BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – For one half, the Geneva College football team was every bit the equal of #16 Carnegie Mellon, who hasn't lost a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game in almost two years. The Golden Tornadoes trailed the Tartans just 3-0 heading into the halftime break, but several mistakes by Geneva allowed things to snowball late as Carnegie Mellon won the season-opener for the two teams, 31-0.
Junior quarterback Darin Myers got his first career start for the Golden Tornadoes, filling in for injured starter Brutus Ogilvie, who had to miss the game. Neither team could manage to score on their first two possessions of the game, but junior Josh Syster's two long rushes on Geneva's third possession set the Golden Tornadoes up in great shape with a first down at the CMU five-yardline. However, the stout CMU defense prevented Geneva from taking the lead, with the Tartans stuffing Myers on a fourth-and-goal from the one yardline.
Geneva's defense held, though, forcing a CMU punt deep in its own territory, but a fumble on the punt return prevented the Golden Tornadoes from another great chance that would have given Geneva the ball inside the Tartan 40-yardline.
CMU took advantage of the mistake and marched inside the Geneva 20-yardline, but the defense forced the Tartans to settle for a 32-yard Justin Caputo field goal, which proved to be the only points of the half. Syster finished the half with 87 rushing yards as the two teams went into the break with almost identical yardage totals.
However, the second half proved much different. CMU opened the third quarter with their best drive of the game, marching 75 yards in eight plays to deliver the first touchdown of the game.
Geneva's offense could never get on track in the second half, with a turnover and a blocked punt setting the Tartans up with very short fields. CMU scored two touchdowns in each of the third and fourth quarters to pull away for the 31-0 win.
The final score isn't reflected in the stats, though, as CMU outgained Geneva just 309-227. The Golden Tornadoes gained most of their yardage on the ground, finishing with 204 yards against what was the top defense in the league last year that returned almost their entire defensive unit. Syster finished with a game-high 93 yards rushing.
Defensively, junior Cameron Smith and Gabe Trexler led the way with eight tackles apiece. Sophomore Dom Allegretto added seven tackles, while sophomore Kiefer Mandagelo added six tackles and an interception.
Geneva heads out on the road next week with a matchup at Allegheny, beginning at 1:00 p.m. In fact, the Golden Tornadoes won't be back inside Reeves Field until they host Saint Vincent on Saturday, September 30.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
