Sep 15, 2017 3 min read

If Washington & Jefferson College’s football team is going to defeat Thomas More tonight, then Jesse Zubik needs the spotlight.

The 5-10, 180-pound wide receiver had a quiet Week 1 in a 10-point win over St. John Fisher – four catches, 49 yeards and a TD – then erupted for 9 receptions for 183 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-7 rout of Grove City in Week 2.

Zubik can be the difference-maker in the final regular-season meeting of these two perennial Presidents’ Athletic Conference powers at Cameron Stadium, which is set to kick off at 7 p.m. Thomas More is leaving the PAC after this athletic year.

“This is what we work for in the offseason, a game we circle on the calendar,” said Zubik. “It’s what you dream of as an athlete, a chance to compete against a really good team. We love the competition.”

Zubik said he wants to leave W&J with a win over the Saints and that would make his career record 2-2 in his four seasons.

“Everyone knows it’s usually us and Thomas More at the top of the PAC,” said Zubik. “It’s only Week 3, but it’s a big week for us. We know that a lot of the time, the winner of this game wins the PAC. That doesn’t change how we prepare. We’re going to go out and do what we always do and hopefully come out on top.”

Zubik broke the W&J and PAC career receiving touchdowns record at Grove City with his two scores. He has 40 for his career, topping the previous mark of 39 by former W&J All-American and current Bluffton offensive coordinator Aaron Krepps.

“There’s no doubt he’s the man,” said Thomas More head coach Regis Scafe. “He’s an All-American and a great player. We have to know where he is at all times because he can break it anytime.”

For the first time, Zubik has someone not named Pete Coughlin throwing him the football. Senior Alex Rowse is coming off a strong performance against Grove City, completing 22 of 29 attempts for 316 yards and 4 touchdowns. Tailback Jordan West touched the football 15 times – 12 rushes and three receptions – and scored three touchdowns.

Thomas More, the two-time defending PAC champion, is coming off a 25-23 upset loss to Bridgewater and the Saints’ defense has struggled. They rank eighth out of 11 PAC teams in pass defense, allowing an average of 217 yards per game.

Zubik leads the PAC with an average of 116 receiving yards per game and is on pace for 15 touchdowns in the regular season. He also needs 682 yards to break the PAC record of 4,261 receiving yards held by Bethany’s Eric Blinn.

Zubik’s 220 career receptions rank third in PAC history, and he is 50 receptions from breaking the W&J mark of 269 held by Alex Baroffio.

“We definitely want to get (Zubik) going,” said W&J head coach Mike Sirianni. “It was good for him to get into the game (last week). He’s our best player and we want to get him the ball.”