Game Notes: No. 15/12 W&J at Bethany (Week 7)

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

WEEK 7: No. 15/12 Washington & Jefferson College Presidents (5-0, 3-0 Presidents' Athletic Conference) at Bethany College Bison (0-6, 0-4 Presidents' Athletic Conference)

• When: Saturday, October 14, 2017
• Where: Bethany, West Virginia
• Stadium: Bison Stadium (850)
• Kickoff: 1 p.m.
• Series vs. W&J: W&J leads 73-21
• Series Streak: W&J won 3
• Last Meeting vs. W&J: W&J 37, BC 36 (2016) | Box Score
• Last Bethany Win: 2013; BC 24, W&J 19 | Box Score
• Video: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/bethanywv/ (Courtesy of BBN)
• Live Stats: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/bethanywv/

GAME NOTES (.pdf):

LAST MEETING: Bethany lost to the Presidents' 37-36 last season. The Bison rushed for 301 yards, the most against W&J in a single-game in 2016. The Green & White led 36-27 in the third quarter, but was shutout over the final 22 minutes. W&J rallied for 10-straight points and ran the game's final seven minutes off of the clock with four first downs, including a fourth down conversion that clinched the comeback win over Bethany.

NO REST FOR THE WEARY: Bethany is playing its third-straight undefeated opponent and second-straight ranked opponent. Including W&J, the Bison will have faced the top-four scoring offenses in the PAC in four-consecutive weeks. All four (W&J, Case Western Reserve, Carnegie Mellon, Westminster) are also the top-four defenses in points allowed.

LIVING ON THE EDGE: A stat change after last week's game gave senior defensive end Khallid Pierce (Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline) a sack. Pierce, who leads the league with 9.0 tackles for loss, is now tied with former Bison Nadim Raddar (2014-15) for second all-time in school history with 24.5 sacks. Pierce has 5.0 sacks this season, which ranks him second behind Thomas More's Cam Hansel (6.0 sacks).

GATLING GUN: Junior middle linebacker Will Gatling (Baltimore, Md./Northwestern) leads the PAC with 62 tackles (10.3 per game), including a league-best 33 solo tackles. Gatling, who transitioned from running back this year, is the second-straight graduate of Northwestern High School in Baltimore, Maryland to lead the PAC in tackles. Former Bison linebacker and PAC Defensive Player of the Year Donavan Hayden led the conference in tackles last season.

THROUGH THE UPRIGHTS: Bethany senior kicker Chris Ray (Henrico, Va./Mills E. Godwin) converted a 27-yard field goal attempt last week at Case Western Reserve in the second quarter, which gave him his 14th career made field goal. The kick tied Ray with Jack Fayak (1984-86) for the second most made field goals in school history.

HARD TO REPLACE: Bethany senior quarterback Chase Kinemond (Shadyside, Ohio/Shadyside) was sidelined last week at Case Western Reserve (injury), forcing the Bison to turn to sophomore quarterback Carlin Bason (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg), who made his first-career start. Prior to last week, Kinemond led the Bison in passing attempts (136), rushing attempts (81), touchdowns accounted for (5) and was the team's primary punter, averaging 40.2 yards (second-highest in the PAC) on 31 punts with seven inside the 20-yard line.

TIME, WHY YOU PUNISH ME? Bethany and Washington & Jefferson rank 10th and 11th, respectively, in time of possession in the PAC this season. The two teams have taken different paths, as the Presidents' quick-strike offense and league-low 174 rushing attempts have resulted in W&J holding on to the ball for 26 minutes and 32 seconds per game. Meanwhile, the Bison are totaling 12.7 first downs per game, a league-low, and are allowing 21.7 first downs per game which has contributed to holding possession for just over 27 minutes per game.

NEXT WEEK: Bethany will enter its bye week and have the weekend off. The Bison will have the extra week to prepare for their next game on Saturday, October 28 when they host Thomas More on Senior Day in the 2017 home finale. Bethany will honor its seniors prior to kickoff at 12 p.m.