Waynesburg University hosts Ursinus College on Saturday at John F. Wiley Stadium, a matchup that will be just the third all-time meeting between the two programs and the first since 1999.

The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 35-12 loss to Capital in first-year head coach Larry Wilson’s debut, a game that got away from Waynesburg early. The Comets scored 14 points in under two minutes late in the second quarter to take a 21-0 halftime lead. 

Wilson pointed to what happened after the break as a sign of where his program is headed.

“At halftime I said, listen man, we’re Waynesburg, we’re gritty, we’re building culture,” Wilson said. “And the offense came out, put together a 10-play drive, defense played well, each team scored twice. That was a good sign, because I have a feeling sometimes in the past, a game like that gets away from a team, and to see that fight, want, will and desire in the second half, we can certainly build off of that.”

Wilson, hired in January, is installing a new system with a roster that turned over nearly half its players.

“Having only 50 some guys that we retained, and then having to add 50 guys to the program, I just feel like we’re constantly playing catch up to try and get to our potential,” Wilson said. “We’re fighting for that program consistency, playing a little bit of catch up because we’re playing so many new and young guys. It’s gonna be a process.”

Waynesburg managed just 12 points on offense in the opener, and Wilson said closing that gap starts in practice this week.

“It’s a complex offense, and we’re back fighting the good fight this week, trying to get to an execution level that it takes,” Wilson said. “We have to be locked in every period, we have to get through our reps, and we’re still fighting that fight on offense to get to where we need to be.”

Running back Zayne Cawley, back on the field this fall after missing almost all of the 2025 season, said the offense’s path to more points runs through playing to its personnel rather than forcing a scheme.

“Our offense is going to improve this week by focusing more on the strengths of the personnel we have to put us in the best positions to score,” Cawley said. 

He pointed to the pistol running game and quick screens as bright spots from the opener. 

“Some things I thought went well was running the ball out of pistol formation and quick screens and allowing certain players to be playmakers.”

Cawley said Wilson’s message this week has been to simplify, not overthink.

“He says the team that plays fast and is more physical is the team that is likely to win every time,” Cawley said. “Just play some hard, fast and physical football.”

Ursinus enters off a 17-14 win over Delaware Valley in its own opener Sept. 4 in a game that snapped a nearly 60-year gap between the two Middle Atlantic Conference schools. The Bears, members of the Centennial Conference, went 7-4 a year ago and have won at least seven games in five of the last six full seasons.

For Wilson, who called the head-coaching debut no different emotionally than his years as an assistant, the standard doesn’t change with the opponent.

“We talk about our style of play, practicing the right way, being deserving throughout the week,” Wilson said. “We can’t focus on outcomes right now. We need to focus on getting better, because the outcomes will come.”

Kickoff between Waynesburg and Ursinus is set for 12 p.m. Saturday at John F. Wiley Stadium.