BETHANY, W.Va. -- The Allegheny College football team opened the 2024 campaign with a 20-14 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory over Bethany College on the road at Don Ault Field at Bison Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It marks the second time in as many years under head coach Braden Layer that Allegheny (1-0, 1-0 PAC) has started the season with a win, and it's the third year in a row since rejoining the PAC the Gators have defeated the Bison (0-1, 0-1 PAC) in conference play.
Both sides featured new faces at several key positions, and being the first game of the year, both teams had their share of miscues. However, Allegheny shook off a slow start and scored 20 unanswered points between the second and fourth quarters, thanks in large part to quarterback Trevor Brncic (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional) and the passing attack.
Brncic - Allegheny's first starting quarterback not named Jack Johnson '24 since the fall of 2019 - completed 23 of his 31 passes (74.2%) for 273 yards and two touchdowns en route to his first collegiate win at the position.
On Allegheny's third drive, Brncic navigated the Gators 80 yards on 15 plays for a game-tying touchdown. Facing a third-and-10 from the Allegheny 32-yard line, the senior found tight end Austin Williams (Warsaw, N.Y./Warsaw Central) on a wheel route down the right side for a 36-yard competition. It was Allegheny's first big play of the afternoon and helped to spark the offense. On a third-and-11 from the Bethany 21-yard line, Brncic eluded pressure and hit Ian Durci (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) on a short completion that the senior receiver carried down to the five. Two plays later, the duo capped off the drive with Allegheny's first touchdown.
The Gators received the ball to start the second half and used another lengthy drive to march 69 yards on 13 plays for the go-ahead score. On third-and-goal from the two, Brncic extended play-action by rolling to his right, and facing significant pressure from the Bison defense, he fired the ball to Chase Weihrauch (Springdale, Pa./Springdale) in the back of the end zone.
Bethany failed to produce a first down on its next three drives, and Allegheny started the fourth quarter by finishing a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive to jump ahead 20-7. An unnecessary roughness penalty moved the Gators to the Bethany 11-yard line, and from there, Elijah Uribe (El Paso, Texas/Eastlake) carried the ball the remaining 11 yards on three handoffs for the score.
Bethany managed to score on its final drive to make it a one-possession difference with 39 seconds left on the clock. However, on its previous drive, Vital Joseph II (Humble, Texas/Summer Creek) made the biggest defensive play of the contest with what proved to be a game-winning interception. On fourth-and-four from the Allegheny 12-yard line, Bison quarterback Brett Phillips had a receiver on a slant on the backside of the formation, but Joseph read the play perfectly from his safety position and picked off Phillips at the goal line.
Inside the Box Score
- Allegheny produced 303 yards of offense, compared to 282 yards from the Bison.
- The Gators also held advantages in first downs (21-to-18), third-down conversion percentage (55.6%-to-18.2%), and time of possession (38:07-to-21:53).
- Brncic threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
- Williams and Durci both had a team-high seven catches for 95 and 65 yards, respectively.
- Curtis Knobeloch (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) had one catch, the longest of the day, a 58-yard reception.
- Chris Gisewhite (Corpus Christi, Texas/Flour Bluff) logged four catches for 42 yards.
- Phillips, a dual-threat QB, led the Bethany offense with 147 passing yards and a game-high 87 rushing yards.
- Defensively, Samuel Caito (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) and Coltin Colucci (Brewster, Ohio/Fairless) paced the Gators with nine and eight tackles, respectively.
- Joseph had five total tackles and one interception return for 40 yards.
- Allegheny's lone sack came from David Marquez (Chandler, Ariz./Basha), who had two total tackles.
- Bethany defensive lineman Amarion Williams finished with a game-high 15 tackles, including three sacks.
News and Notes
- Allegheny opened the season 1-0 for the second year in a row.
- The Gators have won three consecutive matchups against Bethany and lead the all-time series, 20-15-1, dating back to 1926.
- Brncic, in his first start at quarterback, threw for a career-high 273 yards and tied his single-game record with two passing touchdowns.
- Williams' 95 receiving yards are a single-game high for the senior tight end.
- Weihrauch, a freshman receiver, and Uribe, a junior transfer running back from Sul Ross State University, both scored their first collegiate touchdowns against the Bison.
- Joseph's interception was the second of his career.
Up Next
On Saturday, September 14, the Gators will make their season debut at Frank B. Fuhrer Field at the Robertson Athletic Complex with a PAC bout against Saint Vincent College. The opening kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on KDKA+.