Westminster (Mo.) Sophomore Key In UMAC Road Victory

Minneapolis, Minn. – Sophomore quarterback Scott Rodgers threw for 285 yards and five touchdowns in leading Westminster College to a 36-26 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference road victory over Northwestern College here Saturday. Westminster stands 2-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play while Northwestern falls to 0-2 and 0-1.

Rodgers (Centralia, Mo./Centralia), who entered the week 16th in passing efficiency among NCAA Division III signal callers, completed 24-of-30 passes with no interceptions. Senior Zain Gower (Warrensburg, Mo./Warrensburg) was the recipient of one pass for a 67-yard score and Gower rushed 22 times for 41 yards. Junior James Gladstone (St. Louis, Mo./Vianney) caught four passes for 40 yards and two touchdowns, and senior Carl Givens (Chesterfield, Mo./Chaminade) hauled in 10 throws for 92 yards and two scores.

While the Westminster offense rolled up 373 total yards, the Blue Jay defense stood tall, holding Northwestern to 257 yards while forcing a pair of fumbles and recording an interception. Senior DeMarco Moorehead (Hazelwood, Mo./Vianney) recorded a team-high eight tackles and junior Gus Lyles (St. Louis, Mo./Webster Groves) recorded eight tackles, one sack and four tackles for loss.

Games Notes: With the win, Westminster evens the all-times series with Northwestern at 4-4…The 2-0 start is the first for the Blue Jays since 2002…Givens has 18 receptions for 259 yards and five touchdowns in two games.