#17 Tartans Record Second Straight Shutout with 38-0 Win Over Saint Vincent

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team, ranked 17th nationally, opened its home schedule with a 38-0 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory over the Bearcats of Saint Vincent on Saturday afternoon.

Game Information
Carnegie Mellon 38, Saint Vincent 0
Records: Carnegie Mellon (2-0, 2-0 PAC), Saint Vincent (0-2, 0-2 PAC)
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. (Gesling Stadium)

How it Happened

• Four minutes into the game senior signal caller Ben Mills connected with senior Brian Stacy on a 10-yard strike to give the Tartans the early 7-0 edge.
• The score came four plays after a recovered punt by long snapper Kevin O'Brien on a punt.
• Senior Tre Vasiliadis made the score 14-0 six minutes later, as he capped off a 10-play 64-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown scamper.
• Sophomore Joey McGinnis IV put the home team ahead 28-0 with 2:12 to play in the first half after recording 1-yard and 2-yard touchdown runs. The latter score capped of a 17-play, 77-yard drive that took 8:13 of the clock.
• Before the half ended, Mills tossed his second touchdown of the game when he found junior Domonic Voiland on a 4-yard strike in the back of the endzone. The point after attempt by sophomore Justin Caputo gave the Tartans a 35-0 lead at the half.
• The only scoring in the final 30 minutes of action came on a 22-yard field goal by Caputo on the Tartans first drive of the second half.

Stats

• Carnegie Mellon totaled 406 yards of offense while holding Saint Vincent to 164 yards, including 34 rushing yards.
• The Tarans forced three interceptions with two coming from senior Kevin Arcia. The senior also finished with two solo tackles.
• Sophomore Connor Warren turned in a career day with eight tackles, six solo, to lead Carnegie Mellon.
• Classmate Leighton Tarke recorded a career-high of six tackles.
• The Tartans defense recorded 12 tackles for a loss on the afternoon with senior Eric Hoeffel leading with 2.0.
• Mills ended the game completing 21-of-29 for 216 yards and two touchdowns.
• Senior Kaveh Wojtowich led the Tartan receivers with six catches for 57 yards.
• Vassiliadis ended the game with 52 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown.

Game Notes

• The Tartans lead the all-time series over Saint Vincent 10-5-1.
• Carnegie Mellon has now won the last six meetings and seven of the last eight over the Bearcats.
• The Tartans have now won 17 straight PAC games.
• The Cardinal and Gray extend their regular season win streak to 19 games.
• The Tartans have won 14 straight games when holding their opponent to under 300 yards of total offense.
• The Tarans have now recorded two shutouts in back-to-back seasons. Prior to last season, the last time that occurred was in 2006.
• It is the first time since 1983 the Cardinal and Gray have recorded back-to-back shutouts.
• McGinnis IV now has nine career touchdowns on 11 carries. He has four touchdowns this season on four touches.

Thoughts From Head Coach Ryan Larsen

"I'm incredibly proud of how our guys came out the gates and played in the first half. They were focused from the opening kickoff and set the tone for the game.

Another huge shoutout to our defense for pitching a shutout versus a very different offense than last week. It was awesome watching our backup defensive guys preserve the shutout in the final moments of the game.

We still have a lot of room to grow and improve as a team, but that was an exciting win for our program!"

Up Next

• Carnegie Mellon will return to the gridiron on Saturday, September 16 when Waynesburg University travels to Pittsburgh. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. on the turf at Gesling Stadium.