WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Nov. 4) – The Saint Vincent football team fell 31-21 to Waynesburg University at John F. Wiley Stadium in Presidents' Athletic Conference play.

The Waynesburg victory meant that the home team has now won five straight contests in the head-to-head series.

Saint Vincent's offense started fast, opening up the game with a touchdown drive on its first possession. Freshman running back Mike Stasko got the Bearcats on the board with an 8-yard touchdown run, capping a six-play, 69-yard drive. Sam Elliott tacked on the point after to make it 7-0 Bearcats.

Waynesburg countered quickly, marching 69 yards on nine plays, finally punching it in with a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jake Dougherty. The Jackets tacked on the point after to tie it at 7-7 with 7:40 to play in the first quarter.

On the ensuing possession, freshman quarterback Aaron Austin raced 31 yards up the middle, breaking several tackles on his way to the end zone. The Austin touchdown capped an eight play, 66-yard drive to make it 14-7 Bearcats.

From there, Waynesburg controlled the rest of the first half. A defensive breakdown in the secondary by Saint Vincent, allowed Waynesburg to connect on a 53-yard pass play to set up first and goal. On the very next play, running back Austin Wilson rushed four yards. The point after made it 14-14 with just 28 seconds left in the first quarter.

After a Saint Vincent punt, Waynesburg took advantage of two pass interferences calls against the Bearcats secondary and eventually converted a 34-yard field goal to make it 17-14 Waynesburg at the 11:35 mark.

It looked as if that would remain the score heading into halftime, however Justin Willkow picked off an Austin pass and returned it 44 yards for a defensive touchdown to give Waynesburg a 24-14 halftime lead.

Both teams played a pretty even first half on the stat sheet, as Saint Vincent outgained Waynesburg in yardage by a 179-166 margin. The Bearcats failed to convert a third down in the first half, going 0-4 while Waynesburg converted 3-of-5 third downs.

Aside from the interception, Austin was efficient offensively in the first half, completing 11-of-13 passes for 79 yards. Austin also rushed for 41 yards on seven carries, including the touchdown.

The game slowed down in the third quarter, as both defenses held the opposition off the scoreboard, allowing Waynesburg to hold a double digit lead heading to the final quarter.

A three-yard touchdown run by Austin trimmed the deficit to 24-21 with 14:09 to play. The Austin run capped a 10 play, 44-yard scoring drive. Elliott tacked on the point after.

Needing a defensive stop, Waynesburg used a fake punt on a fourth and one near midfield to keep the drive alive. The Yellow Jackets would go on to punch in a one-yard touchdown run by Hayden Belcher, to finish off a 13-play drive, spanning 64 yards. The point after made it 31-21 Waynesburg with 7:34 to play.

Saint Vincent had a fourth down pass knocked down with 2:41 left and Waynesburg would run out the clock to finish the victory.

Austin finished up 14-of-19 for 104 passing yards while adding 60 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Jhanard Dorsett rushed for 66 yards on just eight carries, averaging 8.2 yards per carry. Dorsett also led the passing game with five catches for 35 yards.

Defensively, freshman Hauns White racked up a game-high 10 tackles. Ben Davis, Cameron Mack and Martin Lessard each added seven tackles.

For Waynesburg, Wilson finished with 102 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown. Dougherty passed for just 98 yards.

For the game, Waynesburg totaled 268 yards to 242 for Saint Vincent. Neither team did much through the air, as Saint Vincent passed for 104 to just 98 for Waynesburg.

The loss drops Saint Vincent to 2-7 overall and 1-6 in PAC play. Waynesburg won its second straight to improve to 2-7 overall and 2-5 in PAC play.

Saint Vincent closes the 2017 season when they host Bethany College for Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 11. The contest will also be played as part of PAC Rivalry Week. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Chuck Noll Field.