WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College football team suffered a loss against the only five-win team in the Presidents' Athletic Conference this season as the Titans fell at Washington & Jefferson, 50-7, Saturday at Cameron Stadium in Washington.
The Titans (1-5, 0-3 PAC) had possession of the ball and down 14-7 midway through the second quarter, but the Presidents (5-1, 2-0 PAC) were able to capitalize on a pair of Westminster turnovers, converting both into touchdowns and a 28-7 lead at halftime.
Washington & Jefferson then put up 22 points in the second half surging to a victory in which the Presidents racked up 472 yards of total offense compared to the Titans' 246.
W&J senior running back Ryan Mendel scampered for 131 yards on 28 carries including three touchdown runs of 4, 2 and 2 yards. His first 4-yard score at 8:31 in the first quarter was quickly followed by Westminster's nine-play, 80-yard touchdown march that culminated with freshman tight end Gary Hutsler (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) scoring his first career touchdown on a 2-yard pass from freshman quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) at the 4:29 mark.
The Titans were able to hang tough in the first half, as held the ball for four minutes more than the Presidents in the first quarter. The Titans then let up a W&J touchdown late in the quarter when receiver Tom McCafferty scored on a 40-yard pass play from sophomore quarterback Bobby Swallow.
Swallow finished the game 16-of-19 passing for 212 yards and a touchdown, while McCafferty hauled in a team-high four catches for 76 yards.
Westminster found itself down 14-7 with possession of the ball on its own 12-yard line and 7:48 remaining in the first half. However, their next two possessions were terminated by a pair of Franz interceptions, the first thrown to Nick Cherish at the Titan 44-yard line and the second to Ryan Mullen at the Titan 48.
W&J converted both interceptions into touchdown on ensuing drives, including Mendel's 2-yard run and Swallow's 3-yard run. Swallow would later score the first points of the second half on a 20-yard run giving the Presidents a 34-7 lead.
Westminster's offense sputtered in the second half and could not sustain possession the way it did in the first quarter. For the game, Westminster held the ball for 28:35 and its average field passion was its own 19-yard line. The Titans rushed for 92 yards and threw for 154.
Franz finished the game 19-of-28 passing for 94 yards and one touchdown. Freshman running back Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) ran for a career-high 76 yards on eight touches, including the team's longest rushing play of the season, a 43-yarder that helped set up its only touchdown.
Junior receiver Jason Discello (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) caught a season-high five catches for 36 yards to lead the Titan pass-catchers. He was one shy of his career-high of six set last year also against Washington & Jefferson.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Jordan Blinn (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver) posted a career-high 18 tackles. The PAC's second leading tackler with 10 per game surpassed his previous best of 14 recorded against Carnegie Mellon Sept. 16.
Westminster falls to 1-5 for its worst start since 1999 when the Titans started 0-7 and finished 3-8, one of only five losing seasons for the team since 1952. The 2006 Titans will try to avoid becoming the sixth losing team during that span by winning the remainder of their games.
The Titans host Bethany Saturday, Oct. 21, for Homecoming at Burry Stadium. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m.
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is ranked among national leaders in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 361 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and was recognized by the Templeton Guide as a "Character Building College."
Nearly 1,600 students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty, while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa. campus.
