MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College football team celebrated Senior Day with a 27-3 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory over the visiting Tomcats from Thiel College on Saturday afternoon at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.
Before kickoff, the football program recognized its 19 seniors: Isaiah Romain (Newark, N.J./Great Oaks Charter School), Jathan Reynolds (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd H. Anderson), Jack Johnson (Hingham, Mass./Hingham/Milford Academy), Score Perkins (New Concord, Ohio/John Glenn), Declan O'Brien (Irwin, Pa./Norwin), Travis Dear (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder), Kyrie Miller (Bolivar, Pa./Ligonier Valley), Tre Worship (East Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw), Wolfgang Schultz (Manteo, N.C./Manteo), Tharit Monsereenusorn (Nonthaburi, Thailand/Mercersburg Academy), Zach Altenbaugh (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver), Blake Harmon (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor), Ian Henry (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas), Seth Jones (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard), Jack Turner (Sewickley, Pa./North Allegheny), Juan Cantu III (Houston, Texas/Milby), Gabe McCollum (Pinellas Park, Fla./Pinellas Park), Nigel Williams (Buffalo, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara), and Peyton Kelly (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford).
Many of those honored made their impact felt during Saturday's win. Johnson guided the offense with 204 yards and three scores. Miller added 90 yards of total offense with a rushing touchdown. Defensively, Schultz forced a fumble, while Williams and Romain each recorded one sack. From his safety position, Reynolds was tied for the team lead with six tackles, while Dear recovered a fumble to go along with four solo tackles.
Most notably, O'Brien's record-breaking season continued with yet another milestone. With his 42-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter, the senior wide receiver broke the program record for receiving yards in a season. O'Brien, who has 1,097 yards with one game left to play, surpassed the previous record held by Alex Victor, who had 1,037 yards in 2017.
All of Allegheny's (3-6, 3-6 PAC) points against the Tomcats (2-6, 2-6 PAC) came in the first half. The Gators received favorable field position for their first possession, which began at the Thiel 20-yard line following a three-and-out and an errant snap by Thiel's punting unit. A pass interference call on third down extended the drive, and Miller carried the ball into the end zone from seven yards out for Allegheny's first points.
Johnson's first touchdown pass found Ian Durci (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) cutting across the back of the end zone midway through the first quarter. His second and third touchdown tosses both went to O'Brien in the second quarter.
Although the offense did not add to its 27-3 advantage after the halftime intermission, the AC defense didn't give Joseph Fell and the Tomcats much breathing room. Thiel managed a mere 154 yards of total offense, and for the second time this fall, the Gators did not surrender a point in the final 30 minutes.
Inside the Box Score
- Allegheny's offense produced 285 yards and four first-half touchdowns.
- Johnson's air attack was responsible for 204 yards and three scores.
- On the ground, Miller ran for 72 yards on 19 carries with one touchdown.
- O'Brien led all receivers with 80 yards and two touchdowns.
- Durci had a team-high six catches for 50 yards and one touchdown.
- Allegheny limited Fell, Thiel's starting quarterback, to 22 yards on 5-of-23 passing and sacked him thrice.
- Reynolds, Schultz, and Williams each produced a team-high six tackles.
- Schultz and Williams both forced a fumble, while Williams and Romain each had one sack.
- Romain also swatted down two passes from his defensive line position.
- Freshman corner David Williams (Boca Raton, Fla./Boca Raton) helped seal the victory with a fourth-quarter interception; he also broke up a pass in the end zone on Thiel's only scoring drive in the second quarter.
News and Notes
- Allegheny has won its last four matchups against Thiel.
- For the third time in the past 11 seasons, the Gators held an opponent to under 200 yards of total offense.
- Thiel's 154 yards of total offense on Saturday are the fewest allowed by Allegheny since holding Hiram College to 110 yards in a 13-0 win over the Terriers on November 10, 2012.
- Three points are the fewest given up in a game since the Gators shut out Kenyon College, 49-0, on October 19, 2019.
- With 44 career touchdown passes, Johnson now ranks sixth all-time in team history.
- O'Brien broke the Allegheny record for receiving yards in a season, previously held by Alex Victor, and now has 1,097 yards in 2023.
Up Next
Allegheny's regular-season finale is scheduled for next Saturday, November 4, at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m.