Nov 30, 2024
(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team, ranked 13th nationally, hosted the Colonels of Centre College in a second round NCAA Division III playoff matchup on Saturday at Gesling Stadium. A game full of snow flurries and staunch run defenses culminated in a gritty 24-15 victory as the Tartans kept their postseason alive.
Game Information
Carnegie Mellon 24, Centre 15
Records: Carnegie Mellon (10-1), Centre (8-3)
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. (Richard M. Lackner Field at Gesling Stadium)
How it Happened
- Carnegie Mellon opened the scoring when a muffed snap by Centre led to a 32-yard field for the Tartan offense, who punched it in four plays later on a 20-yard back-corner strike from graduate student quarterback Ben Mills to sophomore wide receiver Brendan McCullough. That put the score at 7-0 with 4:03 left in the first quarter.
- After an exchange of fumbles, the Tartans added to the scoresheet with a 28-yard field goal by junior kicker Justin Caputo, closing a four-play, 12-yard drive of 52 seconds to up the lead to 10-0. This closed scoring for the first half.
- The Colonels responded on their opening drive of the second half with a six-yard tip-and-catch touchdown from junior quarterback Luke Hammons to sophomore wide receiver Jakei Tarter, capping an eight-play, 85-yard drive of 3:21 and closing the gap to 10-7 with 9:37 left in the third.
- Carnegie Mellon found the endzone again on a seven-yard strike from Mills to McCullough, closing a seven-yard, 40-yard drive of 2:44 to extend the lead to 17-7 with 13:33 left in the game.
- Centre responded with a 27-yard front pylon grab from junior wide receiver Dant Bowling off the throw of junior quarterback Jack Gohmann, wrapping up an eight-play, 87-yard drive of 4:42. An errant PAT attempt rushed in for two points closed the gap to 17-15 with 8:44 left in the game.
- After a series of struggles, Tartan junior quarterback Joey McGinnis IV dove over the line from a yard out to find the endzone, finishing a five-play, 23-yard drive of 1:24 and closed the scoring for the game at 24-15.
Stats
- The Colonels outgained the Tartans 380-222 yards on 82 and 68 plays, respectively.
- Mills led the Tartan offense with 153 passing yards on 14-of-38 completions with two touchdowns and an interception. He added 21 yards rushing on 11 carries.
- The Tartans rushing game was split evenly amongst Mills, McGinnis IV and graduate student running back Tre Vasiliades with 21, 23 and 20 yards, respectively.
- McCullough led the Tartan receiving corps with tying a career-best with 109 yards on a career-high 10 receptions with two scores. This marked McCullough's second career 100-yard game.
- The Carnegie Mellon defense was led by junior safety Jacob Franze, who tallied a game-high 11 tackles and a fumble recovery. Graduate student defensive back Adrian Williams and senior defensive back Jackson Lajoie added nine and eight tackles respectively, as well.
- Graduate student Logan Young finished the day with seven tackles, including 1.0 tackles for a loss of 16 yards and two interceptions.
- Caputo finished the game with 3-3 PATs and 1-2 on field goals from 27 yards.
Game Notes
- The Tartans extend their home winning streak to 24 straight games, the second longest active in Division III and fourth in the NCAA across all divisions.
- This was the Tartans ninth appearance in the NCAA postseason (1978, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1990, 2006, 2021, 2022).
- The Tartans now have a 5-7 record in the NCAA playoffs.
- Robert Coury becomes the all-time program leader in total tackles. He now has 360 for his career pass Aaron Lewis' mark of 358 (2003-2006). He has also moved into third on the all-time sacks list with 22.0, needing three more for second.
- Young moved into a tie for first alongside Aaron Lewis on the all-time interceptions list with 15.
- Mills has now tied the single-season touchdown passes record with 26 this campaign.
- The Tartans set a new single-game record for rushing yards allowed, with Centre totaling -33 yards on the ground. The previous record was set earlier this season against Allegheny, with a total of -26 rushing yards allowed.
- The Tartans have now won 46 straight contests when leading after three quarters of play. It also marks the 10th opponent this season that the Tartans have held under 100 yards on the ground.
Up Next
The Tartans will travel to Alliance, Ohio, to play the Mount Union Purple Raiders Saturday, December 7, at Kehres Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12:00 PM EST.