Waynesburg Edges Past Scots 42-39 in Wild Opener

WOOSTER, Ohio – In a back-and-forth affair that featured five touchdowns being scored during the final 6:23, Waynesburg University spoiled the debut of The College of Wooster's new synthetic playing surface (Sprinturf) as the Yellow Jackets emerged with a 42-39 victory Saturday afternoon at a sunny, warm John P. Papp Stadium.

After Waynesburg (1-0) completed a 14-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to take a 27-26 lead at that 6:23 mark, Bryan Albani returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for his second career score. He was virtually untouched on the play, sprinting up the middle, veering to the left sideline, and then outrunning a defender to the pylon. The two-point conversion failed, though, keeping it a 32-27 game.

The next drive began with the Yellow Jackets pinned deep in their own territory, but they steadily marched down field, going 92 yards over 10 plays, capped by a Brad Dawson-to-Josh Fisher 16-yard completion in the back of the end zone. Waynesburg converted its two-point attempt to take a three-point advantage (35-32) with 2:01 on the clock.

Wooster (0-1) took over on its 34-yard line, and two plays into the possession, Robert Flagg got behind his defender and hauled in a 49-yard pass from Austin Holter, which put the Scots inside the 10. On second-and-goal, Holter hit Kyle Murdock on a swing pass and the junior running back found enough room on the right side for a six-yard touchdown as Wooster retook the lead at 39-35 with 1:03 to go.

Then, the Scots squib kicked the ball down the center of the field to the 25-yard line where Troy Garove collected it and found a seam up the middle before finally being pulled down on Wooster's 25. The very next play saw Dawson hit Fisher again on a slant, with Fisher reaching over the end line for what turned out to be the game-winning score at the :48 mark.

There was nearly yet another touchdown, as a Waynesburg squib kick deflected off an up man, giving Wooster possession near midfield with :45 remaining. On 2nd-and-10, Holter bought some time in the pocket and eventually heaved the ball down field where it was caught at the one-yard line, however, the big gain was waved off due to a penalty (ineligible man down field).

The two teams exchanged the lead 10 times overall, with neither leading bymore than seven points all day.

The Yellow Jackets set the tone for the offensive fireworks with a touchdown two minutes into the game, as Dawson found his tight end, Zach Fatigante, from 22 yards out.

The Scots answered on their first possession with a 30-yard field goal by Russ Palm, and they also scored on their second, when Murdock converted a swing pass into a 24-yard touchdown reception.

It appeared Wooster was going to score on its third drive as well, but a fumble during the exchange between quarterback and running back resulted in Waynesburg middle linebacker Gino Scampone galloping 80 yards the other way for a 14-10 lead early in the second quarter. That was the score at the halftime break.

The Scots produced points on their first two possessions of the third quarter – a Palm 21-yard field goal and a 29-yard Holter touchdown run – sandwiched around a three-and-out by the defense, to take a 20-14 lead. The Yellow Jackets, though, responded with an 11-play, 72-yard touchdown march that ended on a Justin Falcon 11-yard rush, as the visitors gained the lead back (21-20).

Each defense finally got a stop on the next two series, but on the second play of Wooster's next possession, Flagg slipped out for a screen pass and then utilized his speed for a 58-yard touchdown down the right sideline – the first points of a 40-point fourth quarter.

Overall, the two squads combined for more than 1,000 yards of offense – 521 for Waynesburg and an even 500 for Wooster – and 54 first downs. The difference in the game seemed to be the Yellow Jackets' third-down conversions, as they were 11-of-19 in that category as well as 2-of-3 on fourth-down conversions.

Individually, Holter picked up right where he left off last season as the North Coast Athletic Conference leader in total offense combined for 416 yards – the third-most in school history. He threw for a career-high 328 yards, marking his second 300-yard passing game, and also led the Scots in rushing with 88 yards on just 12 attempts.

Holter's favorite targets were Flagg and Murdock with five receptions apiece, with Flagg turning his into 145 yards.

For Waynesburg, Dawson completed 25-of-45 for 285 yards and three scores, while spreading the ball to nine different receivers. Ray Hightower II had seven catches for 84 yards, and Falcon netted 148 stripes on the ground on 20 carries, an average of 7.4 yards per rush.

Wooster will compete again on Sept. 19, when it opens up its NCAC schedule at Ohio Wesleyan University (1-0) at 1 p.m.