Nick McCullough normally would have reacted differently.
When the Carnegie Mellon freshman wide receiver crossed the goal line in Oakland’s Gesling Stadium for his first career NCAA Division III touchdown Saturday afternoon, he said the friendly face he immediately saw caused him to be taken aback.
“The first person I saw was my brother,” said Nick McCullough of his elder sibling, Brendan, the Tartans junior wide receiver. “I went over and gave him a hug. Normally, I dance and stuff. That time, I was just like, I don’t know, I just had to take it all in. It’s just a lot of emotions, but I’m glad I saw him first.”
Opposing defenses have been less happy to see the McCullough brothers on the same field this season.
Nick McCullough’s 45-yard third-quarter touchdown pass from quarterback Joey McGinnis IV proved to be the game-winning score, as No. 22 Carnegie Mellon racked up 343 yards of offense to upend visiting No. 20 Berry, 17-9, in its final game before its inaugural Centennial Conference schedule begins in two weeks.
Junior wide receiver Reece Kolke caught two passes for a game-high 61 yards and a second-quarter 38-yard touchdown for the Tartans (2-1). Nick McCullough also reeled in two passes for 45 yards and Brendan McCullough added four catches for 44 yards to help hand the Vikings (2-1) their first loss of the season.
“There’s some special guys in the receiving room for sure,” said McGinnis, who threw for 150 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while also rushing for 118 yards on 14 carries against Berry. “Going out there and being able to rely on them to make plays, having a dynamic offense, is great. I love it so far.”
Brendan McCullough has hauled in team highs in catches, yards and touchdowns through Carnegie Mellon’s first three games of the 2025 campaign. The 6-foot, 180-pound receiver has 18 receptions for 305 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
In a tough 38-14 loss to No. 9 Wisconsin-La Crosse a week ago, Brendan McCullough caught eight passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns, while he also made six catches for 64 yards and a score in the Tartans’ 20-0 season-opening victory at Chicago.
A year ago, Brendan McCullough enjoyed a breakout campaign, leading the Tartans passing attack with 71 catches for 760 yards and nine touchdowns in his first campaign as a full-time starter.
“We have a bunch of guys that are hungry to play,” Brendan McCullough said.
Meanwhile, his brother, Nick, was wrapping up a sensational career at Peters Township in 2024, leading the Indians to the WPIAL Class 5A championship game after winning the first district title in school history in 2023.
Nick McCullough, who surprised many around the WPIAL when he chose Carnegie Mellon over 12 NCAA Division I offers, has transitioned well to competition at the Division III level with 11 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown in 2025. He caught a game-high eight passes for 75 yards in his collegiate debut at Chicago before making one catch for 6 yards against Wisconsin-La Crosse.
“They’re fun,” fourth-year Carnegie Mellon coach Ryan Larsen said. “They’re competitive, man. I’ll use a quote from my wife, ‘They are just unbelievably good young men.’ She’s like, ‘They’re just so polite, but they play hard.’ They play with edge.
“Nick was pretty nicked up this week and, honestly, only practiced Thursday,” added Larsen of Nick McCullough’s toe injury. “We got him back on Thursday, and we were nervous. He’s tough.”
For the McCullough brothers, the chance to play together has been very special.
“It means the world, man,” Brendan said. “I think it’s a dream. Growing up as kids, you know, loving playing in the yard with your brother and then you’re playing college ball with him on the same field; it’s truly a blessing, I’m blessed by God. I’m thankful for this guy every day, and I love him.”
The feeling is certainly mutual for Nick.
After watching his brother play every Saturday over his first two collegiate seasons, Nick McCullough said it was an easy choice to attend Carnegie Mellon.
“It just felt like home,” he said. “I always looked up to my brother, and I just wanted to play with him so badly, especially at the same position. My brother was a big pull, Carnegie Mellon, great school, obviously, and close to home, so this is home to me.”
In addition to their duties on offense, Nick McCullough serves as one of the Tartans kick returners, while Brendan returns punts.
Larsen said the McCullough brothers’ versatility is a huge asset.
“We move our guys around a lot,” Larsen said. “If you’re looking for Kolke, or you’re looking for Brendan or you’re looking for Nick, you’re not going to find them in the same spot every play, or you may not even find them on just like the outsides. They’re going to be everywhere. They’re going to be in and out. Our system allows it, but also their intelligence allows the system to work.
“When we find things in the defense that we want to attack, now, it’s how do we get the right guy in the right spot?”
And that versatility was certainly evident against Berry.
Carnegie Mellon kicker Justin Caputo, a South Fayette product, handed his team an early 3-0 lead with a 33-yard field goal before Vikings kicker Trey Richards tied the score with a 27-yard field goal of his own early in the second quarter.
Then McGinnis took over. He found Kolke for a 38-yard touchdown with 2:03 left before halftime before breaking the game open with the scoring strike to Nick McCullough early in the third quarter.
Berry quarterback Andrew Hunter finally broke through Carnegie Mellon’s defense with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Brendan Gray to cut the Tartans lead to just eight points with 53 seconds left in the game, but it was as close as the Vikings would get.
“We come into each game with an expectation to excel in all phases of the game,” McGinnis said. “Obviously, there are things that we can clean up, get the ball moving a little quicker, but I really liked our team win today. I think all three phases played well, and we are looking good going into the bye week.”
Carnegie Mellon will next face McDaniel at 2 p.m. Oct. 4 at Gesling Stadium in its first Centennial Conference game after moving from the Presidents’ Athletic Conference before this season.
“We have to be us,” McGinnis said. “Play like us, don’t worry about outside expectations, stick to our game, stick to our standards and we’ll get wins like this.”
