Football Falls To Undefeated Greenville
The Westminster football team slipped up in the third quarter and fell 7-28 to undefeated the Greenville College Panthers on Saturday. The Blue Jays could not snap their losing streak as they fell to 2-7 overall and 2-6 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC).
After an unsuccessful drive, the Blue Jays punted the ball to the Greenville 25-yard line, but the Blue Jays forced a fumble and recovered the ball. After a 1-yard rush by senior Sam Lantz Jr., the Blue Jays were 2nd-9 on the Greenville 24. A 24-yard pass from junior quarterback Joe Plassmeyer to sophomore Austin Kempker put the Blue Jays on the board with 9:23 remaining in the first quarter. The PAT by freshman kicker Jeff Dickerson was good, giving the Blue Jays the 7-0 lead.
The Blue Jays ended the first quarter on the Greenville 26-yard line. Two incomplete passes to start the second quarter forced the Blue Jays to attempt a 41-yard field goal, but it was short. The Panthers took over on their own 24-yard line and pushed their way down the field for a touchdown, tying the game at 7-7.
The third quarter hurt the Blue Jays as the Panthers grabbed 21 points. The Blue Jays fumbled the kickoff return with a recovery by the Panthers on the Westminster 5-yard line. The Panthers were able to score, taking the 14-7 lead. Greenville started their next drive with a 89-yard pass for a touchdown, extending their lead to 21-7. Greenville scored once more before the end of the quarter, taking the 28-7 lead.
The Blue Jays and the Panthers were unable to score in the fourth quarter, leaving the score at 28-7.
The Blue Jays threw for 258 yards, but were held to just 39 rushing yards. Freshman Mike Washington led the Blue Jays’ offense with 101 receiving yards. Senior quarterback Justin Billiot threw 8 completions for 131 yards and Plassmeyer threw 12 completions for 127 yards.
Dickerson punted 353 yards, averaging 44.1 yards per punt. Four punts were in the 20-yard line and one was a touch back. He also averaged 59.5 yards on two kickoffs, one being a touch back.
Sophomore Bret Robertson led the Blue Jays’ defense with 10 tackles and two assisted tackles. He had 1.5 tackles for a loss of 2 yards and a fumble recovery.
The Blue Jays will finalize their season at home next Saturday, November 9, at 1:00 p.m. Seniors will be honored prior to kickoff.
