CHESTER, Pa. – The Widener University football team posted 553 yards of total offense and the defense had its best effort in nearly three years as the Pride picked up its first win of the season with a 69-0 shutout of the Albright Lions in a Middle Atlantic Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon.
 
Widener raced out early, scoring just more than three minutes into the game and then added a trio of touchdowns, all Sean McGaughey to James Gillespie, as the Blue and Gold took a 28-0 lead after one quarter. In the second, Donte' Harrell scored twice, once on the ground and once in the air as Widener went up 42-0 at halftime.
 
Pat Downey got in on the act in the third quarter, catching touchdown passes of 27 and seven yards, the first from McGaughey and the second from Mitchell Vierling. Closing the contest, Johnny Bauer had touchdown runs of 40 and 63 yards.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• McGaughey led the offense, completing 22-of-33 passes for 326 yards and five touchdowns.
• Gillespie had four catches for 140 yards and three scores.
• Pat Downey and Joey Bristow each had five receptions in the game. Downey's grabs came for 74 yards and two TD.
• Bauer went over 100 yards rushing for the first time in his career.
• Harrell ran the ball 10 times for 72 yards and a score.
• The Pride posted 220 yards on the ground and held Albright to -33.
• Widener as a team had nine sacks in the game. Mario Scotese and Andrew Cardinali had 1.5 each.
• The Blue and Gold recorded its first interceptions of the year as Naraye Wells-Dotson, Brian Armstrong, and Greg Tamaccio each picked off a pass. It was the first career INT for Wells-Dotson and Tamaccio.
• WU converted 8-of-14 chances on fourth down.
• The rushing scores for Bauer and the passing TD for Vierling were the first tallies of their respective collegiate careers.

 
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME WIDENER…

• Scored 55 or more points in exactly six years when it beat Wilkes 90-0.
• Shut out an opponent since October 14, 2014, a 44-0 win against Misericordia.
• Held an opponent to negative yards rushing since September 16, 2016 when the Pride kept FDU-Florham to negative eight yards on the ground.
• Had a quarterback throw five touchdown passes in a game since Seth Klein had six against Wilkes on October 14, 2014.
• Saw a receiver haul in three scores since Anthony Davis posted three in the same game against Wilkes in 2014.
• Beat Albright since a 41-23 victory on September 20, 2014.

 
UP NEXT
Widener heads on the road to take on Lebanon Valley on Saturday, September 29. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.