St. Bonifacius, MN 9/30/2023- The Westminster College football team took their first trip of the year to Minnesota as they took on the Crown College Polars to start UMAC play. The Blue Jays would take a 9-7 lead to halftime, then would go down 20-9 early in the third quarter. A ninety-seven-yard pick six by senior, Dawson Brandt, would get the Blue Jays back in the game at 20-17 as the game moved into the fourth quarter. The Polars would kick a field goal to go up 23-17 and force a safety late to win the game 25-17. The Blue Jays fell to 0-4 on the season and 0-1 in the UMAC. The Polars got their first win of the season and improved to 1-4 and 1-0 in the UMAC.
Westminster received the kickoff to start the game. Brandon Perry, wide receiver turned quarterback, would get the start for the Blue Jays. He would march the offense down the field on a fifteen-play, eight-minute opening drive that went fifty-four yards. The Blue Jays would get the ball all the way down to the Polar eighteen-yard line and found themselves in a fourth and eleven. The Jays would go for it and could not convert, turning the ball over on downs.
The Crown offense would take over in the shadow of their end zone. They showed why they led the UMAC in passing early. The Polars would score on a deep forty-five-yard touchdown pass that would give them an early 7-0 lead. It was a seven-play drive that only took a minute and thirty-eight seconds.
In the second quarter, Brandon Perry threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Aden Campbell, and Westminster scored with 10 minutes remaining. It would be the first touchdown for both Perry and Campbell as Blue Jays. The extra point attempt would be no good and the Blue Jays still trailed 7-6.
The Blue Jays would get the ball back late in the second quarter and would get it down to the Crown seventeen-yard line before the drive stalled out. Westminster once again found themselves in a fourth-down situation in the red zone. This time, they would elect to go for the field goal. Blue Jay kicker, Hugo Jover, would drill the twenty-seven-yard field goal to give the Blue Jays a 9-7 lead as time expired in the first half.
Crown would get the ball to start the second half. They would start the drive on the Westminster twenty-eight-yard line after a thirty-seven-yard kick return. The Blue Jay defense would get it third and twelve, however, the Polar offense would score on another deep pass attempt. They would connect on a twenty-seven-yard touchdown down the left sideline. The extra point attempt would be no good, giving Crown a 13-9 lead.
The next Blue Jay drive would stall out. On fourth down, there was a bad snap and the Blue Jay punter, Dawson Brandt, fell on the ball, resulting in a loss of thirty-nine yards. Crown had great field position at the Blue Jay thirteen-yard line.
The Polars would capitalize and score on the very next play with a thirteen-yard passing touchdown to go up 20-9 after the extra point.
Dawson Brandt would get redemption later in the quarter after the Polars would get the ball down to the Blue Jays five-yard line. They tried to score a passing touchdown again, but Brandt intercepted the pass and scored a 97-yard touchdown. The Blue Jays would go for the two-point conversation. Trace Helsel would punch the ball in to convert and put Westminster down 20-17 midway through the third quarter.
The Polars would kick a field goal early in the fourth quarter to go up 23-17. Westminster would commit a safety with two minutes left in the game as Perry took a sack in the Blue Jay end zone to make it 25-17. Crown would get the ball after the safety and would run out the clock to win the game.
Brandon Perry would go 10-21 passing for 87 yards and a touchdown. Trace Helsel and Dante Billups led the ground game, with Helsel rushing for 101 yards and Billups rushing for 95 yards. Aden Campbell had 3 catches for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Dawson Brandt led the Blue Jays defense with seven tackles and two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. Devin Miller would have five tackles, a sack, and another tackle for a loss. David Fenton would also come up with an interception and Deacon Steadman would force a fumble and recover it. The Westminster defense would force four turnovers on the day.
The Blue Jays will return home as they host Martin Luther in week six on October 7th. The kickoff will take place at 12:00 pm from Fulton.
