WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Running back Ryan Ruffing rushed for 150 yards and five touchdowns and quarterback Pete Coughlin added 106 yards on the ground as the Presidents opened the 2014 with a 51-17 win over Wooster at Cameron Stadium.
With the win, the Presidents begin the season 1-0 for the 88th time in 123 seasons of varsity football. It also is the the 72nd time that W&J has started the season with a win at home (72-14-1). Wooster falls to 0-1.
The Fighting Scots held a 10-0 lead after one quarter of play thanks to a 61-yard touchdown pass from Richard Barnes to Darrian Owens at the mid-way point and a 20-yard field goal by Trevor Bowden following a goal-line stand by the Presidents. All four W&J drives in the first quarter ended with a punt as the Presidents struggled to find a groove on offense.
Washington & Jefferson got on the board after 1:35 had elapsed in the second quarter. Coughlin found Cody Stumpf for 26 yards and a first down that ended the opening quarter and then Coughlin (nine yards) and Ruffing (one yard) picked up a first down on the ground. An 18-yard hook-up with Stumpf again and another seven to Max Creighan and W&J was at the 18-yard line. A pair of three-yard rushes set up a 12-yard touchdown pass from Coughlin to a wide open Michael Giampole in the end zone making the score 10-7 Wooster.
The Scots answered with a seven-play, 77-yard drive that resulted in a 29-yard touchdown pass again from Barnes to Owens. On the ensuing drive, W&J needed just five plays to cover 65 yards to get within 17-14. The drive started with a 25-yard run by Coughlin and included a 27-yard pass to Eric Scott before Ruffing eventually punched it in from nine-yards out for his first score.
On the second play of the following drive, the snap went over Barnes' head and the quarterback recovered the ball at his own five yard line. The next play was an interception by Anthony Tutino and four plays later Ruffing scored his second touchdown in a little over a minute as W&J took the lead for good, 21-17.
W&J added to the lead as the first half came to a close on a 32-yard field goal by Blake Davis, who was six-of-seven on extra-point attempts also.
After forcing a three-and-out to begin the second half, W&J rushed the ball eight times in the next nine plays with a seven-yard touchdown run by Ruffing capping the drive and pushing the lead to 31-17. Once again the Presidents forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive and the drive ended with a Ruffing touchdown scamper, this time from two yards out and W&J was in control, 38-17 with 8:43 to play in the third.
Ruffing's fifth and final touchdown run came at the start of the fourth quarter, getting in from five yards out to put the game away.
David Kincaid added a rushing touchdown under four minutes and W&J posted the 51-17 victory.
As a team, the Presidents carried the ball 66 times for 321 yards, an average of 4.9 per carry. Ruffing led the way with 150 yards on 37 carries and Coughlin totaled 106 on 14 totes. Coughlin also completed 18-of-25 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown with an interception. Creighan caught six passes for 26 yards, Stumpf led with 68 yards receiving on five catches and Scott tallied 55 yards on three receptions.
Defensively for W&J, Jon Turner recorded a team-best 11 tackles, including a game-and career-high 3.5 for loss and he also forced a fumble. Jared Pratt was also in double figures for the sixth time in his career with 10 stops. Dan Graziano and Ryan Snedeker chipped in nine and seven tackles, respectively. Tutino made four stops with an interception and fumble recovery.
W&J returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 13 with a 7 p.m. kick-off at Westminster. Due to the unbalance schedule in the Presidents' Athletic Conference with the addition of Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve, Saturday's game with the Titans will not count toward the eight league games.
W&J racks up over 300 yards rushing in 51-17 win over Wooster
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20140906_7ury.xml
2014
Wooster
17
Washington and Jefferson
51
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooster (0-1) | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| No. 19 Washington and Jefferson (1-0) | 0 | 24 | 14 | 13 | 51 |
Sep 06, 2014