Gators aim to end on a high note in season finale
Nov. 5—The Allegheny Gators' football season hasn't gone according to plan, but the team has one last chance to take the field today.
The Gators travel to Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia, for their season finale at 1 p.m. The game will also conclude the Gators' first season back in the Presidents' Athletic Conference since 1984.
"It's another opportunity to compete and play and win and at the end of the day that's what football and what life is about," Allegheny head coach Rich Nagy said. "You gotta wake up and compete and try to be successful. This gives us the last opportunity for this team to be together and the first opportunity to start our growth for next year."
Allegheny (2-7 overall, 1-6 PAC) started the season 2-2 but is on a five-game slide. Bethany (1-7, 0-6) is having a similar season.
The Bison's top offensive weapon is Tre'Jour Owens. Owens is one of two running backs in the PAC to average more than 100 rushing yards per game. He also has four touchdowns this season.
"We need to do a good job holding our gaps and tackling. I thought last weekend against (Case Western) the run defense wasn't great, but it was better," Nagy said. "We have to get better again this weekend and quite honestly we need to hold up against the pass. We've been struggling with that the last few weeks. We need to do a better job in coverage and a better job with the rush to win this game."
Offensively, Bethany is 10th in the conference in points scored and 10th in points allowed. Allegheny is eighth in points scored and 11th in points allowed.
"I think we matchup well. I think we showed improvement for the most part in every game this season. A quarter, a couple quarters, three quarters, but we've yet to put four quarters together — as an offense or a team for that matter," Nagy said. "We have to keep striving for consistency and hopefully it's this weekend.
"It's another game and another chance to compete. I know our guys will be out there competing and hopefully they can execute and put everything together."
Today's game will also be the last opportunity for Allegheny seniors to don the Gators' uniform. The senior class had a tumultuous couple years. They dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a new conference.
"They went through a lot. They had to be leaders when they were basically sophomores in a couple instances," Nagy said. "We had smaller classes, had a class that wasn't playing and they had to survive COVID itself."
Current seniors came in as a freshman in 2019, then did not have a season in 2020 due to the pandemic. In 2021, as juniors, but with only one year of playing experience, they were forced into leadership roles.
"It's been a crazy period for them, in the easiest sense to say it," Nagy said. "They all endured it, did a great job with it and I know they'll be successful when they leave here."
Alex Topor can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at atopor@meadvilletribune.com.
