Presidents pick up Bushnell Bowl victory over Statesmen
WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington and Jefferson football team used a four-score second quarter to win the 2022 Bushnell Bowl on Saturday afternoon, defeating Hobart College by a final of 35-18. Quarterback Jacob Pugh turned in a nice day for the Presidents, tossing for 221 yards and a trio of scores to highlight the effort.
Washington and Jefferson started the scoring early, when Anthony Rosati hauled in a five-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Pugh to cap an 88-yard opening drive. Hobart’s Anthony Romano picked off a pass later in the quarter, returning it 27-yards to get the Statesmen on the board, but a failed PAT kept the score at 7-6.
Thirty seconds into the second quarter, Pugh struck again, connecting with John Peduzzi on a 38-yarder to expand the President lead to 14-6. Following a turnover on the ensuing possession, Zach Cernuto rumbled off a 32-yard rushing touchdown, making it a 21-6 advantage for Washington and Jefferson.
Pugh continued to stay in his rhythm, finding Peduzzi again from seven yards out later in the quarter to open it up to 28-6, but Hobart refused to go quietly. The following kickoff saw Rayshaw Boswell break off a 94-yard house call, but the two-point conversion failed, and the score remained 28-12.
Washington and Jefferson went right back to work, going 76 yards on just six plays with Cernuto’s one-yard run capping the drive. The Presidents went into the intermission with a 38-12 advantage, and the Statesemen were only able to get six points back in the second half, doing so on an 8-yard touchdown pass with just under seven minutes to play.
The Presidents finished the day with 344 total yards of offense, including 123 on the ground. Pugh ended up completing passes to five different targets on the afternoon, with Peduzzi clearing the century mark on just four receptions.
Defensively, Justin Johns racked up a game-best 15 tackles for the Presidents, while Tanner Volpatti and Dawson Dietz followed with 11 apiece. Volpatti, a senior linebacker, added an interception to garner MVP honors, and the Presidents put the finishing touches on the 2022 season in impressive fashion.