Oct 29, 2017 By Adam Brewer for The 4 min read

WAYNESBURG — Sometimes all you need to turn things around is a bye week.

After being idle last week, the Waynesburg University football team picked up its first win of the 2017 season, and snapped a 10-game losing skid with a 34-7 triumph against Thiel College on a rainy, Saturday afternoon at John F. Wiley Stadium.

“These guys deserved this win,” Waynesburg first-year coach Chris Smithley said. “It’s been rough, but the moral on this team has been fantastic. I give credit to our senior class for keeping this team together. They have rallied around the process and this win justified that hard work.

“Our bye week came on the same week of fall break. We let the guys go home for those days. Sometimes it’s important to get away and to hit the reset button. When we came back together last Sunday, we just prepared like it was a normal week and told them it was a three-week season. I loved how our guys responded this week.”

The Yellow Jackets (1-7, 1-5) have won 11 of the last 12 against the Tomcats (1-7, 1-5), and improved to 30-9-1 against their Presidents’ Athletic Conference opponent.

Despite only completing two passes and throwing for three total yards, the Yellow Jackets relied on a potent running attack that produced 284 yards.

Running back Chad Walker led Waynesburg with 104 yards on 16 carries, while tailback Austin Wilson (84 yards) and quarterback Jake Dougherty (82 yards) added support on the ground.

The Yellow Jackets’ defense was also stout, forcing three turnovers and limiting Thiel to just eight first downs and 153 total yards.

“We had to stop their running game,” Smithley said. “Their running back is probably one of the best backs in our conference. We had to contain him at the point of attack and run him down on the edges. It was all about tackling as a unit and keeping things in front of you.”

After the visitors went three-and-out, Waynesburg got a huge play on special teams when JaWuan Jones returned a punt for an 84-yard score.

“Football is an emotional game and it’s always about momentum,” Smithley said. “To get that early score on a punt return was a huge boost for us. You see it every Saturday at any level of football, a big play on special teams can turn the tide.”

The Tomcats responded 16 seconds later and knotted things up with a 72-yard passing touchdown to wide receiver Marcus Waddy from quarterback Ronald Brown.

Waynesburg grabbed a 14-7 lead on its next drive when Wilson capped off a 10-play, 66-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run at 7:40 of the first.

The Yellow Jackets tallied two touchdowns in the second quarter, courtesy of a 1-yard plunge into the end zone by Dougherty and a 3-yard scoring run by Walker to go up 27-7 at halftime.

“The last couple of weeks I thought our running game was coming along,” Walker said. “Things just clicked for us today. It starts with the offensive line and what those guys do. It feels good to get this win for the coaching staff and to bring something positive to this program.”

After a scoreless third quarter, Waynesburg put the game away with a 16-play, 78-yard drive that took 10:07 off the clock and ended in Wilson’s 2-yard touchdown run.

“Every single week our offensive line has progressed incredibly,” Smithley said. “I think knowing what the weather was going to be like, we wanted to be a more run-heavy attack. This was Jake’s first start at quarterback this season and he made a couple of good runs.”

Waynesburg’s defense made one last stop by way of an interception by cornerback Justin Wilkow.

The Yellow Jackets host Saint Vincent next Saturday for Senior Day. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. at Wiley Stadium.