Bethany Football Falls Short at #16 W&J
Oct. 17 – WASHINGTON, Pa. – In a high-scoring affair that saw the two team's combine for 108 points, the Bethany College football team (2-5, 1-4 PAC) dropped a 66-42 decision to #16 Washington & Jefferson College on Saturday evening at Cameron Stadium.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair as five of the six possessions in the frame ended in a touchdown. Washington & Jefferson got on the board first after an interception set them up on the Bethany 44. Five players later Pete Coughlin found Daniel Lis for the game's first score.
Bethany would respond on their next drive, using 11 plays to go 73 yards to knot the game. The big play of the drive came on a third-and-15 as Lincon Reyes (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) connected with wideout Eric Blinn (Beaver, Pa./Western Beaver) for a 45-yard strike. A few plays later, Reyes found Blinn for the first of their three touchdown connections on the day. The TD was score from four yards out and the game was knotted at 7-7.
The game would also be tied at 14-14 as the two programs traded scores once again. The Presidents received a 14-yard touchdown reception from Jesse Zubik, while the Bison countered with a 53-yard run by junior running back Jalen Holmes (New Castle, Pa./New Castle).
Washington & Jefferson would throw another counter punch as they responded to Bethany's second TD with 14-straight points to take a 28-14 advantage with 13:34 to play in the second quarter. Ryan Ruffing scored his first TD of the game while Zubik tallied his second TD reception in the two-touchdown swing.
Bethany would once again respond in the second quarter, getting another touchdown reception from Blinn. The Green & White needed just four plays to move down the field, setting up an 11-yard touchdown strike from Reyes to the senior wideout. The TD moved the Bison to within seven (28-21), but that is as close as the Bison would get.
Washington & Jefferson would widen the gap to what proved to be an insurmountable lead as they rattled off 31-straight points in a run that spanned the second and third quarters. When the dust settled, the Bison found themselves trailing 59-21.
The Bison would get back to their offense in the fourth quarter, tallying a trio of scores. The Green & White outscored the Presidents 21-7 in the final frame, but fell by the 24-point margin, 66-42. Holmes tallied his second TD of the night in the final quarter, while Blinn and Tyler Ambush (Germantown, Md./Northwest) each caught a touchdown pass from Reyes.
Overall in the matchup, the Bison offense proved to be the toughest test for the Washington & Jefferson defense in 2015, as the Green & White racked up 464 yards and 42 points, both of which were season highs against the Presidents.
Individually, Holmes and Blinn led the way for the offense. Holmes notched a career high 180 yards rushing on 24 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per rush in the contest. He also added a pair of scores on the day.
Blinn had another banner game for the Green & White, hauling in 11 catches for 146 yards and three scores. With the touchdowns, Blinn has now matched his career-high for touchdown receptions with nine on the season.
Reyes completed 16 passes on the day, totaling 204 yards and four scores. Reyes is starting to settle into his own at quarterback, having tossed nine touchdown passes in his last two games.
The Green & White will be back in action on Saturday, October 24 when they return home to play host to Geneva College. The matchup is slated for a 1 p.m. start.
