WOOSTER, Ohio -- Daniel Lis broke a 26-year old school record with a 93-yard punt return for a touchdown that busted open the game in a 56-10 win at Wooster to begin the 2015 season.
Washington & Jefferson begins the season with a win for the fifth straight season and eighth time in the last nine years. The Presidents also move to 89-33-2 in season openers in program history as the 124th season begins.
The offense racked up 419 yards (264 passing, 155 rushing) on 71 plays and kept the Fighting Scots under 300 yards of total offense at 262. The Presidents' special teams, paced by the 93 yarder and 126 total punt return yards by Lis, amassed more return yards (278 – 223 on nine punts, 55 on two kickoffs) than Wooster's total offensive output.
Ryan Torrance led the defense with 11 tackles (all solo) -- one shy of his career record and the sixth time in the last 12 games he has gone into double figures. He posted 2.0 tackles for loss, one of which was a sack. Dan Graziano was second on the team with nine stops, all of which came in the first half. Zach Walker added eight stops and Jon Turner added six tackles, including 3.5 for loss and 1.0 sack. In three career games versus Wooster, Turner has tallied 9.0 TFL, with back-to-back 3.5 TFL games against the Scots.
After the Presidents won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, the defense was able to force a three-and-out and took over at the Wooster 29 after a 33-yard punt return by Lis. On the fifth play of the drive, Ryan Ruffing went into the end zone from five yards out to put the red & black on the board. Ted Ford, who finished seven-of-seven on point-after attempts in his collegiate debut, converted the extra point to make it 7-0 less than three minutes into the game.
A second three-and-out by the defense was converted into seven more points on an 11-yard strike from quarterback Pete Coughlin to Eric Scott, who was seeing his first action in 350 days, to cap a five-play, 50-yard drive. Before five minutes had elapsed, W&J held a 14-0 lead.
On the first drive of the second quarter, a game-long 31-yard rush by Ruffing was followed on the next play by a five-yard scoring romp as the lead extended to 21-7. Coughlin later scored from five yards out to put W&J ahead 28-7 before the Presidents took a 28-10 lead into intermission.
For the second straight season, W&J's defense held Wooster without a point in the second half.
The first three drives of the second half fizzled for the Presidents and after the defense forced yet another three-and-out, Lis broke off his record-breaking 93-yard punt return for a touchdown, eclipsing the previous record of 92 yards held by Larry Pitts against Juniata in 1989.
Another three plays ending with a punt by Wooster led to a five-yard scoring strike from Coughlin to Colin Jones, the senior's first career TD grab.
In the fourth quarter, W&J added rushing scores of one and nine yards by David Kincaid and Austin Kemp, respectively.
Coughlin finished with 229 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-27 passing and Ruffing amassed 106 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries to pace the Presidents. Scott (80 yards, TD) and Lis (35 yards) each caught a game-high five passes, while Nicolas Greaves and Jones hauled in four passes each.
W&J plays its only home game in the first five weeks of the season (four games) next Saturday, Sept. 12, when it hosts Westminster at Cameron Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on Hall of Fame night.
http://www.gopresidents.com/news/2015/9/5/FB_0905154436.aspx