NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College football team lost, 56-21, to Washington & Jefferson on Saturday under the lights of Harold Burry Stadium. The game did not count towards the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) standings due to the unbalanced schedule.
Titan freshman Jametrius Bentley (Lake Worth, FL / Park Vista Community) had 190 all-purpose yards, including a 74-yard touchdown catch and an 88-yard punt return for a score.
Westminster seniors Jared Heck (Pittsburgh, PA / North Hills) and Rich Ellebie (Farrell, PA / Kennedy Christian) led the defense with game-highs of 13 tackles each.
(Highlights courtesy of SR Richard Ellebie, JR Vinny Nerti, JR Taran Sifontes-Lavine, and SO Channing Pifer.)
After a three-and-out for Westminster (0-2) on its opening drive, W&J (2-0) drove the ball 65 yards off seven plays for a score after Pete Coughlin found Ryan Ruffing for a 26-yard touchdown pass. An extra point from Blake Davis gave the Presidents a 7-0 lead with 10:39 remaining in the first quarter.
Westminster's defense stopped W&J on the Presidents' ensuing drive on four-and-seven from the Titans' 15-yard line. Titan junior Joe Glennon (Johnstown, PA / Westmont Hilltop) tackled Michael Giampole three yards short of the first down. The Titans' following drive of 13 plays and 72 yards, over six-and-a-half minutes, was halted with an interception in the end zone on second down.
After a Titan muffed punt in the beginning of the second quarter, the Presidents conducted a 10-play, 46-yard drive for their second score when Ruffing ran from two yards out. Another successful extra point from Davis put W&J ahead, 14-0.
W&J went up 21-0 on its next possession when Ruffing scored his second-straight rushing touchdown from the one-yard line and Davis made the extra point. The score came on fourth-and -goal from the Titans' 1-yard line.
In their opening drive of the second half, the Presidents added to their lead with a touchdown. Coughlin ran it in from two yards out and Davis's kick attempt was good, giving W&J a 28-0 lead. The Titans quickly responded with an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Bentley. After an extra point from sophomore Justin Dahl (Cochranton, PA / Maplewood), W&J led 28-7.
After the Titan defense forced a three-and-out, which included a sack from freshmen CJ Armstrong (Lake Worth, FL / Park Vista) and Michael Martin (Lisbon, OH / United) on third-and-long with 9:13 on the clock in the third, Westminster cut W&J's lead with its second score. This time it was freshman Dominique McKinley (Greensburg, PA / Greensburg-Salem) for a 53-yard run. A Dahl extra point cut W&J's lead to 28-14 with 7:51 remaining.
The Presidents countered on their next possession with a score, capping off an 11-play, 54-yard drive, when Ruffing scored his third rushing touchdown of the game from one yard out. A Davis extra point gave W&J a 35-14 lead with four minutes remaining in the third.
Ruffing scored his fourth touchdown of the game with 10:32 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Bentley had his second big play of the game after a 74-yard catch from sophomore quarterback Brandon Heeter (Sligo, PA / Clarion) with 9:47 remaining in the game. After a Dahl extra point, W&J led 42-21.
The Presidents added two more scores in the fourth; one off a 26-yard run and the other off a 13-yard pass.
McKinley led the Titans with 79 yards rushing and score. Heeter, who subbed in for freshman Paul Columbo (Boca Raton, FL / West Boca Raton Community), led Westminster through the air as he went 8-for-22 for 115 yards and a touchdown. Titan freshman Xavier Eubanks (Pompano Beach, FL / Northeast) had a team-high four catches for 22 yards, followed by classmate Khurazze Williams (Lakeworth, FL / Santaluces Community) who had three receptions for 37 yards.
Ruffing led W&J with a game-high 172 yards on the ground with four touchdowns. Coughlin went 24-for-35 with 281 yards and a score. Max Creighan had a game-high 104 yards off seven catches for the Presidents. Jared Pratt led the W&J defense with seven tackles.
The Titans will play Bethany for their third-straight home game next Saturday at 1 p.m.
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 Best Colleges guide. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 379 Colleges" 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. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.
