Carnegie Mellon had Johns Hopkins in an unusual position.
With a 17-point lead heading into halftime Saturday afternoon, the No. 17 Tartans had NCAA Division III’s third-ranked Blue Jays playing with a deficit for the first time through their first four games of the 2025 season.
“I think we were outplaying them in all three phases of football, and it was showing,” Carnegie Mellon coach Ryan Larsen said. “I know the natural inclination is, people probably think, you know the guys were in the locker room and were too confident and too cocky. Honestly, they were the opposite.
“It was a constant, ‘We’ve got 30 minutes left; this is not over, this is not over, we’ve got to be focused, they’re a good team,’ all that kind of stuff.”
As it turned out, Larsen’s players were exactly right.
Carnegie Mellon managed just three second-half points and surrendered a pair of unanswered touchdowns while squandering a 13-point lead as part of a disastrous fourth quarter en route to suffering a heartbreaking 28-27 loss to undefeated Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field in Baltimore.
It was the second defeat at the hands of one of the nation’s Top 10 teams for the Tartans (3-2, 1-1), who fell to then-No. 9 Wisconsin-La Crosse, 38-14, Sept. 13, before sustaining Saturday’s tough setback to the Blue Jays (5-0, 2-0) for their first Centennial Conference loss of the season.
“That was like playoff football,” said Larsen, now in his fourth season coaching the Tartans. “Eight possessions for both teams. We just didn’t do what we needed to do to finish the game, and that starts with me. I’ve got to figure out what we didn’t do well, especially in the second half, address it and fix it. We’ve still got five games left. It’s an eerily similar situation to what we’ve been in the last two years.”
In 2023, Carnegie Mellon suffered a tough loss to then-nationally ranked Grove City before winning its final six games of the regular season and narrowly missing out on a berth in the NCAA playoffs.
A year ago, the Tartans — playing in their final Presidents’ Athletic Conference campaign — again fell to the then-seventh-ranked Wolverines midway through the season. Larsen’s team rebounded, though, and won its final four regular-season contests to earn its third NCAA postseason berth in four seasons.
Tartans quarterback Joey McGinnis IV said his team can re-create that same type of magic, albeit playing in the unfamiliar territory of its first season in the Centennial Conference.
“It’s great experience,” McGinnis said. “We’re here to battle with anybody in the country. There’s no fear in that. There’s no stutter in me saying that, either. We’ll go to war with anybody here. It’s being able to take this experience, obviously, we’re battle tested now, and pursue our goal from here on out.”
McGinnis, in his first season as the Tartans full-time starter, completed 20 of 32 passes for a career-high 307 yards, a touchdown and an interception against the Blue Jays. Quarterback Mark Wamhoff also completed two passes for 2 yards and two touchdowns operating out of a goal-line set McGinnis ran a season ago behind then-starting quarterback Ben Mills.
Peters Township products Brendan and Nick McCullough also had a strong showing for Carnegie Mellon. A junior wide receiver, Brendan caught seven passes for 98 yards and a 1-yard touchdown from Wamhoff, while, Nick, a freshman receiver, caught four passes for 67 yards and a 21-yard score from McGinnis.
Tight end Anthony Vallano, a Hempfield graduate, also caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Wamhoff.
Kicker Justin Caputo, a South Fayette product, converted on a field-goal attempt of 39 yards in the first quarter. His 19-yard field goal in the third quarter accounted for the Tartans only points of the second half and their deepest penetration into Blue Jays territory over the game’s final two quarters.
Carnegie Mellon and Johns Hopkins each gained 369 yards of total offense.
“I’m super confident,” McGinnis said. “I think one of the best things that the coaching staff, us players all know is we are nowhere close to our ceiling. We definitely have a lot of potential, some things to work on, but I’m very excited about how we performed and can continue to execute throughout the season.”
Against the Blue Jays, though, the Tartans struggled to close out a very winnable contest.
Quarterback Bay Harvey threw for 245 yards, a touchdown and an interception for Johns Hopkins. He also ran for 59 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
Wide receiver Josh Moore caught nine passes for 146 yards and a touchdown for the Blue Jays, while running back Geoff Schroeder added 15 carries for 54 yards and a score.
In the fourth quarter, Harvey and Schroeder were particularly dangerous.
With their team trailing, 27-14, Schroeder cut the Johns Hopkins deficit to seven points on a 1-yard touchdown run with 7:59 left in the contest.
Harvey then broke free for a 36-yard touchdown run with 4:37 left in the fourth quarter before the Blue Jays earned their first and final lead of the contest following an extra point by kicker Brad Paxton.
“I think they did a really nice job of running the quarterback and adding him to the running game,” Larsen said. “They were really, really efficient on third and fourth down.
“They clearly were playing for four downs a lot,” he added. “They did a good job executing.”
Despite taking a tough loss to arguably the Centennial Conference’s top team, Larsen said he remains optimistic Carnegie Mellon has a real chance to qualify for an at-large bid into the 40-team NCAA postseason.
“They’re going to get multiple teams in the tournament,” said Larsen of his conference. “We’ve got to take care of our business and be one of those multiple teams.”
Washington & Jefferson rolls to third straight PAC victory
Quarterback Kellan Stahl completed 22 of 31 passes for 321 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while also rushing for a 2-yard score, to lead Washington & Jefferson past Westminster, 24-7, Saturday afternoon at Cameron Stadium in Washington for its third straight Presidents’ Athletic Conference victory.
