WASHINGTON, Pa. – Despite leading 9-6 at halftime, the Case Western Reserve University football team fell to No. 16/18 nationally ranked Washington & Jefferson College by a score of 34-24 on Saturday afternoon at Cameron Stadium.

The Spartans drop to 3-4 both overall and in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, while the first-place Presidents remain unbeaten at 7-0, 4-0 PAC.

CWRU built its first-half advantage thanks to impact plays on defense and special teams. Junior linebacker Gavin Sandidge (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic), who blocked a field goal in the opening half, finished with seven tackles, a sack and a pass break-up. Fellow junior backer Everett Dishong (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Chagrin Falls), back from injury, posted 13 stops and a sack.

The Presidents outscored the Spartans 21-0 in the third quarter. Junior running back Ryan Ruffing accounted for 148 yards from scrimmage (111 rushing/37 receiving) and four touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Pete Coughlin completed 32-of-47 passes for 329 yards and a score.

For the game, the Presidents ran 90 plays compared to 65 for the Spartans, and led in yardage, 466-271.

W&J received the ball first, and its drive lasted 20 plays while taking 6:32 off of the clock. However, after a pair of fourth-down conversions for the hosts in CWRU territory, the defense forced a 30-yard field goal attempt which was blocked by Sandidge.

Several possessions later, the Presidents pieced together a six-play, 50-yard drive which culminated in a four-yard touchdown run by Ruffing. On the point after try, junior nose guard Josh Rogers (Oak Brook, Ill./Montini Catholic) broke in for CWRU's second block of the day, and junior linebacker Aaron Weisberg (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage) grabbed the loose ball and returned it the length of the field for a two-point play. That left the score at 6-2 with 1:20 remaining in the first quarter.

On the following drive, the Spartans took 7:47 off the clock with a 17-play, 59-yard drive, finding the endzone on a three-yard jump pass from senior quarterback Billy Beecher (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area) to senior running back Manny Sicre (Miami, Fla./Belen Jesuit Preparatory). The extra point from sophomore Mitch Hopkins (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Orange) moved the score to 9-6 with 7:06 left before half. In addition to the scoring play, Beecher converted a 4th-and-2 from the 41 with a pass to junior fullback Adam Hochman (Austin, Texas/Anderson), a 3rd-and-4 from the 24 with another toss to Hochman, and a 3rd-and-9 from the 20 with a throw junior tight end Ethan Albers (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty).

The Presidents drove into CWRU territory on the ensuing possession, but the defense came up clutch and forced a turnover on downs at the 26 with 4:45 on the clock. Dishong keyed the effort with a third-down sack.

The Spartans punted on their next drive, and W&J drove deep into visitor territory once again. However, junior safety Jordan Esteban (Miami, Fla./Belen Jesuit Preparatory) came up with a key tackle to force the Presidents out on downs at the 10 with 27 seconds on the clock.

On the third play from scrimmage in the second half, the Presidents came up big on defense when Billy Kelley intercepted a deflected pass and returned the ball 34 yards for a score. W&J's first successful PAT by Blake Davis bumped the home lead to 13-9 at the 13:35 mark.

Another drive resulting in punt for CWRU gave the Presidents the ball back close to midfield. Ten plays and 58 yards later, Coughlin found Ruffing on a screen, and the junior running back scampered 20 yards to "pay dirt." Another PAT from Davis increased the W&J advantage to 20-9 with 6:57 left in the third.

Ruffing scored his third TD on a four-yard run at 4:31 to cap a three-play, 61-yard drive for W&J. Hochman kept CWRU alive with a career-long 39-yard TD run to put an exclamation point on a four-play, 88-yard drive with 14:25 left to play. Ruffing scored again on the ground with 2:05 remaining. The Spartans' final points came on a Beecher to Albers six-yard TD pass, then Beecher to Albers two-point conversion with 1:01 left to play.

The Spartans continue a stretch of three in a row on the road with a Saturday, November 1 matchup at Washington University in St. Louis. Kickoff from Francis Field is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. (CT).