NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College football team gutted out a thrilling, come-from-behind win over Bethany, 46-43, Saturday at Harold Burry Stadium in front of a Homecoming crowd. In winning their sixth straight game at home, the Titans improve to 4-3 for the first time since 2003 and up their Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) record to 2-2. Bethany falls to 1-5 overall and 0-4 in the league.
The Titans scored 17 points in the game's final 3:55, culminated by freshman kicker Trevor Young (Ellwood City, Pa./Riverside) sneaking a 44-yard field goal just through the uprights as time expired. Young, who exclusively handled kickoff duties for the Titans prior to the third quarter of the game, converted his first career field goal for the game-winner while also making his first three career PAT kicks.
The game-winning field goal was set up by junior wide receiver Jon Gubish (Pittsburgh, Pa./Northgate) catching a 19-yard pass from junior quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) on fourth-down-and-10 from the Bethany 41. The Titans then lined up for the game-winning field goal but were called for a substitution infraction setting them back five yards with six seconds remaining. After Franz spiked the ball to stop the clock with one second remaining, Young booted the game-winner.
Westminster fell behind 28-0 in the first quarter before coming back and taking a 29-28 lead through three quarters. Then, Bethany retook a 43-29 lead with 10:49 to go in the game before the Titans mounted their second comeback of the game beginning at the 3:55 mark of the fourth quarter.
Franz tied a career high with 30 pass completions and set a new career high with 50 pass attempts for a season-high 306 yards and a career-high tying three touchdown passes. His favorite target was Gubish, who set a new career high with 11 catches for 104 yards.
Franz accomplished all of this despite being pulled from the game after throwing three first-quarter interceptions that quickly led to Bethany scores. Franz wound up throwing a career-high four interceptions in the game.
Franz threw interceptions that terminated the first three Westminster drives, the latter was returned 86 yards by Brandon Zemans for a touchdown that gave Bethany a 21-0 lead with 7:08 to go in the first quarter. Zemans had two interceptions in the game.
Bethany scored quickly after the first two interceptions when Eric Walker rushed from 16 yards out (first play after an interception) and Jorge Laboy caught an 18 yard pass from Chad Smith (fourth play after an interception).
Westminster's first comeback to take the lead included junior tailback Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) scoring the first two of a career-high three rushing touchdowns in the game. The first from 31 yards cut the deficit to 28-16 in the third quarter and the second, a 22-yard score, gave the Titans a 29-28 lead. He later scored on a 6-yard run to tie the game at 43-43 with 1:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. McKolosky finished with 23 carries for 137 yards.
Junior tight end Gary Hutsler (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) sparked both comebacks. His 7-yard touchdown catch from Franz put the Titans on the board in the second quarter. Hutsler's 13-yard touchdown catch drew the Titans within 43-36 with 3:55 to go in the fourth quarter after Bethany scored twice. Hutsler finished with eight catches for 87 yards and two scores, all career highs.
Bethany retook the lead in fourth quarter after it was down 29-28 with a 20-yard run by Marcus Santini and a 4-yard plunge by Eric Walker. Santini led the Bison with 116 yards on nine carries, while Walker toted 20 times for 62 yards. Smith threw for 144 yards on 14-21 passing and two scores. His favorite target was Randy Rankin with six catches for 62 yards.
Westminster racked up 507 yards of offense to Bethany's 335, including a 330-151 passing advantage.
The Westminster defense came up big late in the game. On the ensuing Bethany drives following each of Westminster's fourth-quarter touchdowns, the Titans forced three-and-outs that included sacks. Senior defensive end Andrew Robison (Hermitage, Pa./Wilmington) sacked Smith to the Bison 35-yard line on third down to force a punt. After McKolosky's 6-yard run with 1:45 to go, the Titan defense forced a three-and-out that included senior defensive tackle Matt Jaworski (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) sacking Smith for a loss of eight yards to the Bison 26-yard line.
Jaworski and senior linebacker Jordan Blinn (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver) led the Titans with 10 tackles apiece while Robison posted eight. Michael Salters led the Bison with nine tackles.
Junior kicker Fred Romeo (Lowellville, Ohio/Poland Seminary) made a 27-yard field goal in the waning seconds of the first half to cut the lead to 28-10. He then missed a PAT kick after the Titans' first score in the third quarter - which made the score 28-16, rather than 28-17 - and was removed from the game in favor of Young.
Other notes and clarifications for this thrilling game are as follows: Freshman quarterback Shawn Lehocky (Conway, Pa./Freeport) spelled Franz shortly in the second quarter when the Titans were down 21-0. Lehocky completed 3-of-5 passes for 24 yards. He played three series, two of which were three-and-outs, before Franz returned in the second quarter.
Junior wide receiver Chad Rosatelli (Clinton, Pa./Hopewell) caught eight passes for 87 yards and a 24-yard touchdown catch sandwiched between McKolosky's third-quarter touchdown runs. Rosatelli has caught six touchdowns this season including five in the last four games.
The Titans have now won six straight games at home and seven of their last eight at Burry Stadium. Bethany has not won at Westminster since 1940, going 2-29-1 since their last win in New Wilmington. Westminster has now won eight of its last nine Homecoming games.
The Titans' 507 total yards are the most since they beat Bethany, 49-13, at home with 508 total yards in 2006. It is the third time since 2003 that Westminster posted a 500-yard game.
Westminster will travel to No. 8 Washington & Jefferson on Saturday, Oct. 25, for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is ranked 15th among liberal arts colleges, according to the Washington Monthly 2007 Annual College Guide. Westminster is a national leader 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 368 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 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus.
