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Gators Hold on for 20-7 Win
September 15, 2007
HIRAM, Ohio – The Allegheny College Gators scored 17 points in the first quarter before holding on for a 20-7 victory over the Terriers of Hiram College on Saturday, September 15. Devin Raynor (Bemus Point, N.Y./Maple Grove) and Rodney Still (Hummelstown, Pa./Dauphin) each rushed for 81 yards, with the former adding a touchdown in the victory.
The Gators wasted no time in finding the end zone to start the game, as Jim Lieb (Carrolltown, Pa./Northern Cambria) returned the opening kickoff 60 yards, setting up a short field for Allegheny who needed just four plays to see Raynor plunge into the end zone from a yard out for his first collegiate touchdown.
After being forced to punt on their next possession, the Gators forced a fumble on the kick return, once again setting up a short field at which Josh Whiteside (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) converted on a 30-yard field goal, taking Allegheny’s lead to 10-0.
A 32-yard punt return by Nick Jones (Blairsville, Pa./Homer Center) set up yet another short field for Allegheny, as the team needed just three plays to cover the remaining 34 yards, with Matt Cellini (Trumbull, Conn./St. Joseph) scoring from a yard out, pushing the Allegheny advantage to 17-0.
Whiteside’s second field goal of the game, from 25 yards away, pushed the lead to 20-0 with 22 seconds remaining in the first half.
In the second half neither teams’ offenses were able to provide much of a spark, as the two squads went through the 15 minutes without reaching the scoreboard, and the second half looked similar, with Hiram driving near the Gator red zone in the middle of the fourth quarter, but Trevor Henderson’s pass was picked off by Curt Anderson (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia Notre Dame) in the end zone.
After forcing a punt for Allegheny, Hiram’s Steven Hammond returned the kick 66 yards, setting up his own nine-yard touchdown run on the next play, ending the shutout bid for Allegheny.
Raynor rushed for his 81 yards on 12 carries with Still gaining on 17 tries. Henderson was the Terriers’ leading rusher, gaining 37 yards on 11 carries with Hammond adding 26 and the score.
Quarterback T.J. Salopek (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) was 11-of-18 through the air for the game, tossing for 113 yards, with four of those completions going to Lieb, who accrued 48 yards. Henderson was 16-for-28 passing on the game for 122 yards and the interception, tossing four passes to Hammond for the team high.
Mateo Villa (Windsor, Ohio/Middlefield Cardinal) had a team-high 14 tackles, while Jon Buggey (Homer City, Pa./Homer Center) and Ross Simcoe (Coudersport, Pa./Coudersport) had nine and eight tackles, respectively. Buggey had a team-high two tackles for loss with he and Doug Macik (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) recording the quarterback sacks.
The Gators once again take the road for a non-conference contest, as they travel south to Pittsburgh, Pa., where the team will face off against the Tartans of Carnegie Mellon University with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m.