#15 Tartans Stay Perfect with 41-10 Win Over Waynesburg

1. (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The 15th-ranked Carnegie Mellon University football team hosted Waynesburg University on Saturday afternoon at Gesling Stadium in Pittsburgh. The Tartans moved to 3-0 on the season with a 41-10 victory while the Yellow Jackets are now 0-3.

Game Information
Carnegie Mellon 41, Waynesburg 10
Records: Carnegie Mellon (3-0, 3-0 PAC), Waynesburg (0-3, 0-3 PAC)
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. (Gesling Stadium)

How it Happened

• On the first play of the game, senior Eric Hoeffel forced a fumble and senior Thomas Coury recovered the football for the Tartans on the Waynesburg 22-yard line. The turnover turned into a 22-yard field goal by sophomore Justin Caputo to give the Tartans the early 3-0 lead.
• Caputo made the score 6-0 with four minutes to play in the first quarter, as he connected on a career-long 40-yard field goal.
• Before the end of the first quarter, Carnegie Mellon made the score 13-0 when senior Ben Mills found classmate Brian Stacy on a 21-yard touchdown toss.
• The Tartans extended their lead on a 1-yard run by sophomore Joey McGinnis IV with eight minutes left in the half. The score capped off a 13-play, 73-yard drive that made the score 20-0.
• Waynesburg put points on the board before the end of the half when Ricco Romantino hit a 37-yard field goal, as the Cardinal and Gray took a 20-3 lead into the locker room.
• The third quarter saw the Tartans put 14 points on the scoreboard. The first touchdown came on Mills' second touchdown toss when he found senior Ethan Reifer on a 7-yard pass. Carnegie Mellon then pushed its lead to 34-3 following a blocked punt from junior Nolan Pitsenberger that was scooped up by Thomas Coury at the 14-yard line. Coury then returned the ball to the Waynesburg 5-yard line before lateraling the ball to Pitsenberger who took it into the end zone for the score.
• Early in the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets made the score 34-10 on a 40-yard run by Hunter Cambell.
• Senior Brady Hess closed the scoring on the afternoon with a 1-yard quarterback keeper with five minutes to play making the score 41-10.

 Stats

• Carnegie Mellon totaled 350 yards of total offense while holding Waynesburg to 191 yards total and allowing 71 on the ground.
• Senior Rober Coury recorded a team-high 11 tackles, with 2.5 for a loss and recorded a half sack.
• Senior Adrian Williams ended with eight tackles, five solo, while junior Vincent Ceci had seven along with a sack.
• Mills finished the game throwing for 175 yards and two scores. The signal call also added 39 yards on the ground.
• Senior Kaveh Wojtowich and Reifer both finished the day with five receptions while Wojtowich had 75 yards receiving and Reifer 42 yards and a score.
• Caputo ended the game converting all five of his point after attempts and went 2-for-2 on field goals to account for 11 of the Tartan points.

Game Notes

• The Tartans lead the all-time series over Waynesburg 17-5-1.
• Carnegie Mellon has now won seven of the last eight meetings, including five straight over the Yellow Jackets.
• The Tartans have now won 18 straight PAC games.
• The Cardinal and Gray extend their regular season win streak to 20 games.
• Carnegie Mellon has won 16 straight games when scoring a special teams or defensive touchdown.
• The Tartans have now blocked a punt in each of their first three games.
• The Tartans have won 16 straight games when holding their opponents under 100 yards on the ground.
• The Tartans have won 31 straight games when leading after three quarters of play.
• Mills moved into seventh in program history in career passing yards and now has 4,209. He needs 102 more to move into sixth all-time.

Thoughts From Head Coach Ryan Larsen

• "In a game that in many ways maybe didn't go the way we planned, I am still incredibly proud of our effort versus Waynesburg! It was a great team win, and I have to credit some of the exceptional plays we made on special teams that changed the course of the game! We have plenty to improve on, but all in all very happy with the result! Onto Grove City!"

Up Next

• Carnegie Mellon will travel north to Grove City College to play the Wolverines in a 7:00 p.m. kick on Saturday, September 23.