Since Waynesburg University and Washington & Jefferson (W&J) began their rivalry, the series has been one-sided.

W&J, ranked No. 17, continued its dominance against Waynesburg on senior day this past Saturday at John F. Wiley stadium with a 33-14 win, and now holds a 42-4 record against the Yellow Jackets. More importantly for the Presidents, the win clinched a second-straight Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship.

For Waynesburg, the loss clinched a fourth-straight losing season, and head coach Chris Smithley, a former Presidents assistant, said that playing teams like W&J is essential for building the program into a winner.

“We want to be playing teams like this every single week…,” Smithley said. “We want to be in these situations every week. That’s what we want to do, and if we want to be a great football team, that’s what it’s going to take.”

After the Jackets’ defense forced a punt on W&J’s first possession, the Presidents’ scored on three consecutive drives. W&J drew first blood when a 7-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jacob Adams to sophomore receiver Andrew Wolf capped an 11-play, 74-yard march.

The quarterback-receiver combination that has wreaked havoc throughout the PAC all season was effective again Saturday, with Adams completing 13 of 18 passes for 173 yards, two touchdown tosses and an interception. Wolf was on the receiving end of both of scores. The PAC’s leading receiver caught six passes for 127 yards. Freshman kicker Jacob Sarver’s extra point was good, and W&J led 7-0.

It took the Presidents just 1:07 to cash in on their next possession. Junior running back Jordan West ended a three-play, 78-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, and a successful PAT made it 14-0 W&J.

On the first play of the Jackets’ ensuing drive, junior quarterback Tyler Perone’s pass was intercepted by senior defensive back Zac Quattrone, setting the Presidents up at the Waynesburg 21-yard line. West’s second touchdown run of the afternoon—this one from 2-yards out—capped a seven-play march. Although Sarver missed the extra point, W&J was in command, up 20-0, which would hold going into halftime.

Before leaving with an injury in the third quarter, West picked up 138 yards on 20 carries.

The Jackets offense struggled in the first half, particularly in the passing game, as junior quarterback Tyler Perone went 3-8 for just one yard and an interception.

Waynesburg had a chance to break the shutout on its first possession of the second half, but despite holding the ball for 9:12, the drive ended with no points.

Junior running back Chad Walker was stopped one yard short on a 4th-and-6 from the Presidents’ 25, and W&J got the ball back and made sure to take advantage.

From there, the Adams-to-Wolf connection struck again on a 65-yard touchdown pass, making it 26-0. W&J then attempted a two-point conversion, which failed.

The Jackets finally found the end zone on their next drive. Two Presidents penalties, as well as a 4th-and-19 conversion, aided the Jackets on a 10-play, 87-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Jordan Taylor, the first of his career. Senior Garret Guthrie converted the PAT, and Waynesburg trailed 26-7.

The ensuing possession gave a sliver of hope that a historic comeback might be possible. On a 3rd-and-3 from the W&J 45, senior defensive end Logan Eller picked off Adams and ran into the end zone. With 13:25 left, the deficit was down to just 12.

“That’s the [most fun] time to be on the sidelines,” Smithley said. “When you have guys making plays and you have guys changing the momentum, that’s the best time there is to be on the field. I would love to see it be more consistent and for it to not take those plays for us to be that excited.”

With W&J getting the ball back after the interception return for a touchdown, Waynesburg’s defense needed a stop and didn’t come away with one. W&J drove 75 yards in eight plays, with sophomore running back EJ Thompson picking up 69 of those yards on seven carries. Thompson capped off the possession— and the game— with a 14-yard run. With 8:31 left, W&J led 33-14, and that would hold as the final score. Thompson, who played the first half as the Presidents’ No. 2 tailback, finished the afternoon with 186 yards on 23 carries.

The top-ranked offense in the PAC flexed its muscles again Saturday. W&J outgained Waynesburg 532-226 in total offense, with 359 of those yards coming on the ground.

For the Jackets, Perone improved in the second half, but still finished the day with just 107 yards passing, completing 17 of his 32 attempts. Walker was Waynesburg’s most productive player offensively, picking up 102 yards on 15 touches and averaging roughly seven yards per carry.

Although Waynesburg ended its season with two losses, those games were against nationally ranked opponents.

“I love the way the schedule is lined up,” Smithley said. “That’s what we’re looking for. We want to play these two games at [the end of the season] because if we play these two games at the end, and we’re where we want to be [in the future], they’re going to be big, meaningful games.”

Waynesburg ended its year with as many wins as it had combined in the previous two season, and Smithley feels that the program is much improved than it was when he took over in 2017.

“Light years ahead,” Smithley said. “Light years ahead. We just have to continue to get better in all areas.”