Coughlin magnificent as W&J rolls past Thomas More
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter W&J's Daniel Lis runs the ball past Thomas More's defense for a first down during the first half of the game on Saturday, October 4.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter W&J's Jesse Zubik catches a pass from quarterback Pete Coughlin and covers 49 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter of the game against Thomas More on Saturday, October 4.
The game was supposed to be a matchup that featured two of the best running backs in NCAA Division III.
Instead, it was a sophomore quarterback who stole the show Saturday night at Cameron Stadium.
Pete Coughlin threw six touchdown passes, four in the first half, to power Washington & Jefferson College to a 51-28 victory over Thomas More in a battle of undefeated teams in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
The win moves the Presidents to 2-0 in the conference and 4-0 overall. They are one game behind Bethany, which is 3-0.
More important, the victory puts W&J in good position to earn the automatic qualifier from the conference to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
“We’re just 1-0 this week,” said W&J head coach Mike Sirianni. “Bethany is undefeated. Waynesburg only has one loss. We still have a long way to go. The difference in this game is that (Thomas More) focuses their whole season on one game. We play the same way every week. That’s what I learned at Mount Union.”
Coughlin completed 25 of 35 for 383 yards and the six touchdowns. The four first-half touchdowns helped W&J build a 31-21 lead. Five other players in W&J history have thrown for six TDs.
“I keep saying this: I don’t have to call the perfect play,” said Sirianni. “He just makes it happen. It’s all him. He has the God-given abilities to make those plays.”
The PAC record for passing yardage in a game is 535 yards by Zach Hayward of Geneva against Frostburg State in 2012. The PAC record for most passing yards in a conference game is 452 by Matt Grimard of Bethany against Geneva last season.
Ryan Ruffing, W&J’s top running back, gained 117 yards on 34 carries and scored his 13th touchdown of the season. Daniel Lis, a Chartiers-Houston High School graduate, caught 9 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns, as W&J rolled up 526 yards.
Coughlin’s best throw might have come on what looked like a broken play. He lofted a soft pass to Lis in stride who took it 77 yards for a touchdown that gave W&J a 38-28 lead with 1:38 to play in the third quarter. The two hooked up from 4 yards out three minutes into the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Domonique Hayden, who came into the game as the leading rusher in Division III, had 183 yards on 24 carries and scored three times.
And quarterback Jensen Gebhardt completed 11 of 26 passes for 211 yards before being removed late in the game after receiving an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
W&J has surpassed 50 points in three of its four games.
W&J’s defense produced five turnovers: three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Bryce Merrill and Jared Pratt each had 11 tackles and Jon Turner had two of W&J’s three sacks.
Coughlin led W&J to a 31-21 halftime lead with a mammoth effort through the air. He had four touchdown passes including three in a row that gave W&J a 24-7 lead early in the second quarter.
Coughlin hit Lis down the left sideline for a 35-yard touchdown to open the scoring. He followed that with a 49-yard bomb to Jess Zubik on a post pattern that made it 14-7 mmidway through the first quarter.
The third touchdown pass went to Michale Giampole on a flat pattern from the 9-yard line that put the Presidents up 24-7.
Maybe the most important one of the half came with 5:40 remainingin the half. He sent a perfect spiral to the flag at the front of the end zone and Max Creighan made a diving catch.
Hayden scored two rushing touchdowns in the half, going 49 yards to tie the score 7-7 with 8:28 left in the first quarter and 21 yards around left end to cut w&J’s lead to 24-21 midway through the second quarter.
Gebhardt hit Bobby Leonard with on a drag pattern and one missed tackle later, he was in the end zone with a 72-yard touchdown.