Westminster (Mo.) Rallies To Win On Senior Day, 17-10

Fulton, Mo. – The Westminster College football squad rallied from a 7-0 halftime deficit and held Presentation College out of the end zone in the final two minutes to close out the 2011 season and send 10 seniors out with a 17-10 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference home victory Saturday.

The Blue Jays (8-2, 7-2 UMAC), who finish second in the league standings, and Presentation (3-6, 3-5 UMAC), which is in its first year of football with one game remaining, combined for nine turnovers and 15 penalties. The outcome of the game was not determined until the final minute when Presentation's fourth-down pass fell incomplete in the end zone, enabling Westminster to run out the clock.

Senior Zain Gower (Warrensburg, Mo./Warrensburg) carried the rushing load for Westminster in his finale, rushing 23 times for 113 yards and a score. Sophomore quarterback Scott Rodgers (Centralia, Mo./Centralia) carried the ball 15 times for 24 yards and a touchdown which helped the Blue Jays gain a 35:39-24:21 edge in time of possession. Rodgers completed 15 passes for 209 yards, but was picked off three times, and senior Carl Givens (Chesterfield, Mo./Chaminade) came up big, catching 12 passes for 159 yards in his final game.

In the end, it was the Blue Jay defense which came up with the key red zone stop to preserve the win. Sophomore Louvis Johnson (Naples, Fla./Golden Gate) led the defense with five tackles, and senior Kelvin Williams (St. Louis, Mo./Gateway Tech.) and junior Gus Lyles (St. Louis, Mo./Webster Groves) came up with interceptions.