Saturday's Game Has UMAC And NCAA Implications

This Saturday the Westminster College football squad plays perhaps the most important Upper Midwest Athletic Conference game ever. The Blue Jays (5-1, 4-1 UMAC) travel to Duluth, Minnesota, to face league leading College of St. Scholastica (5-0, 4-0 UMAC) in a game which has conference championship and NCAA Division III play-off implications. The winner has the inside track on the conference title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III play-offs.

This week's challenge for Westminster is facing the conference's top rusher in Jake Jensen (141.6 yards a game), the most efficient passer in Alex Thiry (220.7 pct.), the top scoring kicker in Mike Theismann (5.6 points a game), and the top punter in Justin Bosman (41 yard avg.). But, the Blue Jays have credentials of their own, entering the contest as the conference leader in scoring offense (38.5 points a game) which is just a shade ahead of St. Scholastica (38.4 points a game). Westminster leads the league in total defense, rushing defense, punt return average and interceptions, which could make the outcome of the contest come down to field position and the play of special teams.

Blue Jay Bits: This is the second meeting between the two teams…St. Scholastica won the first game last season in Fulton, 34-28…St. Scholastica's Homecoming game against Westminster, which is being played at Malosky Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, is available on the world wide web.