WAYNESBURG, Pa. – After four of its last five Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) games were decided by less than four points, the Waynesburg offense exploded for its most productive outing of the season, making sure Saturday’s home contest against Westminster College would be anything but close. Utilizing big plays on offense and a rock-solid defense, the nationally-ranked Yellow Jackets defeated the Titans, 42-16, on Saturday at John F. Wiley Stadium. The win kept the Jackets’ perfect season intact as they improved to 9-0 overall and 7-0 in PAC play. The loss dropped Westminster to 3-4 overall and 2-4 in conference action.
The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a big first-half lead, scoring five touchdowns before halftime. Relying on a quick strike offense that was highlighted by a breakout game from sophomore quarterback Carter Hill, the Jackets were able to keep the Westminster defense on its heels for most of the cold, rainy afternoon. Four of Waynesburg’s six scoring drives took less than two minutes.
The offensive explosion began on the Jackets’ second drive, as senior Dominic Moore ran over two Titans defenders on his way to a touchdown from six yards out. The touchdown capped a marathon 14-play, 50-yard drive that took nearly six minutes off the clock. A successful PAT try by junior Alex Henry gave Waynesburg a 7-0 lead with 4:10 left in the opening period.
Following a three-and-out by the Westminster offense, the Yellow Jackets took over on the Westminster 39-yard line. On the second play of the drive, Hill froze the Titan secondary with a pump fake then found Jackson deep down the middle of the field for a 34-yard touchdown strike. Another Henry PAT increased the home team’s lead to 14-0 with 1:55 left in the first quarter.
The stingy Waynesburg defense continued its dominance when senior linebacker Jordan Helmick forced a fumble on the first Westminster drive of the second quarter that was recovered by junior linebacker Ronnie Skinner at the Waynesburg 27-yard line. Following the turnover, Hill connected with Jackson once again for a touchdown on the third play of the drive. Taking the snap, Hill immediately found Jackson on a quick-strike bubble screen that went for a 69 yards to pay dirt. Another successful kick from Henry put the home team up 21-0.
The dominant first half continued for Waynesburg on the very Westminster drive when Westminster quarterback Dak Britt rolled to his right and unleashed a throw that went high and was intercepted by junior cornerback Marvin Sampson at the Westminster 44-yard line. Following the pick, Sampson cut across the field and nearly scored, but was pushed out of bounds at the 15-yard line.
Once again, the Waynesburg offense took advantage of good field position and on the fourth play of the drive, Hill froze the defense with a play action fake, and then found senior tight end Adam Moses in the end zone for a two-yard score, which was the sixth of the year for the All-American tight end.
The fifth touchdown of the first half came when Hill connected with Jackson for a 14-yard touchdown. The drive lasted eight-plays, going 64 yards in 1:16. Another Henry PAT made the score 35-0 with 6:52 left in the first half. Westminster showed some fight at the end of the second quarter by putting up 10 unanswered points that cut Waynesburg’s advantage to 25 points as the two teams went into their respective locker rooms.
The vaunted Jacket running game took over as the focal point of Waynesburg’s offense and junior running back Bertrand Ngampa increased the home team’s lead to 42-10 on a six-yard touchdown run that came with 2:39 remaining in the third quarter. The Titans closed up the scoring with a fourth-quarter touchdown run and a missed two-point conversion try, before both teams went to their benches to give their reserves some valuable playing time.
Hill finished the game with a career-best 242 yards through the air on an efficient 18-of-26 passing and four touchdowns. Ngampa topped the 100-yard rushing mark for a third-straight game, as he finished with a game-high 109 yards and a score on 16 carries. Moore added 94-yards on the ground and a touchdown on 20 totes. Jackson had one of his best showings as a collegiate player, by pulling in a game-high six catches for a contest-best 141 yards and three touchdowns.
Freshman Mike Lopuchosky filled in well for injured star safety Bryan Gary by leading the Yellow Jackets with six tackles. Junior defensive lineman Brandon Fedorka increased his team-leading sack total to nine, adding one on Saturday. The Jacket defense only allowed 225 yards of total offense on the day and forced three turnovers.
Waynesburg will finally get to enjoy its 2012 bye week, before returning to John F. Wiley Stadium to face Washington & Jefferson in the PAC Backyard Brawl. The Yellow Jackets have already clinched a share of the 2012 PAC crown, but could take its first outright title since 2003 with a win over the Presidents
