Nov 29, 2014 4 min read

ALLIANCE, Ohio – When they gathered at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe last August, the coaches, sports information directors and media attending the Presidents’ Athletic Conference media day thought the football team at Washington & Jefferson College would finish no better than second.

At least, that’s what their voting in the preseason poll indicated.

Next season, most believed, would be W&J’s season.

W&J head coach Mike Sirianni thought they were wrong and said as much during the media day press conference.

He was right.

Though the Presidents were routed by Mount Union, 67-0, in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs on a bright Saturday afternoon in Alliance, Ohio, they lived up to Sirianni’s expectations, which really was all that mattered.

W&J routed the PAC preseason favorite Thomas More, 51-28, finished as co-champions of the PAC, earned the automatic qualifier for the playoffs and snapped a five-year losing streak in the tournament by beating Wittenberg, 41-25, in last week’s first round.

Not bad for a team that wasn’t supposed to be really good until next year.

There were blips along the way. The loss to rival Waynesburg in the regular-season finale was accomplished as much from the great play of Yellow Jackets’ quarterback Carter Hill as it was to the motivating factor from Sirianni’s comment before the game that this was no longer a rivalry between the two schools because Waynesburg rarely won.

After a 31-28 overtime loss, Sirianni said he regretted his comment but just imagine what next year’s game will be like at Cameron Stadium.

Better not miss it.

W&J was sloppy in a 34-24 win over Case Western Reserve one week after needing a strong second half to pull away from Bethany.

And there was yesterday’s drubbing by Mount Union. It was unrealistic to think W&J was going to win this game. Mount Union has won 11 national titles, not lost a home game since 2005 and boasts a quarterback in Kevin Burke who won the Gagliardi Trophy last year, given to the best player in Division III, and will probably win it again this year.

The Purple Raiders are on a different level.

The Presidents played Mount Union tougher last season, dropping a 34-20 decision in a snowstorm that whipped the winds and made the footing treacherous. But it was obvious yesterday that the inclement weather brought Mount Union’s talent level closer to W&J. On a bright day with good footing, Mount Union unleashed an awesome offensive display and the defense gobbled up, then spit out every attempt the Presidents made to score. Burke threw for a career-high six touchdowns and only played a little more than a half. This is what W&J does to some teams in the PAC.

The shutout was the first since the regular season opener in 2010, a 27-0 loss to Delaware Valley, and the second from Mount Union. The Purple Raiders administered a 55-0 beating in the 2009 playoffs and it was quite similar to this smackdown.

Mount Union has lost just five games since 2005 and each loss came against Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. W&J is not at their level, but hey, how many teams are? The Presidents brought their No. 5 offense (527 yards per game) against the No. 1 defense in Division III. Mount Union’s speed is unbelievable for a Division III program. This playoff matchup will probably happen again as the NCAA looks to cut travel costs when creating its pairings.

W&J loses only four seniors – center John Wanner, wide receiver Max Creighan, cornerback Alex Schram and linebacker Jared Pratt – from this 10-2 team. The backfield returns, including quarterback Pete Coughlin, who is a sophomore.

If the team stays healthy, another conference championship and trip to the NCAA playoffs will be easily within reach.

Who knows? The Presidents might even be No. 1 in the PAC preseason poll next year.

Assistant sports editor Joe Tuscano can be reached at jtuscano@observer-reporter.com.