MEADVILLE, Pa. -- The Allegheny College football team shook off a sluggish start and used big plays on both sides of the ball in the second half to defeat Bethany College, 31-20, on Saturday afternoon at Frank B. Fuhrer Field on Hall of Fame Weekend.
Led by another incredible performance by wide receiver Declan O'Brien (Irwin, Pa./Norwin), the Gators overcame an early 10-point deficit and pieced together a 31-3 run that bridged the final minute of the second quarter into the fourth quarter. O'Brien helped kickstart the Allegheny offense with a single-game career-high 214 receiving yards, fifth-most in program history, while extending his scoring streak to four consecutive games to start the 2023 campaign.
Perhaps a sign of the early frustrations that would plague Allegheny in the first 28-plus minutes, Garrett Paxton (Freedom, Pa./Freedom Area) had his 34-yard field goal attempt on the Gators' first drive blocked. It was the first of six offensive series that failed to produce a point.
Trailing 10-0 late in the second quarter, Allegheny began its comeback with a four-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Jack Johnson (Hingham, Mass./Hingham/Milford Academy) to tight end Austin Williams (Warsaw, N.Y./Warsaw Central). In the third quarter, Paxton chipped a 22-yard field goal in to even the score at 10-all.
Jack Sella answered with a short field goal of his own on the ensuing drive. His kick put the Bison ahead, 13-10, but the lead was short-lived. On the next Allegheny drive, Johnson hit O'Brien on a go route down the left sideline, and the senior standout raced 63 yards to the end zone.
The highlight-reel pitch-and-catch gave the Gators their first lead of the afternoon, 17-13. Tre Worship (East Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) punched in a short touchdown run to widen the gap to 24-13, and early in the fourth quarter, Malcolm Denomme (Edgewood, N.M./Moriarty) collected a fumbled handoff in the Bethany backfield and went 64 yards to push the Allegheny advantage to 31-13.
The Bison trimmed the deficit to two possessions with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Kayrus Sam to Deon Parker, but Bethany failed to recover the following onside kick. The Gators all but sealed the victory by running off more than five minutes on their final drive.
Inside the Box Score
- Allegheny finished with 328 yards through the air compared to 248 from Bethany.
- The Bison ran for 149 yards, whereas the Gators managed only 57 rushing yards.
- Despite the loss, Bethany held a slight advantage in total offense with 397 yards.
- Johnson was 23-of-39 with 328 yards and two touchdowns.
- Bethany's Sam threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns but was picked off twice by the Allegheny defense.
- O'Brien finished with nine receptions for 214 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown catch.
- Williams made five catches for 45 yards and one touchdown.
- Parker, who had five catches for 47 yards, caught both touchdowns for the Bison.
- Denomme made a team-high 12 tackles with one sack and recovered one fumble for a 64-yard touchdown.
- Zach Altenbaugh (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver) made six tackles with one sack, one forced fumble, and one interception.
- Defensive lineman Josh Salisbury (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane) collected Allegheny's second interception after hauling in a pass that was deflected out of the air on a heavy pass rush.
News and Notes
- Allegheny improved to 2-2, while the Bison fell to 0-3.
- Including last fall's season-ending 20-17 overtime victory, the Gators have won two consecutive meetings against Bethany and are 19-15-1 all-time against the Bison.
- O'Brien continued his monster season with 214 receiving yards, nine more than his previous career-best, which came against the College of Wooster on November 6, 2021.
- O'Brien, who had 620 yards in 2021 and 691 in 2022, has already surpassed 600 receiving yards in only four games so far this season.
- Johnson's 328 passing yards are a season-high.
- The AC defense, which surrendered a season-low 20 points, logged a season-high four turnovers.
- At halftime, Allegheny recognized its Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2023: Elizabeth Blyth '13 (women's golf), Lauren Butler Ganz '12 (women's track and field), Nancy Nelson Mates '88 (softball), and the 1978 men's soccer team.
Up Next
The Gators will host nationally-ranked Carnegie Mellon University on Saturday, September 30, at 7:00 p.m. at Frank B. Fuhrer Field as part of Allegheny's Blue and Gold Weekend celebration.