WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Westminster College football team won, 28-21, at Washington & Jefferson College in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) showdown on Saturday, snapping W&J's 36-home winning streak.
Westminster (6-2, 5-2 PAC) jumped out to 14-0 lead, courtesy of two rushing touchdowns by senior
Keano Grice (Delray Beach, FL / West Boca Raton), highlighted by a career-long 71-yard run, breaking tackles on the way for the longest rush by any Titan this season. Grice's first touchdown was from 25 yards out. Westminster led 14-0 at the end of one. Senior
Aaron Pierce (Fort Lauderdale, FL / Hollywood) put the Titans ahead 21-0 with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown, juking the last W&J defender just within the 20-yard line, for his third pick-six of the season and fifth of his career. Pierce pocketed another interception late in the third quarter and now has eight career interceptions. The Titans were in front, 21-0, at halftime.
Washington & Jefferson (5-3, 4-3 PAC), who was receiving national votes, put its first points on the board in the third quarter, but missed the extra point and trailed the Titans, 21-6. The Presidents followed with two more touchdowns, wrapping up 21-straight points, to tie the game at 21 with 6:42 left in the game. All three President touchdowns were courtesy of passing touchdowns by Jacob Adams.
The Titans quickly answered on their ensuing possession. Sophomore
Cole Konieczka (Coraopolis, PA / Moon Area) started the drive with a 31-yard pass to senior
Chase Collison (Madisonburg, PA / Penns Valley) to set up the go-ahead score. On the very next play, Grice upped his highlight reel with a determined 42-yard touchdown run in which the Presidents thought they had Grice tackled in the backfield. Grice broke a tackle, shifted through other tackle attempts, and sprinted outside down the sideline for his team-high 11th touchdown of the year (the most by a Westminster running back in over 13 years).
Washington & Jefferson had a chance to tie the game inside Westminster's 15-yard line and 27 seconds to go. Titan senior
Joey Lane (Frederick, MD / Oakdale) came up big with a nine-yard sack of Adams and with no timeouts and time winding down Adams threw a desperation pass in the end zone which was broken up by freshman
Kevin Brown (Pittsburgh PA / Plum Senior).
Grice ran for a career-high 189 yards, for the most rushing yards by a pure Titan running back since Tyler Banks (195 - 2012). Brown and senior
Paul Gonzalez (Miami, FL / Florida Christian) led the Titan defense with seven tackles. In addition to Lane, Gonzalez and junior
Frank Antuono (New Castle, PA / Neshannock) each had a sack. Sophomore
Ian Barr (State College, PA / State College Area) added six tackles and an interception – his second of the season. Senior
Darius Doty (Greensburg, PA / Greensburg-Salem) had a team-high 1.5 tackles for a loss.
Cox had a pair of receptions for 18 yards and surpassed Titan Sports Hall of Famer Dave Foley (1987-90) for fifth all-time in career receiving yards. Cox's 1,877 career receiving yards is now 42 yards away from passing Lamont Boykins (1980-83) for fourth all-time in program history. Titan freshman
Tanner Dudek (Leechburg, PA / Leechburg Area) made his 42
nd point-after touchdown, moving up to fourth all-time for most PATs in a single season.
Westminster has its bye week next Saturday, Nov. 2 and will be back in action at Carnegie Mellon University on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.