Westminster hangs on for win over Case Western in PAC opener
Sophomore quarterback Sean O’Shea, a Seneca Valley product, threw for 168 yards and a touchdown while also carrying the football 13 times for 56 yards and another score to lead Westminster to a 28-23 victory over Case Western Reserve Saturday night in both team’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference opener at DiSanto Field in Cleveland.
Sophomore Brite Cannon caught six passes for 126 yards and a touchdown for the Titans (2-1, 1-0) while also rushing for 67 yards and a score on 18 carries against the Spartans (0-2, 0-1).
Westminster senior linebacker Dylan Sleva, a Moon product, registered 15 tackles, one for a loss, with a sack.
Norwin product Liam O’Brien caught seven passes for 122 yards for Case Western.
Waynesburg runs over Hiram for first win of season
Running back Zayne Cawley carried the football 29 times for 230 yards and four touchdowns as Waynesburg rushed for 277 yards en route to defeating Hiram, 35-27, Saturday evening following a more than four-hour lightning delay at John F. Wiley Stadium in Waynesburg.
Luke Hudson completed 17 of 19 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Yellow Jackets (1-2, 1-0) to a victory over the visiting Terriers (1-2, 0-1) in each team’s PAC opener.
Wide receiver Tyler Richmond, a Carmichaels product, caught three passes for 41 yards and a touchdown for Waynesburg, which also received a 15-yard touchdown reception from Elija Jackson.
No. 4 Slippery Rock dominates Shippensburg
It appears No. 4 Slippery Rock may have found its “QBDaOne” as redshirt freshman DaOne Owens threw for 252 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Rock to a comfortable 42-0 victory over Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division foe Shippensburg Saturday night at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium in Slippery Rock.
Owens earned his first career start after coming on in relief to lead the Rock to a thrilling come from behind 35-28 overtime victory over Shepherd last Saturday.
Reggie Fleurima caught three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown for Slippery Rock (3-0), while John Sabo contributed four catches for 25 yards and a score, Latrell Sutton added a 66-yard touchdown reception, and Xander McClure chipped in a 25-yard scoring strike against the Big Red (0-3).
Slippery Rock will next host undefeated No. 8 California University of Pennsylvania at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium at 6 p.m. next Saturday in a showdown of teams competing for the PSAC West Division crown.
No. 8 California offense explodes for rout of Lock Haven
No. 8 California University of Pennsylvania wrapped up its three-game home stand to open its season Saturday afternoon with a 42-6 rout of PSAC East Division foe Lock Haven at Adamson Stadium in California.
Quarterback Roman Purcell threw for 140 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while also rushing for 48 yards on nine carries, to lead the Vulcans (3-0) offense against an overmatched Bald Eagles (1-2) defense.
Junior running back Bobbie Boyd Jr., a McKeesport product, rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries for California. He scored on first-half runs of 3 and 1 yards.
Wide receiver Jeff Nyamekye caught three passes for 38 yards and a touchdown for the Vulcans, while Laurel Highlands graduate Keondrae DeShields caught two passes for 25 yards and a score and Serra Catholic product Amire Spencer chipped in two catches for 18 yards and a touchdown.
IUP offense flexes its muscles in rout of winless Millersville
Indiana University of Pennsylvania racked up 721 yards of offense en route to dominating PSAC East Division foe Millersville, 70-24, Saturday afternoon at George P. Miller Stadium in Indiana.
The Crimson Hawks (2-1) won their second straight game, as quarterbacks Matthew Rueve and Zayd Etheridge made their presence felt leading first-year offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr.’s offense against a clearly overmatched Marauders (0-3) defense.
Rueve completed 19 of 22 passes for 443 yards and six touchdowns, while Etheridge threw for 154 yards, two scores and an interception.
Wide receiver Maurice Massey caught six passes for 173 yards and four touchdowns to pace IUP’s passing attack, which also saw Jeremiah Coleman make two catches for 123 yards and two scores, Tavion Banks add three catches for 88 yards and a touchdown and Parker Gregg collect a 5-yard scoring strike.
Running back Leon Parson carried the football five times for 62 yards and a touchdown to pace the Crimson Hawks ground game.
Seton Hill falls behind early in loss at West Chester
Seton Hill took a 24-point deficit into halftime and was never able to recover en route to absorbing a 34-16 loss to PSAC East Division foe West Chester Saturday at John A. Farrell Stadium in West Chester.
Quarterback Boden St. Marie threw for 90 yards and a touchdown, while Greensburg Salem product Hayden Teska added 87 yards, a touchdown and interception through the air for the Griffins (2-2, 1-0).
Seton Hill receiver Jayden Llanos caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown against the Golden Rams (2-1), while Isaiah Cherry also chipped in two catches for 27 yards and a score for the Griffins.
Robert Morris doomed by Dayton’s 10-point, fourth-quarter surge
Junior running back Ethan Shine rushed for 54 yards and two touchdowns for Robert Morris, which yielded 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon to take a 17-14 loss at the hands of Dayton at Joe Walton Stadium in Moon.
Shine rushed for a 2-yard first-quarter touchdown before adding a 9-yard score in the third quarter to account for the Colonials’ (1-3) scoring output against the Flyers (2-1).
Dayton quarterback Bryce Schondelmyer completed a 26-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 14-14 with 12:35 left in the fourth quarter before Flyers kicker Robby Smart converted the 21-yard, game-winning field goal with 3:28 left in regulation.
Duquesne falls to Mid-American Conference foe Akron
Duquesne rushed for 178 yards but fell to NCAA Division I FBS Mid-American Conference foe Akron, 51-7, Saturday night at InfoCision Stadium in Akron.
Running back Ness Davis carried the football 11 times for 105 yards to lead the Dukes (1-3) ground game. Quarterback Logan Kushner, a North Allegheny product, accounted for Duquesne’s lone score against the Zips (1-3) with a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.