WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Sept. 23) – The Waynesburg University football team hosted Westminster for its annual homecoming game on Saturday. Unfortunately, both the cold, rainy weather and the visiting Titans dampened the spirits of the Yellow Jacket fans, as the home team fell 31-20.
 
After a scoreless first quarter, Westminster (2-2, 2-2) opened the scoring with a four-play, 66-yard touchdown drive. Waynesburg (0-4, 0-4) answered the score with a 25-yard field goal from sophomore Ricco Sastoque (Concord, N.C. / Northwest Cabbarus) with 2:03 remaining in the half. Unfortunately, Westminster was able to quickly make its way down the field and punch in its second score of the quarter to extend its advantage to 14-3 with just 20 seconds left to play before the break.
 
After seniors Shekinah Chandler and Marco Moorby were crowned homecoming queen and king at halftime, the Waynesburg offense got the third quarter off to a fast start when junior quarterback Samuel Barber (Johnstown, Pa. / Greater Johnstown) connected with freshman wide receiver Xavier Nelson (Canonsburg, Pa. / Bishop Canevin) on a 48-yard touchdown pass. After Sastoque converted his first PAT try of the day, the Jacket deficit was cut to just four at 14-10.
 
The third quarter ended with the two teams exchanging field goals, including a 25-yarder by Sastoque, and as the final 15 minutes got underway, Waynesburg still trailed 17-13.
 
Unfortunately, the fourth quarter belonged to the visitors, who tallied a pair of touchdown runs that put Westminster up 31-13 with just 5:56 showing on the game clock. Sophomore quarterback Thomas Burke III (West Leechburg, Pa. / Leechburg) connected with classmate Zayne Cawley (Huntingtown, Md. / Huntingtown) on a short touchdown pass to close the scoring.
 
Barber completed 19-of-33 pass attempts for a game-high 261 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in arguably his most productive day as a Yellow Jacket. Nelson and sophomore Isaac Trout (Ruffs Dale, Pa. / Southmoreland) were Barber's two favorite targets on the afternoon, with the former piling up a game-high 92 yards on three receptions. Trout snared a contest-best seven grabs for 75 yards.
 
Graduate student running back Justin Flack (Derry, Pa. / Derry) paced the Jacket ground game with 78 yards on 19 carries.
 
Junior Brennan Boron (St. Mary's, W.Va. / St. Mary's) tallied a team-high eight tackles, seven of which were solo stops, and forced a fumble. Junior Brandon Tyson (Upper Marlboro, Md. / Frederick Douglass) chipped in four tackles and logged his first interception of the season.
 
After playing three of its first four games at home, Waynesburg hits the road next week to take on Thiel in another PAC contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.