LATROBE, Pa. (Sept. 28) – The Saint Vincent football team fell to 1-3 with a 21-7 loss to Waynesburg University in a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup at Chuck Noll Field.

Sophomore Dontae Sanders ran for a season-high 106 yards and a touchdown, while Saint Vincent amassed 18 first downs to the visitors' 17, but Waynesburg (1-3) utilized a strong rushing attack and an efficient passing game to earn its first win of the season.

Sanders became the first SVC back to eclipse the 100-yard mark this season, averaging 7.6 yards on just 15 carries, while senior Billy Beck gained 30 rushing yards on just five tries. 

In his first career start under center, sophomore Stevie Oursler completed five of six attempts for 30 yards before leaving due to injury in the second quarter. Junior Luke Levendosky came on to complete eight passes for 66 yards.

Sophomore Keegan O'Brien led the receiving corps with three catches for 33 yards, while sophomore Chris Downs caught two passes for 22 yards, and sophomore Austin Wells made two receptions for 18 yards.

The Bearcats were hampered by 13 penalties for 79 yards, while they also struggled on third down, converting just three of 10 compared to Waynesburg's 7-for-11 performance.

Senior Wiley Purry amassed a team-high 10 tackles, while senior KeShawn Davis made eight tackles and junior Josiah Weyandt, sophomore Robbie Labuda, and freshman Nathan Parker tallied seven stops. Labuda made 1.5 tackles for loss, and junior safety Kyle Murray made six stops, including one TFL, and broke up a pass.
 
The afternoon got off to a strong start for the Bearcats, as the defense forced a punt after just five plays on Waynesburg's opening possession before the offense put together a productive opening drive. On SVC's first offensive snap, Oursler completed an 18-yard pass to O'Brien, before Sanders ran six times for 44 yards, capped off with a 4-yard touchdown to give the hosts a 7-0 lead with 7:54 left in the opening frame.

The lead was short-lived, as Waynesburg countered with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown run by Zane Cawley to tie the game with 1:55 left in the quarter. 

The Yellow Jackets put together another lengthy drive on their first trip of the second quarter. The 11-play, 55-yard trip ended with a three-yard touchdown pass from Samuel Barber to Nehemie Marc on third-and-goal to give the visitors a 14-7 lead with 7:34 left in the first half.

Saint Vincent looked primed to answer on the ensuing possession. A 12-yard run from Sanders, Oursler passes to O'Brien and Wells that totaled 22 yards, and three Waynesburg penalties spanning 38 yards set up first-and-goal on the 7-yard line. The drive would stall, however, with SVC coming up empty after a missed field goal attempt with 1:32 left in the half.

The teams traded scoreless possessions to begin the second half, with Labuda and freshman Lamar Daniels teaming up to stop Cawley on fourth-and-one on the Yellow Jackets' first trip. Waynesburg countered to force a turnover-on-downs on the Bearcats' subsequent possession and then needed just five plays to extend the lead to 21-7 on Cawley's second rushing score of the day with 2:02 left in the third quarter.
The Bearcats' next trip was thwarted by their only turnover of the game, an interception by Javionne Smith on the Waynesburg 38 with 12:38 left in regulation. Five plays later, the visitors punted the ball back to the Bearcats, who took over at their own 20 with exactly 9:00 left in the fourth.

Levendosky ran the ball twice for six yards and then fired completions of seven yards to Wells and nine yards to downs to set up first-and-10 on the SVC 46. After a 5-yard illegal procedure penalty, Levendosky fired his longest completion of the day, a 25-yarder to freshman Tristan Doy, for a first down at the Waynesburg 33. A Levendosky scramble moved the ball to the 25-yard line, but the Bearcats would get no closer, with Waynesburg forcing an incomplete pass on fourth-and-one for the turnover on downs. 
 
Cawley then sealed the victory for the visitors, amassing 40 of his game-high 149 rushing yards over the next six plays to run out the clock.

Cawley led a Waynesburg rushing attack that amassed 178 yards, while he also topped his team with four catches for 43 yards. Barber went 13-for-15 through the air for 114 yards. 

For the game, Waynesburg outgained Saint Vincent 293-262 in total offense, and, along with their 7-for-11 showing on third down, the Yellow Jackets held a 32:25-27:35 margin in time of possession.

Saint Vincent will be back at home next Saturday, Oct. 5, to close out its rare three-game homestand, welcoming PAC foe Geneva College for a 1 p.m. Homecoming bout at Chuck Noll Field.