense in the first half and then the Tartans held them to 55 in the second while W&J finished with 280 yards.
• Freshman Willem Bouma rushed for 126 yards on 24 carries for an average of 5.2 yards per carry after being held to 25 yards in the first half.
• Defensively, junior Thomas Coury led the Tartans with a game-high 12 tackles. He also added a sack, 2.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup, forced a fumble and blocked a field goal early in the first half.
• Jacob Pugh passed for 179 yards and a touchdown for the Presidents.
• Ian Hansen had 11 receptions for 95 yards to lead W&J.

Game Notes

• The Tartans extend their winning streak to 14 straight games, the longest active in Division III.
• The 14 wins is the longest winning streak in program history.
• The win for the Tartans is the first since 1982 at W&J when the Tartans won 15-12.
• The Tartans' 7-0 start is the first time the program has won its first seven games of the season since 2006. It marks the eighth time in program history that a Tartan team has started the season with seven straight wins.
• Young's pick six marked the fourth for Carnegie Mellon this season.
• Carnegie Mellon has won 13 straight games when scoring a special teams or defensive touchdown.
• Carnegie Mellon has now won 10 straight games when winning the takeaway battle.
• Junior Ben Mills moved into 10th in program history in career passing yards with 2,700. He needs 35 to move into ninth and 123 for eighth.

Thoughts From Head Coach Ryan Larsen

• "I'm just incredibly proud of our team after a hard-fought win on the road, versus a tough opponent in W&J. Some will say we just survive games, but I'd like to give credit to our players as they just find a way to win for each other. 1-0 this week was the goal and will be again next week!"

Up Next

• Carnegie Mellon will entertain Geneva College in the 10th Annual Cindy Lackner Game on Saturday, October 22. Kick is set for 7:00 p.m. on the turf at Gelsing Stadium.