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Gators Fall to Nationally Ranked Little Giants
October 6, 2007
MEADVILLE, Pa. – On a hot and sunny homecoming afternoon, the Allegheny College Gators took 15th ranked (American Football Coaches Association) to the wire, falling 28-20 at Frank B. Fuhrer Field in front of an estimated 2,173 fans. The Gators held Wabash to just 293 yards of total offense, while scoring 20 points for the second time this year.
The Wabash defense looked strong in Allegheny’s first drive, forcing the team to punt after three plays, however the Wabash receiver tripped while catching the punt, dropping the ball with J.J. Davis (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) there to jump on it, giving the Gators another chance at the first score of the game. The Gators did just that, covering 27 yards on seven plays, scoring with Devin Raynor’s (Bemus Point, N.Y./Maple Grove) third touchdown of the season, a five-yard scamper, giving the Gators a 7-0 lead.
In what would end up being a trend in the game, Wabash returned the favor after a 57-yard kickoff return gave the Little Giants field position on Allegheny’s side. The Little Giants needed just five plays to cover the remaining 29 yards, scoring when quarterback Matt Hudson found receiver Ray Green for a 15-yard touchdown pass.
After a failed drive by each team, the Little Giants used 10 plays to cover 79 yards, scoring the first points of the second quarter when C.P. Porter rushed into the end zone from 15 yards away, giving the visitors a 14-7 lead. Allegheny responded with their longest scoring drive of the season, using 13 plays to cover 63 yards, converting on all three of their third-down opportunities, scoring with a T.J. Salopek (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) four-yard touchdown run, knotting the game at 14. Neither team was able to score on their final second-quarter drives, sending the squads into the locker room knotted at 14 apiece.
Wabash took the second-half kickoff and drove 69 yards on 12 plays, scoring when Hudson found receiver Bart Banach open in the end zone from nine yards away, pushing the visitors’ lead to 21-14, until the Gators once again rallied back for a score on their next possession, going 47 yards in 12 plays, scoring with Rodney Still’s (Hummelstown, Pa./Dauphin) first rushing touchdown of his career; however, Josh Whiteside’s (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) extra point bounced off of the upright, keeping Wabash with a one-point, 21-20 lead.
The Gators missed a chance to score when they had good field position after the Little Giants fumbled a quarterback/running back handoff, but the team could not capitalize on the opportunity. A three-and-out by both teams followed, until Wabash marched 76 yards on 12 plays, with eight of those rushes, scoring the eventual insurance points on an Evan Sobecki 19-yard rush.
Allegheny’s attempt at the comeback was thwarted when Wabash’s Chad Peterman picked off Salopek, ending the hopes for the hosts.
The Gators were led by Salopek, the North Coast Athletic Offensive Player of the Week after his efforts against Denison, who was 12-of-19 passing for 105 yards, and gained 30 yards on 13 carries while adding a touchdown. Still finished the game with 28 yards on 14 carries with Raynor grounding out 19 on nine attempts. Wabash running back Sobecki rushed 16 times for 103 yards, while Porter had 70 yards on 10 carries. Matt Hudson was an efficient 16-of-23 passing for 129 yards and two scores for the Little Giants.
Shane Sullivan (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) and Jim Lieb (Carrolltown, Pa./Northern Cambria) each had four catches in the game, the former going for 31 and the latter 20. Scott Liska and Brock Graham each had four receptions for the Little Giants, with Liska recording a team-high 33 yards.
Defensively the Gators had three players with double figure tackles, led by Mateo Villa (Windsor, Ohio/Middlefield Cardinal) and Andy Toner (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) who each had 11, while Ross Simcoe (Coudersport, Pa./Coudersport) added 10. Toner and Andrew Mihalcin (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) had the team’s quarterback sacks, as Jermaine Mitchell (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) and Davis picked up the fumbles for the squad. Wabash’s defense was led by their preseason All-American Adrian Pynenberg, who went for 14 stops including three for loss, while Matt Kraft and Chad Peterman had 12 and 10, respectively. Darryl Kennon increased his league lead in quarterback sacks by adding two today.
The Gators look to regroup as they travel to Gambier, Ohio on Saturday, October 13, where they will face off against the Lords of Kenyon College starting at 2:00 p.m.