WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Sept. 8) – The Waynesburg University football team opened Presidents' Athletic conference (PAC) play on a rainy Saturday at John F. Wiley Stadium. The Yellow Jackets played right with Westminster throughout the first half, but the visiting Titans pulled away for a 27-12 win over the final 30 minutes.
 
The game started out as a defensive struggle, with neither team scoring in the first quarter. Both defenses picked up turnovers in the period, as Westminster (1-1, 1-0) intercepted a pass to end Waynesburg's (0-2, 0-1) opening drive. Waynesburg senior defensive lineman Austin Kline responded on the ensuing possession by recovering a fumbled pitch.
 
With 4:10 remaining in the opening period, the Yellow Jackets began their third drive of the ball game at their own 20-yard-line. Waynesburg set off on an 18-play marathon that covered 76 yards of Wiley Stadium turf. Though the Jackets were unable to punch it in the end zone, freshman kicker Garrett Horne knocked in a 21-yard field goal that was deflected at the line and just cleared the cross bar, giving the home team a 3-0 lead.
 
Unfortunately, that was the last time Waynesburg led on the day. The Titans scored a touchdown to take a 7-3 advantage 1:31 later. That was also the final score when the game went to halftime.
 
The visitors got the ball to open the third quarter and marched down field for its second touchdown of the afternoon. After the PAT was tacked on, the Titans held a 14-3 lead.
 
Westminster grew its advantage to 20-3 on its next possession, but the Jackets lessened the damage thanks to junior cornerback Brennan Sefick. Sefick not only blocked the extra point try, but picked it up the loose ball and raced the length of the field for a two-point conversion.
 
The Waynesburg offense looked primed to pull within a single score as the Jackets slowly traversed 60 yards on 13 players. Unfortunately, facing a fourth-and-goal at the Titan two-yard-line, the Jackets were turned away, giving the ball back to the Blue and White.
 
Three drives later, Waynesburg was on the move again and finally broke through against the Westminster defense. Senior quarterback Jake Dougherty showcased his toughness by plowing into the end zone from a yard out to make the score 20-11. Horne's extra point trimmed the Titan advantage to just eight points with 5:19 showing on the game clock.
 
However, Westminster needed just two minutes to re-establish a multi-score advantage following a four-play, 60-yard scoring drive. The final extra point of the day brought about the final score of 27-12.
 
Junior running back Chad Walker led all ball carriers in rushing yards for a second-straight week, this time going for 51 yards on 18 carries. Dougherty picked up his third rushing touchdown of the season while also completing 24-of-36 passes for 171 yards.
 
Junior Bobby Grishaber tied for the game lead with five catches that he turned into 46 yards. Sophomore Cole Booth added five receptions of his own for 30 yards, while Walker also logged five grabs.
 
The Waynesburg defense was paced by junior linebacker Tyler Smith, who tallied a team-high 10 tackles, five of which were solo stops. He recorded 1.5 of those hits in the backfield, as did senior linebacker John-Glen Davis.
 
If the game was decided by who did a better job of holding on to the ball, Waynesburg would have won this one in a laugher. The Yellow Jackets possessed the pigskin for an impressive 36:48 while running 75 plays and picking up 17 first downs. One aspect of Saturday's loss that contributed to that 13-plus-minute advantage was Waynesburg converting on three-of-six fourth down tries.
 
 
 
The Jackets will hit the road for the first time this season when they head to Bethany to face the Bison on Saturday. Kickoff under the lights is set for 7 p.m.