BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College football team got off to a strong start in its road game at Washington & Jefferson on Saturday afternoon, but the Golden Tornadoes couldn't sustain things against the potent President offense and lost 73-21.  Geneva dropped to 2-4 overall with the loss.

Geneva received the opening kickoff of the game and put together one of its best drives of the season against a strong W&J defense.  The Golden Tornadoes marched 75 yards in 15 plays, using up almost ten minutes of clock, and sophomore Landon Smith scored from three yards out to give Geneva an early 7-0 advantage.

W&J quickly responded, though, behind the passing of quarterback Jacob Pugh.  Pugh, who has some of the most impressive passing stats of anyone in Division III, hit Jacob Macosko on a 19-yard pass to pull even.

On the following Geneva possession, though, the Golden Tornadoes used the ariel attack to its advantage.  Senior Darin Myers, who was starting for sophomore Caleb Romano who was under the weather, threw a beautiful pass over the top of the W&J defense that hit senior Keaton Baker in stride, and Baker raced the rest of the way for an 84-yard touchdown pass to put the Golden Tornadoes back on top with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Unfortunately, the Geneva defense could never find a recipe to slow down the W&J passing attack.  Over the final 17 minutes of the first half, the Presidents scored 35 unanswered points, with Pugh accounting for five passing touchdowns before the break.

The main highlight for the Golden Tornadoes in the second half was from Smith, who scored his second touchdown of the game from eight yards away late in the third quarter as W&J finished off the scoring in the fourth quarter, 73-21.

Smith finished the day with 58 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while Baker hauled in two passed for 98 yards and a score.  Geneva finished with 251 yards of total offense, 153 coming on the ground.  W&J finished with 565 yards of total offense, 349 coming through the air.  Pugh finished with 324 yards passing and six touchdowns.  Graduate student Dante Caputo led the team with eight tackles.

Geneva has now wrapped up the toughest part of its schedule, having to play the top four teams in the PAC, all who are ranked or receiving votes in the Division III poll, among its first six games.  The Golden Tornadoes will try to rebound next Saturday when they host Allegheny at 7:00 p.m. on Reeves Field.