Tartans Host Washington (Mo.) on Homecoming

Oct. 24 – (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football team will take the field on homecoming weekend Saturday, October 27, as they entertain University Athletic Association (UAA) rival Washington University in St. Louis.  The Tartans and Bears are set to clash at 1:00 p.m. on the turf of Gesling Stadium.

Carnegie Mellon (3-4, 1-1) enters the contest against Washington (6-1, 1-0) in hope of keeping a share of the UAA title alive. The two teams will meet on the gridiron for the 25th time with the Tartans leading the series 13-11. From 1987 to 1998 the Tartans had won 11 of 12 from the Bears, their only loss coming in 1994 (36-25), but Washington has won seven of the last eight meetings. The two teams first ever meeting was in 1929 as the Tartans of Carnegie Tech defeated Washington 19-0 which remains the only shutout between the two teams.

Since the UAA started in 1990, Carnegie Mellon and Washington are the two winningest teams in the history of the association.  They have combined to win or share 13 of the 17 titles. Last year, the Tartans won the championship outright after defeating the Bears in overtime 10-7 in St. Louis.   

Senior running backs Robert Gimson (Palm Beach Gardens., Fla./The Benjamin School) and Travis Sivek (Traverse City, Mich./St. Francis) led the way for the Tartans in last week’s 21-0 shutout at Chicago.  Gimson rushed for 113 yards and one score, as Sivek ended the afternoon with 111 yards and two touchdowns.  For the third time this season both Gimson and Sivek eclipsed the century mark in the same game.

On Saturday the duo will be put to the test, as Washington has allowed only eight players to break the century mark on the ground in the last 87 games dating back to the start of the 1999 season. Three of the eight have been at the hands of the Carnegie Mellon backfield including Sivek in 2004 when he rushed for 105 yards on 26 carries finding the end zone twice.  The Bears defense ranks 38th nationally in rush defense allowing 93.0 yards per game, but the Tartans potent rushing attack averages 279.0 yards per game ranking 12th.

The Cardinal and Gray defense broke out of their slump last week by recording five turnovers, four interceptions.  Senior Jonathan Bodnar (Cheswick, Pa./Deer Lakes), this week’s UAA Defensive Athlete of the Week, record a team-high six tackles and had one interception.  Bodnar has recorded 48 tackles this season ranking second on the team behind senior Jon Scholl (Coraopolis, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) who has 79.

The Bears junior quarterback Buck Smith will put the Tartans defense to the test this week.  Smith has thrown for 1,252 yards and ten touchdowns, while having a pass efficiency of 107.34.  Washington’s defense is headed by sophomore defensive back Tim Machan.  Machan leads the nation in interceptions with seven and leads a defense that ranks third in turnovers gained (28) and turnover margin (+2.0).