Fulton, Mo 10/7/2023- It was a chilly afternoon at Kent and Judith Mueller Stadium as the Westminster College football team welcomed the Martin Luther Knights in the first home game since early-September. The first quarter saw the Blue Jays taking the lead as Brandon Perry sprinted 40 yards, putting the first points on the board with a score of 6-0. In the second quarter, Brandon Perry impressed again by completing a 27-yard pass to Aden Campbell, Giving the Blue Jays a 13-0 lead. Just moments later, Blue Jay safety Dylan Farrell capitalized on an 88-yard fumble recovery, widening the gap to 21-0 before halftime. The Blue Jays would win the game with a final score of 28-14. Westminster improves to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in the UMAC. Martin Luther falls to 0-5 on the season and 0-2 in the UMAC.
Right from the opening kickoff, Westminster asserted their dominance on the field. Led by the exceptional play of wide receiver turned quarterback, Brandon Perry. He would scramble for a 40-yard touchdown run that electrified the crowd and gave the Blue Jays an early 6-0 lead. The early touchdown set the tone for the game and the Blue Jays smash mouth style of football.
The Blue Jays scored another touchdown in the second quarter when Brandon Perry connected with Aden Campbell on a deep pass for 27 yards. They would put the Blue Jays up 13-0. In the second quarter, safety Dillion Farrell scored an 88-yard touchdown. Westminster led 21-0 at halftime.
The third quarter saw a comeback attempt from Martin Luther. The Knights would get the ball after the Blue Jays turned the ball over on downs in their opening drive of the second half. Martin Luther would get the ball at their own 26-yard line and march the ball the field. They would score their first touchdown of the game on an 11-yard run from their quarterback and reduce the deficit to 21-7. However, Westminster still had more scoring to do. Dante Billups scored on a 7-yard run touchdown run to start the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 28-7.
Martin Luther would score on a 39-yard touchdown pass and make it 28-14 with just over a minute left in the game. The Blue Jays would come out in the victory formation and take a knee, then began to celebrate their first win of the season.
The Blue Jays dominated the line of scrimmage and controlled the game on the ground. Dante Billups had an outstanding game rushing for 122 and a touchdown for the Blue Jays. Jordan Kern rushed for 80 yards on nineteen carries. Brandon Perry had 54 yards on the ground, including the 40-yard touchdown run. He would go 3-11 for 37 passing yards, with the big 27-yard touchdown pass to Aden Campbell.
Dawson Brandt led the Blue Jay defense with 10 tackles and one tackle for a loss. Freshman Darvin Fowler was in the backfield all day, recording six tackles, a sack and 3 tackles for loss. He would also have a pass breakup when he swatted the ball at the line of scrimmage. Devin Miller had a big sack right before halftime. The Blue Jays would turn the Knights over three times in the game. Dillion Farrell on the 88-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Ricky Elias intercepted a pass and freshman Konner Vaughn had three pass breakups and an interception.
The Blue Jays look to keep the momentum going when they take on Minnesota-Morris next Saturday. The game will kick off at 12:00 p.m. from Morris, Minnesota.
