Interceptions pace W&J to win over Wittenberg
Washington & Jefferson left guard Dalton Main celebrates a second-half touchdown Saturday during the Presidents’ Division II first-round playoff game against Wittenberg.
Washington & Jefferson’s John Turner dives to tackle Wittenberg quarterback Zack Jenkins during Saturday’s Division III first-round playoff game.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The number on the score sheet was stunning, and it was not part of the final score.
8.
That’s how many interceptions the secondary of Washington & Jefferson College’s football team made during Saturday’s NCAA Division III first-round game at Wittenberg.
8.
That number represents a defensive school record for interceptions for W&J and it helped produce a 41-25 victory over the Tigers, catapulting the Presidents (10-1) into a second-round matchup against national power Mount Union (11-0) Saturday in Alliance, Ohio.
8.
That number will be seared into the mind of Wittenberg quarterback Zack Jennings, whose first start in a Division III playoff game will be remembered for something he’d rather forget.
8.
That also was the number of interceptions thrown in another playoff game yesterday. Tyler Harper of St. Scholastica was picked off eight times by St. John’s in a 35-7 loss. So Jenkins only shares the record for most interceptions in a playoff game.
Senior cornerback Alec Schram, a Canon-McMillan graduate, and junior strong safety Billy Kelley each had three interceptions. Sophomore cornerback Tim Blair and junior safety Dan Graziano had one each. Schram and Kelley join about a hundred other players in the NCAA Division III record book for most interceptions by one player in a playoff game.
Did we mention fumbles?
Wittenberg had one, bringing the turnovers for the game to 9. Hard to win that way.
“I know you want to talk about the turnovers,” said W&J head coach Mike Sirianni after the game. “But they turned it over nine times and very few were self-inflicted.”
Translation: W&J created those turnovers off strong defensive plays, not ineptness by Jenkins.
“We made some uncharacteristic mistakes that made this game turn out the way we didn’t want it to,” said Wittenberg head coach Joe Fincham. “(Not scoring in the red zone) was tremendously unusual for us.”
Interestingly, W&J took control of the game without the aid of a turnover. The Presidents scored twice in the first quarter to take a quick 14-0 lead. The first score came when Dan Lis caught a 5-yard pass from quarterback Pete Coughlin on the opening drive and the second when Jesse Zubik broke free on a 45-yard screen play.
The only points W&J got directly from a turnover in the first half was a 26-yard field goal by Blake Davis on a drive set up when linebacker Bryce Merrill recovered a fumble by Jenkins at the Wittenberg 38-yard line. That made it 17-0 and Wittenberg would not recover from that deficit.
Even in the third quarter, when the two teams traded field goals to make the score 20-6, Davis’ second field goal came off a sustained drive following a Wittenberg field goal.
“We fell behind early in the game and the overall tempo dictated what we did in the game,” said Fincham. “We didn’t want to panic and play frantic so we continued to play at our pace and our style. But there came a point in the ballgame when the clock was against us and you’re counting possessions. We used the no-huddle and had a faster pace than we’re used to.”
The most damaging interception occurred near the end of the third quarter, when Kelley stepped in front of a Jenkins’ pass at the Wittenberg 31 and returned it to the three. Wittenberg had just pulled to within 20-13 when Jenkins hit wide receiver Corey Stump with a 54-yard pass.
One play after Kelley’s interception, tailback Ryan Ruffing scored to make it 27-13.
Ruffing was limited because of a lower body injury so Sirianni used Zack Puckett and David Kincaid more than he did in this situation all season. Ruffing and Puckett finished with 38 yards and Kincaid had 16 yards on 7 carries.
So, much of the offense was in the hands of Coughlin, and he completed 22 of 40 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns. But he also raised the hopes of Wittenberg when he scrambled away from defender and was sacked in the end zone for a safety … 19 yards behind the line of scrimmage. That brought the Tigers to within 12 points, 27-15.
But Coughlin made up for it when he drove W&J downfield on the next offensive possession and scored on a 7-yard run around left end to make it 34-15 with 9:14 remaining to play.
“Our defense bailed us out in this game,” said Coughlin.
Following a Wittenberg field goal, Max Creighan returned the kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to stretch the Presidents’ lead to 41-18. It was the first kickoff return for a TD since Dion Wiegand returned one 85 yards against Geneva in Week 9 last season.
With this win, the Presidents get a rematch with Mount Union, Sirianni’s alma mater. Mount Union, which won its opener, 63-3, over Adrian yesterday, has won 11 national titles. Despite poor conditions, the Presidents played well against the Purple Raiders in the first round of the playoffs last November but still lost, 34-20.
“I was going to go to Alliance anyway to have Thanksgiving (with family and friends),” Sirianni said. “So, I might as well take 58 g inuys with me.”
Wittenberg rushed for 143 yards and Sean Gary had 82 on 14 tries. Zach Culvahouse had 10 receptions for 169 yards and Stump 5 for 100. … Lis had a game-high 11 catches for 71 yards. … Linebacker Jared Pratt had a game-high 11 tackles for W&J.