LATROBE, Pa. (Oct. 30) – Presidents' Athletic Conference co-leader Carnegie Mellon jumped out to an early lead and then used a stifling defense to hold Saint Vincent in check, earning a 34-7 win on a rainy afternoon at Chuck Noll Field.
 
Saint Vincent junior quarterback Brady Walker became his team's all-time career leader in touchdown passes on a 18-yarder to Molayo Irefin midway through the second quarter, but it was one of the lone highlights of the afternoon for the Bearcats, who were limited to just 208 yards of total offense and committed three turnovers.
 
After the Bearcats opened the game with a lengthy drive that would result in a turnover on downs inside the CMU 30-yardline, the Tartans countered with a long march of their own, with Tre Vasiliadis closing out the 8-play, 72-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 with 4:57 left in the first quarter.
 
The Tartans would then force a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and make the Bearcats pay for the miscue, with Vasiliadis scoring his second touchdown of the quarter four plays later, this one from two yards out, to make the score 14-0 with 3:18 remaining in the opening stanza.
 
Following an SVC three-and-out, the Tartan offense went right back to work, moving the ball to midfield on the final play of the quarter. Three plays into the second frame, CMU opened up a 21-0 lead on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Ben Mills to Kris Hughes.
 
After another SVC punt, Vasiliadis scored his third touchdown of the afternoon on a one-yard plunge with 9:05 left in the half,
 
SVC's offense would then come to life. Walker opened the ensuing drive with a 6-yard strike to Irefin, before hooking up with Phil Harding on back-to-back passes that covered 39 yards and set up first down on the CMU 35. Two plays later, the Bearcats converted on a third down when Walker found Irefin for a 17-yard gain. On the next play, the SVC quarterback would enter the record books, as he found Irefin in the end zone for his 32nd career touchdown pass, surpassing the previous mark of 31 set by current head coach Aaron Smetanka in 2011. Adam Koscielicki's extra point was good, and the Bearcats trimmed the gap to 28-7 with 5:53 remaining until the break.
 
After the teams traded possessions, the Bearcat special teams came up with a big play to keep the Tartans from extending the lead. With just over two minutes left in the half, the Bearcats' Desonio Powell burst through the line to block a 37-yard field goal attempt and give the Bearcats the ball at their own 32. The Bearcats embarked on a two-minute drill, with Walker and Irefin connecting on four passes for 60 yards to bring the ball inside the Tartan 20 with less than 10 seconds left. However, SVC would miss a field goal as time expired, and CMU took the 28-7 advantage into the break.
 
Following the intermission, the Tartans wasted little time in adding on to the lead, as Minwoo Eom returned the second half's opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to open up a 34-7 lead with 14:47 left in the third quarter.
 
Eom's long return proved to be the final points for either team, as the game was a defensive struggle over the final 29 minutes. In the third quarter, Carnegie Mellon ended a pair of SVC drives prematurely with interceptions, while the Bearcat defense forced two CMU punts and picked off an interception of their own, with Jaden Pratt making his third interception of the year with 1:42 left in the quarter.
 
The briskly played fourth quarter was much of the same, as the two teams combined for just 41 yards from scrimmage.
 
Walker ended the afternoon with 23 completions on 36 attempts for 208 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Irefin finished with 10 catches for 112 yards, marking his third straight game with at least 10 catches and 100-plus yards, while Harding finished with four grabs for 50 yards.
 
Defensively, Joanes Polynice recorded a team-high 9 tackles and forced a fumble for SVC, while Cam Norris made 8 stops, including 1.5 for loss. Mason Brunson added 7 tackles, while Pratt finished with 5 stops and a pass break-up in addition to his interception.
 
Vasiliadis ran for a game-high 102 yards and three touchdowns to lead CMU, while Mills completed 14 of 25 passes for 172 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Hughes topped the Tartans with 8 catches for 99 yards. 
 
The loss drops the Bearcats to 4-4 on the season and 3-4 in PAC play, while the Tartans improve to 6-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference, maintaining their tie atop the league standings.
 
Saint Vincent will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 6, playing its final road game of the season at another PAC co-leader, Westminster College. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.