WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Senior wide receiver
Cody Hearst (Clarion, Pa./Clarion) caught a 12-yard TD pass in overtime and senior linebacker
Zach Walker (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) knocked down a two-point conversion pass attempt to give No. 15/10 Washington & Jefferson a 34-33 overtime win against Westminster.
Hearst's pass came from sophomore quarterback
Jacob Adams (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville), who entered during the W&J possession in overtime after starter
Alex Rowse (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) exited the game. It was Adams' third pass attempt of the period, as he completed his first for four yards and a first down on third down to junior wide receiver
Brandon Barnes (Hagerstown, Md./St. Johns). Senior kicked
Josh Hnat (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) nailed the extra point to put the Presidents ahead, 34-27.
Walker's deflected two-point conversion attempt came after a nine-play scoring drive by the Titans brought the guests within a point and they opted to go for the win. Westminster converted a pair of fourth downs on their overtime possession and eventually Kimu Kim plowed in from one yard out. Paul Columbo scrambled under W&J pressure and rolled to his right, but Walker closed on the pass and batted it away to give the Presidents the win on the point-after attempt.
W&J forced overtime when Rowse found senior running back
Justin Vickless (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brentwood) from three yards out just inside the front corner of the end zone and freshman running back
EJ Thompson (La Plata, Md./Thomas Stone) rammed his way in for the two point conversion, knotting the score at 27-27 with 8:44 left in regulation.
Westminster had a Hail Mary batted down at the goal line as time ran out in regulation to force the overtime period.
The Titans scored 14 points in the first quarter, on passes of eight and 88 yards to lead by a 14-0 count after 15 minutes. W&J got on the board at the 11:31-mark of the second quarter when senior cornerback
O'Shea Anderson (Rochester, Pa./Rochester) intercepted Columbo and raced 72 yards for a score, 14-7.
Westminster answered with a score, but the Presidents brought the halftime margin to 21-13 when senior tight end
Jake Cullen (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) hauled in a four-yard pass from Rowse with 4:36 left in the second quarter.
W&J marched 78 yards in 14 plays, lasting 5:05, on its first possession of the second half, capped off by a three-yard rush by Thompson, to get with 21-19 after the two-point conversion failed.
A pair of field goals off the foot of John Cybak were the only remaining scores of the third quarter as Westminster extended the lead to 27-19 after three periods.
Total offense was nearly identical, with W&J holding a slight advantage at 396-388. The Presidents possessed the ball for 31:47, marking the second-straight game W&J held the ball longer than its opponent.
Rowse went 23-of-36 for 231 yards and two TDs and Adams finished 2-for-3 for 16 yards and a score. Barnes caught a game- and career-high eight passes for 77 yards, while Hearst finished with six grabs for a team-best 86 yards. Thompson led all players with 16 carries for 76 yards and TD.
Senior linebacker
Nick Murgo (Warren, R.I./Mount Hope) posted a game-high 11 tackles, which matched his season high for the fifth time this year. He added a tackle for loss and recovered a fumble as well. Senior safety
Luke Merhaut (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) made nine tackles, including seven solo. Junior linebacker
Zac Quattrone finished with seven stops, two TFL, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and pass break-up. Senior defensive lineman
Tom Marra (Moon Township, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) finished with W&J's lone sack to go with five stops.
The Presidents improve to 7-0 on the season and 5-0 in Presidents' Athletic Conference action after their second-straight overtime affair on Homecoming. Westminster falls to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in league competition.
W&J will travel to Saint Vincent next week, Saturday, Oct. 28, for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the Bearcats.
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