#16 Tartans Have Successful Senior Day in 63-10 Win Over Allegheny

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team, ranked 16th nationally, hosted the Gators of Allegheny College for a President's Athletic Conference (PAC) match-up Saturday on Richard M. Lackner Field at Gesling Stadium. The Tartans celebrated Senior Day, recognizing the team's veterans for their accomplishments and contributions to the program. A complete team effort in the first half put the Tartans out far ahead and gave them momentum for a 63-10 victory.

Game Information
Carnegie Mellon 63, Allegheny 10
Records: Carnegie Mellon (8-1, 8-1 PAC), Allegheny (1-8, 1-8 PAC)
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. (Richard M. Lackner Field at Gesling Stadium)

How it Happened

• Carnegie Mellon opened the scoring behind the legs of graduate student running back Tre Vasiliadis, who powered in from 13 yards to cap a six-play, 71-yard drive of 2:52 to go ahead 7-0 with 12:08 left in the first quarter. 

• Following a recovered fumble by graduate student Logan Young, the Tartans found the endzone again on a quick three-yard strike from graduate student quarterback Ben Mills to Vasiliades to go up 14-0 at the 11:27 mark.
• After a second forced turnover by a Young, this time an interception, Tartan junior running back Willem Bouma scampered in from three yards to close a seven-play, 46-yard drive of 3:52, setting the score at 21-0 with 6:13 left in the first.
• Later in the first, Mills leaped in for a one-yard score to cap a two-play, eight-yard drive of eight seconds to extend the lead to 28-0 to close the quarter.
• With 9:04 left in the half, Allegheny senior kicker Garrett Paxton got the Gators on the scoreboard with a 28-yard field goal to set the score at 28-3.
• Carnegie Mellon revisited the endzone on a quick pass from Mills to sophomore wide receiver Brendan McCullough who ran it in from 28 yards to finish a five-play, 59-yard drive of 1:48 to go further ahead 35-3 with 7:16 left in the half.
• In the closing minutes of the first half, Mills found Bouma on a six-yard touchdown pass to cap a five-play, 59-yard drive of 47 seconds to set the score at 42-3 going into halftime.
• To begin the half, the Tartan defense added to the scoresheet with a 50-yard pick-six from Young, increasing the lead to 49-3 with 12:43 left in the third.
• The Tartans scored once again on a 10-yard strike from junior quarterback Joey McGinnis IV to senior wide receiver Will Squibb, topping off an eight-play, 55-yard drive of 4:04 to go further up 56-3 with 7:13 left in the third quarter.
• McGinnis IV found the endzone again on a 19-yard strike to sophomore running back DJ Johnson, capping a 10-play, 70-yard drive of 5:31 to extend the lead to 63-3 to close the third.
• The Gators responded with a seven-play, 63-yard drive of 3:04, capped by a 2-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Trevor Brncic with a tip-drill catch from junior wide receiver Chris Gisewhite, setting the score at 63-10. This closed the scoring for the game.

Stats

• The Tartans outgained the Gators 460-199 on 63 and 62 offensive plays, respectively. Of the Tartans' offensive yards, 309 came from the ground and 165 came through the air. Carnegie Mellon held the Gators to -26 yards on the ground.
• Vasiliades led the Tartans on the ground with 104 yards on 12 carries for an average of 8.7 yards per carry and add a touchdown. He had six yards receiving on two catches and a touchdown through the air, as well.
• Mills led the Tartans' passing game with 127 yards on 11-of-14 completions for three touchdowns with an interception. He added 26 yards on five carries and a touchdown on the ground.
• McCullough led the Tartans' receiving corps with 64 yards on six catches and a touchdown.
• Five Tartans led the defense with five tackles each: Young, junior linebacker Leighton Tarke, junior defensive back Jacob Franze, junior linebacker Connor Warren and senior linebacker Evan Roper.
• Tartan junior kicker Justin Caputo finished the game with a perfect 8/8 on PATs.

Game Notes

• The Tartan defense set a new single-game record for rushing yards allowed by holding the Gators offense to -26 yards on the ground. The previous record was -16 against Westminster last year.
• Young became tied for fourth with current Tartan coach Andy Helms on the all-time interceptions list with 13 total. He needs three to become the all-time leader.
• Vasiliades turned in his 14th career 100-yard game for the Tartans.
• The Tartans have won 24 games straight when holding their opponents to under 300 totals yards of offense.
• The Tartans have won 22 games straight when scoring a special teams/defensive touchdown.

Thoughts From Head Coach Ryan Larsen

• "I am incredibly proud of not only our team and our performance today, but how we did it for our 26 seniors. Those seniors have raised the standards in everything that we do in our program, and I couldn't be prouder of how they have set our program up for future success. We know we have a great challenge coming up this week against Case Western Reserve and cannot wait to get back to work tomorrow!"

Up Next

The Tartans will travel to Cleveland, Ohio for the 38th annual Academic Bowl against the Spartans of Case Western Reserve University. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.