MEADVILLE, Pa. - The Westminster College football team won its first season-opener since 2000 with a 13-6 win at Allegheny Saturday.

Senior quarterback Brett Myers (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) threw for a career-high 228 yards on 23-of-33 passing, including a 12-yard first-quarter touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Gary Hutsler (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) to give the Titans a 7-0 lead.

The Titans (1-0) also scored on a pair of Fred Romeo (Lowellville, Ohio/Poland Seminary) field goals from 30 and 21 yards. His career-long 30-yarder gave the Titans a 10-0 lead with 2:29 remaining in the first half.

Allegheny (0-1) came to life in the second half after the Titan defense stuffed the Gators for just seven rushing yards in the first half. The Gators finished with 43 rushing yards and 214 total yards thanks to a 171-yard passing attack that included James Jones catching a 36-yard pass from quarterback T.J. Salopek as time ran out in the third quarter. The Gators missed the extra point as the Titans held a 10-6 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

The Westminster defense, dominating all afternoon with four sacks, six tackles for loss and seven pass break-ups, held the Gators on their last drive of the game. Allegheny drove the ball to the Titan 10-yard line with just over two minutes remaining. However, sophomore Mario Camerota (Cheswick, Pa./Springdale), making his first career start at cornerback, and senior Eric Brown (Youngstown, Ohio/Rayen) broke up passes third and fourth downs to save the game.

Brown led the Titans with three pass break-ups to go with three tackles. Junior linebacker Jordan Blinn (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver) led the Titan defense with eight tackles. The Titans reqistered four sacks in the game (they had eight during the entire 2006 season). 

The Titan offense was equally impressive, racking up 317 yards of total offense. Sophomore tailback Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) established career highs with 28 carries for 88 yards (his previous career highs were 14 rushed and 76 yards). No other Titan running back carried the ball more than three times.

Myers, making his third career start, hit 10 different receivers, including senior Jason Discello (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) with six catches for 44 yards.

Allegheny's offensive leaders were running back Rodney Still with six carries for 29 yards, while Salopek (7-13, 97 yards) and starter Drew Stelzer (7-17, 74 yards) shared the quarterback duties.

Notes: Myers' previous career high was in his first career start in the 2005 season-finale when he completed 18 of 34 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-13 loss at Waynesburg. Westminster's last win in a season-opener was in 2000 when it beat Walsh, 27-14. Saturday's game was the first win on the road during a season-opener in five tries; the previous was a 46-16 win at West Liberty State in 1997. The home team has now won the last five games between Allegheny and Westminster.

Westminster travels to Saint Vincent (0-1) for the fist time since 1962 - the last year the Bearcats fielded a team - on Saturday, Sept. 8, for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff at Chuck Noll Field.

About Westminster College ...

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 366 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.