NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College football team lost its first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game of the season, losing to No. 24-ranked Thomas More, 34-16, on Saturday at Harold Burry Stadium.
Westminster drops to 1-3 on the season and 0-1 in the PAC, while the defending PAC-champion Saints improve to 3-0 and 2-0 in league play.
Westminster set a new school record for pass completions in a game as the Titans completed 39 of 54 passes for 307 yards in the game, including senior quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) setting a new career high for completions with 37-49 passing with 297 yards including two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The previous record was James Graham completing 34 of Westminster's 56 passes in a 36-30 loss at Saginaw Valley on Oct. 9, 1999.
Titan senior wide receiver Jon Gubish (Pittsburgh, Pa./Northgate) tied a school record for receptions in a game as he caught 13 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. That 13-catch record is also held by three other players, including senior teammate Chad Rosatelli (Clinton, Pa./Hopewell) in a game vs. Heidelberg earlier this season.
Gubish caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from 3 and 10 yards after the Titans trailed 34-0.
In all, 10 different Titans caught passes. Others included senior tailback Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) with seven receptions for 33 yards and Rosatelli with six grabs for 39 yards.
Westminster scored its other two points in the fourth quarter on a safety when Thomas More punter Aaron Walter ran an errant snap from center through the back of his own end zone.
Thomas More scored on five of its first six possessions and racked up 411 yards on 60 plays (6.8 yards per play). The Saints were averaging 9.25 yards per play through three quarters (407 yards on 44 plays).
Saint quarterback Trevor Stellman completed 13 of 16 passes for 239 yards including three touchdowns, a 21-yarder to Jeff Brinck in the first quarter, a 10-yarder to Mercier Doucette in the second quarter and a 26-yarder to Nick Olthaus in the second quarter.
Stellman also rushed for a team-high 84 yards on 11 attempts, including a 5-yard score in the first quarter to put TMC up 6-0. Cordario Collier scored the Saints final touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run in the third quarter.
The Saints stifled Westminster's running attack, limiting the Titans to just 42 yards. Franz led the Titans with 23 yards on six attempts, despite two of the rushes coming on sacks for a loss of 10 yards. McKolosky, who had 121 yards on 31 carries in last week's win vs. Saint Vincent, had just 15 totes for 17 yards vs. Thomas More.
Defensively, Thomas More All-American linebacker Brad Steinmetz led the Saints with 13 tackles, 1 sack, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1 pass break-up. Junior linebacker Cory Meeker (Glen Dale, W.Va./John Marshall) led the Titans with a career-high 10 tackles. Freshman safety Kyle Allen (New Wilmington, Pa./West Middlesex) also posted his third interception of his career after picking off two passes last week vs. Saint Vincent.
The game was delayed 50 minutes because of lightning in the area.
Westminster travels to Thiel on Saturday, Oct. 3 for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is a top tier liberal arts college and a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges. Westminster ranked third among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 371 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.
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.
