NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Westminster College football team won, 21-7, over Carnegie Mellon University at home in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest Saturday night under the lights of Harold Burry Stadium.
The Titans improved to 6-2 overall and 5-1 in the PAC, while the Tartans dropped to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in the league.
Westminster outgained Carnegie Mellon 423-233 in total yards, including a 221 to -7 advantage in rushing. Titan seniors
Dominique McKinley (Greensburg, PA / Greensburg-Salem) and
Paul Columbo (Boca Raton, FL / West Boca Raton) tied for a game-high 83 yards on the ground. Columbo and senior
Kimu Kim (Canfield, OH / Canfield) each had a rushing touchdown. Sophomore
D'Aundre Johnson (New Kensington, PA / Valley) led all receivers with a career-high seven catches for a game- and career-high 124 yards, and his first touchdown of the season.
Sophomore
Paul Gonzalez (Miami, FL / Florida Christian) and junior
Travis Lauster (Prospect, PA / Slippery Rock) led the Titan defense with eight tackles each. Senior
Bobby Noble (Murrysville, PA / Greensburg Central Catholic) tied a game-high with two tackles for a loss, including a sack, to go along with five tackles. Senior
CJ Armstrong (Lake Worth, FL / Park Vista) added a sack, while senior
Tyler Beatrice (Monaca, PA / Central Valley) and Gonzalez each had a half sack. Armstrong now has 28.5 career sacks, a half sack away from tying for second all-time in school history. Senior
Todd Jeter (Monroeville, PA / Gateway) pocketed an interception and now has a team-leading five on the season.
In the second quarter, Columbo put the Titans on the scoreboard first after a 17-yard touchdown run, capping off a 9-play, 61-yard drive. Freshman
John Cybak (Massillon, OH / Tuslaw) made the extra point and Westminster led 7-0 with 11:26 on the clock. Later in the quarter, Columbo extended the Titans' lead with a 12-yard pass to Johnson. Earlier in the drive, a 41-yard pass from Columbo to Johnson gave Westminster first-and-10 at Carnegie Mellon's 32-yard line. Cybak's extra point put the Titans in front 14-0 with 49 seconds remaining in the half.
In the third quarter, Carnegie Mellon cut Westminster's lead to 14-7 after Alex Cline found Karl-Mark Kumm for a 5-yard touchdown pass and catch on its opening possession. Tyler Kohman made the extra point. The Titans answered with a 15-play, 78-yard drive, eating up over seven minutes off the clock, capped off with a 2-yard touchdown run by Kim. Cybak made the extra point, going three-for-three on the night, and the Titans led 21-7 with 5:04 on the clock.
The Titans will next travel to nationally-ranked Case Western Reserve University for a PAC showdown on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. The Spartans are currently tied for first in the conference standings, while Westminster is third.
