Allegheny to battle tough defense at Washington & Jefferson
Oct. 1—Fresh off Allegheny College's first Presidents' Athletic Conference victory since 1983, head coach Rich Nagy must ready his team for the biggest test of the season.
The Gators (2-2, 1-1) play at Washington & Jefferson's Cameron Stadium today at 2 p.m. in the Presidents' homecoming game.
Washington & Jefferson is 3-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Under the guidance of head coach Mike Sirianni for the last 20 years, the Presidents are 170-41 with nine PAC championships.
"Our guys, a lot are from around here and for the guys that aren't, it's easy to pick up on the fact they've been 8-2 or better for the last eight years or so. We know how good they are," Nagy said. "Their history, the conference championships, those are our aspirations. We want to play near the top of this league and we know that in order to do that we have to play and compete with the guys already at the top."
Washington & Jefferson has a powerful defense. The Presidents are allowing 17 points per game and have allowed just one rushing touchdown all season. The team also has five interceptions and 21 sacks.
Allegheny quarterback Jack Johnson has tossed four interceptions and been sacked five times this year.
"We're gonna run our offense. We have some things to do to help protect him (Johnson) with moving players around and our scheme. We're pretty happy with how the O-line is starting to jel," Nagy said. "We've made some changes and moved people around and it's paying off for us right now."
In last week's 31-15 win against Waynesburg, the offensive line performed well. Johnson wasn't sacked and the line opened up holes for 304 rushing yards.
Senior running back Tre Worship ran for 201 yards and two touchdowns. He was named PAC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
"We talk about how we have to run to set up the pass or pass to set up the run. Last week, we felt it was pass to set up the run and it worked out for us," Nagy said. "We need to be able to run the ball consistently for us to be successful. We're in northwestern Pennsylvania — we're going to see bad weather sometimes. It's part of it, so that has to be part of our identity and who we are."
Allegheny's two losses this season are to high-level opponents in Union and Westminster colleges. The Gators played well in both games for periods of time, but the better team put together more consistent football in those games.
Nagy hopes the first four weeks of the season prepared his young team for today's test.
"We have to do it for 60 minutes. I think we've gotten better. I think our concentration level has improved," Nagy said. "We've played some first-time players and other guys that haven't had to step up and now that we have a few games under our belt they understand the demands a little bit better. I hope that pays dividends for us today."
Alex Topor can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at atopor@meadvilletribune.com.
