On the surface, Saturday’s game against St. Vincent looked like an ideal opportunity for the Waynesburg University football team to emphatically bounce back from last week’s 28-3 setback at Grove City.

Although the Yellow Jackets left Latrobe with a win, it didn’t come as easily as some may have expected.

The Bearcats came into the day with a 1-4 record in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, and even more promising for Waynesburg was the fact that St. Vincent’s defense was missing both of its starting cornerbacks and quarterback Zavion Thompson also was injured.

Despite the Bearcats’ record and injuries, the Jackets [4-4, 4-3] narrowly escaped Chuck Noll Field with a 12-10 win that wasn’t sealed until a missed field goal with less than a minute to play.

St. Vincent [1-6, 1-5] holding its own came as no surprise to Waynesburg head coach Chris Smithley.

“We knew that this thing was going to be a dogfight,” Smithley said. “We knew that our matchups with them were going to be challenging. We knew that, and we were prepared for that coming in.”

The Jackets drew first blood on the first possession of the game. A 39-yard field goal by senior Garret Guthrie put Waynesburg ahead 3-0, capping a nine-play, 48-yard drive.

St. Vincent answered on the ensuing series. Freshman quarterback Tekoah Guedes, who played in place of Thompson, ran for a 39-yard touchdown to finish a five-play, 59-yard march. The run was the highlight of a productive day on the ground for Guedes, who rushed for more yards (91) than the Jackets did collectively (70). Just three minutes after Waynesburg scored the game’s first points, the Bearcats now led 7-3.

The Jackets’ defense, however, settled in and only gave up three points on the rest of the afternoon.

“[St. Vincent] came out and they gave us a little bit of a different offense than we had prepared for,” Smithley said. “They put [Guedes] in at quarterback, and he [was] running around a good bit. That put us in a bind in some of our schemes, but as expected, [defensive coordinator Scott] Venick did a fantastic job of getting those guys to adjust.”

After scoring on each of their first possessions, neither team put up any points for the rest of the opening period. The Yellow Jackets drew to within one early in the second quarter on Guthrie’s second field goal of the day, this one from 40-yards out, to end an eight-play, 49-yard drive that started late in the first quarter.

As halftime approached, the Bearcats stretched their lead back to four courtesy of senior kicker Sam Elliot, who nailed a 27-yarder with 10 seconds left in the half to cap a 14-play drive. With 30 minutes gone, the Bearcats led, 10-6.

For the second straight week, Waynesburg’s offense struggled. Since tying a season-high with 24 points against Carnegie Mellon, the Jackets have combined to score just 15 points in their past two games. St. Vincent outgained Waynesburg in yardage, 280-178 overall and 157-70 in rushing. The Bearcats also picked up 20 first downs compared to just 13 by the Yellow Jackets. In the first half, Waynesburg held the ball for only 12:45, never reached the red zone, and had to settle for two field goals.

“It’s just a matter of our guys going out and making those plays,” Smithley said. “They know that, and they’re aware of that, but at the end of the day, we’re going to coach our butts off. The players have to play. Guys have to make plays. Guys have to want to make it happen.”

Neither offense scored in the third quarter. St. Vincent had a chance to extend its lead on its third possession of the second half, driving the ball all the way down to the Jackets’ 10-yard line. The Bearcats attempted a fake field goal, and senior defensive back Garrett Hepner tackled junior punter Christian Witchey for a 15-yard loss, forcing a turnover on downs. The Yellow Jackets’ offensive struggles continued, however, and the team gained just six yards the entire quarter.

For Waynesburg, the fourth quarter started with more of the same. The Jackets went three-and-out on their first drive of the final period and netted just two yards. On Waynesburg’s second possession, however, junior quarterback Tyler Perone threw six of his 15 completions on the day to lead a 12-play, 80-yard march that spanned more than six minutes. The drive ended with a nine-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Nick Moretti. Although Guthrie’s extra point was blocked, Waynesburg now led, 12-10.

Perone finished the day going 15-25 for 128 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.

After the teams exchanged punts, St. Vincent took over with 2:20 remaining. Knowing that a score would almost certainly result in a crushing loss, Smithley had confidence that his defense would be up to the task.

“I never doubted that we were winning that game when it came down to the defense,” he said. “I never had a doubt in my mind.”

The Bearcats drove down to the Waynesburg 29, setting the stage for a potential game-winning field goal with 31 seconds left. Elliot missed the kick from 47-yards out, however, and the Jackets’ sealed another one-possession win.

Although Waynesburg’s record is a modest 4-4, the Yellow Jackets ensured their best record since 2014, with all four wins decided by no more than three points. The team currently sits in fourth place in the PAC.

Leading the way for the Jackets’ stout defense Saturday was senior linebacker John-Glen Davis, who had a game-high 10 tackles. Offensively, sophomore Cole Booth led the team in receiving with three catches for 49 yards, while junior running back Chad Walker gained 70 yards on 18 carries.

For St. Vincent, although Guedes had a big day running the ball, he struggled passing, completing just 13 of his 34 attempts for 123 yards and no touchdowns. His top target on the day was sophomore running back Mike Stasko, who caught five passes for 62 yards in addition to gaining 42 yards on 13 carries.

Waynesburg is off this Saturday, and then will finish the season with possibly its two biggest challenges, first on the road at Case-Western Reserve Nov. 3 at 2 p.m., and then back at John F. Wiley Stadium to end the season against Washington & Jefferson Nov. 10 at 1:30 p.m.

W&J is atop the PAC with a 6-1 conference record, while Case-Western is right behind the Presidents at 5-1.

Although there were plenty of bumps on the road Saturday, at the end of the day, Smithley said, Waynesburg got the result it needed.

“Obviously, it wasn’t pretty,” he said, “but a win’s a win, and that’s all that matters to us.”