Sophomore wide receiver Joey DeSabato, a Shaler product, caught four passes for 78 yards to lead the Presidents (3-2, 3-0) passing attack, while John Peduzzi made three receptions for 46 yards and a score against the Titans (3-2, 2-1).
W&J running back Andrew Sharp, a Baldwin graduate, rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Freshman quarterback Quentin Goode, the only quarterback in Aliquippa history to win three consecutive WPIAL championships, threw for 108 yards and Westminster’s lone touchdown in his first NCAA action. He connected with Kristian Bailey for a 14-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
Bailey caught five passes for 44 yards.
Grove City defense, special teams dominate in win over Waynesburg
Grove City got touchdowns from its defense and special teams units en route to earning a 24-14 victory over visiting Waynesburg in a PAC game Saturday afternoon at Robert E. Thorn Field.
Junior cornerback Dominic DiNinno, a Kiski Area product, returned one of his two interceptions for a 48-yard Wolverines (3-2, 2-1) touchdown against the Yellow Jackets (2-4, 2-2).
Sophomore Noah Wheeler also returned a blocked kick 80 yards for a touchdown for Grove City, while kicker Brady Lane also converted a 24-yard field goal in a strong special-teams showing from the Wolverines.
Junior wide receiver Daniel Sullivan caught three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown from quarterback Ellis Sutton to pace the Grove City offense, while senior running back Ian Demeri, a Penn-Trafford product, rushed for 89 yards.
Carmichaels product Tyler Richmond, a junior wide receiver, caught eight passes for 103 yards for Waynesburg, while running back Carson Shriver added 50 yards and a score on the ground.
No. 16 California drops second straight PSAC West game
Quarterback Nico Marchitelli connected with Jeremiah Neeley for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 1:38 left in regulation Saturday afternoon to lead Edinboro to a 35-29 upset victory over No. 16 California University of Pennsylvania at Sox Harrison Stadium in Edinboro.
The Vulcans (4-2, 1-2) dropped their second straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division game with the loss to the Fighting Scots (3-3, 3-1). A week ago, California was upset, 16-7, by Seton Hill.
Quarterback Roman Purcell threw for 127 yards and a touchdown for the Vulcans. His favorite target in the passing game was Kenny Lewis IV, who caught six passes for 44 yards and a score.
Marchitelli threw for 240 yards, a touchdown and an interception for Edinboro, which also rushed for 230 yards.
Running back Caron Robinson rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns for the Fighting Scots, while Jerry Dinkins added 94 yards and two scores on the ground.
Slippery Rock routs Seton Hill for first conference victory
Freshman quarterback DaOne Owens rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another score, as No. 24 Slippery Rock dominated Seton Hill to the tune of a 49-7 win Saturday afternoon at Offutt Field in Greensburg.
It was the first PSAC West Division victory for the Rock (4-2, 1-2), which was upset by Gannon and California over the previous two weeks.
Owens threw for 131 yards and connected with tight end Christian Werling for a 4-yard touchdown pass while also rushing for 79 yards and scores of 11, 14 and 40 yards against an overmatched Griffins (3-4, 1-2) defense.
Slippery Rock rushed for 410 yards, led by running back JayJay Jordan, who racked up 189 yards and a touchdown, while Luke McCoy added 59 yards and a score and Quentin Harrison chipped in 46 yards and a touchdown.
Senior Ky’Ron Craggette, a Connellsville native, rushed for 112 yards to lead the Seton Hill offense.
Duquesne uses 28-point first quarter to surge past Saint Francis
Duquesne scored 28 first-quarter points to tie a school record for the most in an opening quarter and exploded for a program-best 45-point first-half lead since becoming an NCAA Division I FCS program before emerging with a 52-7 win over Saint Francis in a Northeast Conference game Saturday afternoon at Arthur J. Rooney Field in Oakland.
The Dukes first-quarter explosion was the most since coach Jerry Schmitt’s team scored 28 points in the opening quarter of their victory over Marist in 2000, while the 45-point halftime advantage was the most in program history since joining the FCS in 1993.
Graduate student Tyler Riddell threw for 185 yards and four touchdowns for Duquesne (4-3, 2-0), while North Allegheny product Logan Kushner also threw for 43 yards and a score against the Red Flash (0-6, 0-2), which will leave the FCS to become an NCAA Division III program next season.
Robert Morris drops NEC opener against Central Connecticut State
Sophomore quarterback Jake Wolfe, a Montour product, threw for 133 yards and his first NCAA touchdown pass in relief of Cooper Panteck, but Robert Morris fell to Central Connecticut State, 24-12, in its NEC opener Saturday afternoon at Joe Walton Stadium in Moon.
Wolfe completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Chaz Middleton in the fourth quarter for the Colonials (1-5, 0-1) against the Blue Devils (4-3, 2-0), while Donta Whack also rushed for 40 yards and a score.
Pitt rallies for upset of No. 25 Florida State
Freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel completed 21 of 29 passes for 321 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while also rushing for 64 yards, to lead Pitt to a 34-31 comeback victory over No. 25 Florida State in an Atlantic Coast Conference game Saturday afternoon at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.
Desmond Reid caught eight passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns for the Panthers (4-2, 2-1) while also rushing for 45 yards against the Seminoles (3-3, 0-3).
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.