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Gators Fall on Senior Day
November 3, 2007
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MEADVILLE, Pa. – Outgaining the opponent by 168 yards and holding a nearly 13-minute advantage in time of possession didn’t produce the results the Gators were looking for on senior day, as Allegheny (5-4, 3-3 NCAC) was unable to bring home a victory, falling to visiting Wittenberg (7-2, 5-1 NCAC) by a score of 17-6 at Frank B. Fuhrer Field.
Things got off to a bright start for the Gators when corner Nick Jones (Blairsville, Pa./Homer Center) picked off a pass on the very first play from scrimmage, setting Allegheny’s offense up inside the Wittenberg 50. The Gators drove 25 yards on six plays before Josh Whiteside (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) booted a season-best 45-yard field goal – tying the fourth longest in school history and giving the Blue and Gold an early 3-0 lead.
Momentum made a quick turn towards Wittenberg when Rod Belcher returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a Tiger score, with the extra point by Mark Porter making the score 7-3. The following Gator drive fizzled after three plays when quarterback T.J. Salopek (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) had a pass intercepted, setting Wittenberg up at their own 49. The Tigers were quick to take advantage, generating a six play, 51 yard drive culminating in an 18-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Huffman to Andy Vanover. A second Porter extra point made the score 14-3 with 8:37 left in the quarter.
Both offenses cooled off despite several long drives from both sides, sending the game into halftime with a 14-6 Wittenberg advantage. The Gators had a chance to add points in the final seconds of the half, but had a field goal attempt from 39 yards flutter just right of the post.
Allegheny opened the second half off on the right foot, driving 47 yards on 12 plays and scoring when Whiteside connected from 39 yards out with 10:34 left in the period. Tight end Devin Fackenthal (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) keyed the drive the with two first down receptions totaling 12 and 17 yards, the former on second down and the latter on third.
Down 14-6, the Gator defense limited Wittenberg’s next possession before the offense drove deep into Tiger territory. However, Allegheny was unable to convert on a fourth and one from the Wittenberg 16, bringing the 11-play, 67 yard drive to a hault.
The Gators next offensive possession to open the fourth quarter also showed promise, totaling 36 yards on seven plays, but ended when Whiteside had a 46-yard field goal attempt blocked.
After both defenses play tight for most of the fourth quarter, Wittenberg sealed the game with a 15 play, 71 yard drive that ate up 7:44 off the clock, culminating in a 26-yard field goal by Porter, giving the Tigers a 17-6 advantage with just under a minute left. The Gators were unable to rally, losing their final home game of the 2007 campaign.
For the game, Salopek completed 26-of-43 pass attempts for 255 yards with running back Matt Dievert (Russelton, Pa./Eisenhower) and fullback Matt Cellini (Trumbull, Conn./St. Joseph) rushing for 62 and 40 yards respectively. Salopek’s 26 completions is the sixth most in school history while his 43 attempts ties for fourth most. Senior Jim Lieb (Carrolltown, Pa./Northern Cambria) hauled in five receptions for 51 yards, bringing his season total to 58 – four shy of the school’s single-season record. Defensively, linebacker Mateo Villa (Windsor, Ohio/Middlefield Cardinal) recorded a team-high 10 tackles with Ross Simcoe (Coudersport, Pa./Coudersport) totaling nine. Jones ended the contest with two interceptions for the first time in his career, giving him five for the season
The Tigers were led by Vanover, who totaled 56 rush yards and 25 receiving yards to go along with his receiving score. Huffman completed 9-of-17 passes for 121 yards with Anthony Kralich grabbing three passes for 52 yards. Freshman linebacker Brad McKinley was stellar, recording a game-high 21 tackles, as Ben Koester and Tim Flammer each intercepted passes to aid the Tiger cause.
Allegheny outgained Wittenberg 377-209 and held the ball for 36:03, compared to only 23:57 for the Tigers. Wittenberg recorded three sacks to Allegheny’s one while both teams turned the ball over twice. The Gators converted on 7-of-18 third down attempts but failed in all four of their trips into the redzone. The Tigers cashed in on both of their opportunities inside the 20, despite converting just three of their 11 third-down chances.
The Gators will look to close out the regular season on a positive note when they travel to Oberlin next Saturday. Kick-off is set for 1:00 p.m.