W&J, Case Western Reserve earn share of PAC title

W&J, Case Western Reserve earn share of PAC title

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W&J-Waynesburg box score
Carnegie Mellon-Case Western Reserve box score

WASHINGTON, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – Tenth-ranked Washington & Jefferson College and 14th-ranked Case Western Reserve University split this year’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) title Saturday afternoon.

W&J (10-0, 8-0 PAC) clinched its league-record 25th PAC title with a 42-0 victory over visiting Waynesburg University (2-8, 2-6 PAC) at Cameron Stadium in this year’s edition of the PAC’s Backyard Brawl, while Case Western Reserve (10-0, 8-0 PAC) outlasted Carnegie Mellon University (7-3, 5-3 PAC) for a 41-34 overtime win at Gesling Stadium in the 32nd annual Academic Bowl.  

By virtue of the league’s tiebreaker (strength of conference victories), W&J claimed the PAC's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. It will be the 25th all-time playoff appearance for W&J, which is the second-most in history. Case Western Reserve will find out if it is one of the five schools that will earn a spot into this year’s Championship via a Pool C bid Sunday. The NCAA’s selection show will be streamed at ncaa.com and is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

W&J senior wide receiver Jesse Zubik (Sewickley, Pa. | Avonworth) broke the school’s career receptions record Saturday after hauling in 13 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Jacob Adams (Louisville, Ohio | Louisville) completed 23-of-30 passes for career highs of 392 yards and four touchdowns, while senior linebacker Dalton Day (Sewickley, Pa. | Avonworth) led all players with a career-high 16 tackles, the most by a President this season.

Saturday’s win was the 138th in the 15-year head coaching career of Mike Sirianni, moving him into sole possession of first place on W&J’s career list, passing former head coach and W&J Hall of Fame member John Luckhardt (1982-98).

Case Western Reserve secured its first PAC title since joining the conference as an affiliate member prior to the start of the 2014 campaign. CWRU also claimed its second-straight University Athletic Association (UAA) title and the seventh overall in program history. Its 10-0 record was the fifth undefeated regular season in program history, while the win moved the Spartans all-time record in the Academic Bowl to 15-17.

The highlight of the game was a fourth quarter that saw the lead change twice in the final two minutes and 15 seconds, and a game-tying field goal as time ran out in regulation. With the Spartans leading 27-24, a fumble gave the Tartans field position on CWRU's 37 yard line, setting up an eventual 11-yard touchdown run by junior running back Rory Hubbard (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif. | Palos Verdes Peninsula) to put Carnegie Mellon ahead 31-27. In what appeared to be the last chance for the Spartans, CWRU turned the ball over on downs with 1:23 remaining.

With just one timeout left, Carnegie Mellon had a chance to run out the clock, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Tartans gave the Spartans an extra stoppage, allowing CWRU to force a punt by the Tartans with 28 seconds left from their own 41-yard line. Senior linebacker Zach Lyon (Pittsburgh, Pa. | North Allegheny) was able to block the punt, and junior wide receiver Justin Phan (Atlanta, Ga. | Greater Atlanta Christian) recovered at the three-yard line and went into the end zone untouched to give CWRU the lead back, 34-31 with 22 seconds remaining.

However, an excessive celebration penalty and a short kickoff gave Carnegie Mellon possession at the Spartans' 41 yard line. The Tartans would quickly drive 16 yards, and senior kicker Tyler Kohman (Pataskala, Ohio | Columbus Academy) was able to notch the game-tying 43 yard field goal with one second left in regulation.
In overtime, senior quarterback Rob Cuda (Bartlett, Ill. | South Elgin) converted a key 4th-and-12 play from the Carnegie Mellon 27-yard line with a 13-yard pass to Phan. Two plays later, Cuda and Phan hooked up again, this time from five yards out, giving CWRU a 41-34 lead after the extra point. Carnegie Mellon would get to the Spartans' nine-yard line on their overtime possession, but senior linebacker Alex Habeeb (Avon, Ohio | Avon) tackled senior running back Sam Benger (Hingham, Mass. | Hingham) after two yards on a fourth and four to clinch the victory and the perfect season for Case Western Reserve.

Cuda finished the game 10-for-26 passing for 171 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 116 yards and another score. Senior running back Jacob Burke (Johnstown, Ohio | Northridge) had 164 yards on the ground and a touchdown, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the second-straight year. Phan caught six passes Saturday for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Senior linebacker Justin McMahon (Mentor, Ohio | Mentor) finished with 16 tackles, the most by a Spartan player this year, to go along with an interception.
 
The Washington & Jefferson College, Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve University sports information departments contributed to this release