The Westminster football team rolled through Martin Luther College during Saturday's Homecoming game to win 61-7. Their record improves to 5-2 and the Westminster Blue Jays are now 5-1 in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play.
The Martin Luther Knights received to start the game, but on the first play, freshman cornerback Anthony Washington intercepted the ball to bring the Westminster offense onto the field just 16 seconds into the game. The Blue Jays converted the drive into a 12-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Eain Roberts to junior Mike Washington. Senior kicker Kevin Ludwig's point after attempt (PAT) was good, giving the Blue Jays the 7-0 lead just four minutes into the game.
Martin Luther started their drive on their own 14-yard line and brought the ball 86 yards throughout 11 plays for a touchdown. The PAT was good, tying the game at 7-7 with just 4:45 remaining in the first quarter.
Freshman Matt Quarles was on kick return and returned the ball 31 yards to start the Westminster drive on the Blue Jay 46-yard line. Sophomore running back Latif Adams completed a six-yard and a 15-yard rush before his 33-yard rush scored the Blue Jays' second touchdown just 1:05 later. The PAT hit the goal post and fell to the side of the goal, giving the Blue Jays just six points, 13-7.
On the Blue Jays next drive, Roberts completed a 50-yard touchdown pass to Quarles. The PAT by Ludwig was good, giving Westminster the 20-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
The Blue Jays forced Martin Luther to 3rd and 5 on their second drive of the quarter, forcing them to punt. Junior kick returner Jack Williams managed to return the punt 65 yards for another Blue Jay touchdown. Ludwig again hit the PAT, and the Blue Jays took the 27-7 lead.
The Blue Jays and Martin Luther remained scoreless in the final nine minutes of the half, sending the game into halftime with the score at 27-7.
Westminster received to start the second half, and Williams scored his second 60+ yard touchdown of the day with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Roberts just 1:54 into the half. Ludwig hit his fourth PAT, giving the Blue Jays a 34-7 lead.
Martin Luther started their second drive of the second half with 9:02 on the clock, but senior offensive lineman Andrew Godfrey forced the Knight's quarterback to fumble on their own 28-yard line. Senior Jordan Lauchland recovered the ball and returned it 24 yards for a Blue Jay touchdown. Ludwig's PAT was good, putting the Blue Jays up 41-7.
The Blue Jays ended the third quarter on the Knight's 4-yard line with 2nd and goal. Senior fullback Jantzen Bradford rushed it in for a 2-yard touchdown in the start of the fourth quarter, and Ludwig scored his final PAT of the game.
Two plays into the Martin Luther drive, sophomore defensive lineman Steven Scott forced a fumble and recovered it at the Knight's 32-yard line to start another Blue Jay drive. The team capitalized on the drive and freshman Denzel Dean scored a 1-yard touchdown. Junior kicker Ian Pletenik came in for the PAT, but missed.
The Blue Jays' final touchdown of the game came from a 46-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Teddy Deas to freshman Peair Howard. Pletenik's PAT was good, giving the Blue Jays the 61-7 lead.
Martin Luther started their final drive on their own 30-yard line with 2:08 left in the game. The Knight's fumbled and Westminster's sophomore linebacker Sam Kroll-Taugasolo recovered the ball. The Blue Jays ran the time out to win the game 61-7.
Adams led the game with 176 rushing yards on 19 carries. Deas rushed 81 yards and averaged 20.2 yards per rush.
Roberts had nine completions for 150 yards and three touchdowns. Deas went 1-1 for 46 yards and one touchdown.
Williams had 65 receiving yards with one touchdown, Quarles had 54 receiving yards with a touchdown, and Howard had 46 receiving yards for a touchdown. Washington also recorded 12 receiving yards for a touchdown.
On defense, senior safety Bret Robertson led the game with 12 tackles and three tackles for a loss of 11 yards. Junior defensive lineman Ayo Oyesanya posted six tackles with two tackles for a loss of five yards. He also recorded the only sack of the game.
Ludwig went 6-7 on extra points. He posted 463 kickoff yards, averaging 57.9 yards per kick. He also punted for 145 yards.
The Blue Jays head St. Paul, Minn. next Saturday, October 24, to play Northwestern (Minn.). The game has a noon kickoff time.