NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College football team pulled off a thrilling upset over Adrian College, 27-24, in double overtime Saturday at Burry Stadium.
The Titans (1-2) won their first game of the season against a Bulldog team (1-2) that was picked to win the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association this year and was ranked in the preseason Top 25 national poll.
Freshman kicker Fred Romeo (Lowellville, Ohio/Poland Seminary) drilled the game-winning 21-yard field goal in the second overtime after Adrian failed to score on its first possession of overtime, missing a 42-yard field goal attempt.
Romeo also kicked a 26-yard field goal on Westminster's possession in the first overtime session. The Titan defense then stopped Adrian on three straight plays after the Bulldogs had a first down-and-goal from the Westminster 3-yard line. The Bulldogs' James Spencer wound up kicking an 18-yard field goal to send the game to its second overtime.
Westminster drove the ball 78 yards on 11 plays near the end of regulation to send the game to overtime, as freshman running back Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) rushed around the left end on a pitch play for a 1-yard touchdown with 30 seconds remaining.
McKolosky led the Titans with just 28 rushing yards on 10 carries and one touchdown, while also leading the team with eight catches for 82 receiving yards and one touchdown giving him two scores for the game.
Westminster amassed just 69 rushing yards on 35 attempts, but was able to collect most of its 376 total yards through the air.
Freshman quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) led the Titan offense with 307 passing yards by completing 30 of 43 throws, including two touchdowns and one interception.
Franz gave the Titans a 14-0 lead in the second quarter on an 11-yard touchdown pass to McKolosky and a 55-yard strike to junior receiver Brett Ziegler (Somerset, Pa./Somerset). Ziegler finished the game with five catches for a game-high 94 yards.
The Bulldogs came back by sneaking in a touchdown before halftime on a 25-yard touchdown reception by Patrick Reagan from quarterback Andy Denryter with one second left in the second quarter.
Denryter also threw a touchdown to Brian McKenna from 10 yards out to tie the game, 14-14, with 9:45 remaining in the third quarter before Bulldog running back T.J. Williams rushed in from 3 yards out to give Adrian a 21-14 eight minutes later.
Williams led all rushers with 117 yards on 23 carries, while Bulldog receiver Desmond Upshaw raked in a team-high eight passes for 77 yards.
Denryter completed 17 of 24 passes for 193 yards and two scores. He was intercepted once by the Titan defensive back Eric Brown (Youngstown, Ohio/Rayen) on the Bulldogs' ensuing drive following Westminster's first touchdown drive of the game.
Defensively, Westminster sophomore linebacker Jake Martinez (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes) led the Titans with 10 tackles, including a third-down stop of Williams on the 1-yard line. Martinez was helped by an assist from freshman linebacker Brad Meehan (Aliquippa, Pa./Center) on Adrian's failed attempt to win the game, before the Bulldogs settled for a tying field goal to send the game to its second overtime.
Meehan had one of three Westminster sacks during the game to go with four tackles.
Adrian's preseason All-American linebacker Taz Wallace led the Bulldogs with 18 tackles, a pass defense, a sack and two tackles for loss.
Westminster returns to action at Grove City for its Presidents' Athletic Conference opener on Saturday, Sept. 30, 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.
