Oct 27, 2012 5 min read

WAYNESBURG – Prior to his team’s game Saturday afternoon against Waynesburg University, Westminster football coach Jeff Hand was talking with a member of the Waynesburg faculty. The two had met during Hand’s four-year stint as the Yellow Jackets’ head coach a decade ago and were chatting about the upcoming game. Hand admitted to his friend that he was very concerned about the Titans’ potential inability to stop Waynesburg wide receiver Christian Jackson. It seemed like a curious statement at the time. Jackson entered the day 18th in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in pass receptions with only 18 in eight games. Two hours later, however, it was obvious Hand’s concerns were warranted. Jackson caught three of freshman quarterback Carter Hill’s four touchdowns passes and netted more than 200 all-purpose yards as Waynesburg used a huge first half to defeat Westminster 42-16 at soggy Wiley Stadium. The win assured Waynesburg (7-0, 9-0) of at least a share of the PAC championship. The Yellow Jackets are off next weekend and will host Washington & Jefferson (5-1, 6-2) Nov. 10 in a game that will likely be for the PAC’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Waynesburg also ended its string of nail-biting finishes. The Yellow Jackets had won five consecutive games by single digits – a combined 15 points – but put away Westminster (3-3, 4-3) with a 35-point first half in which Jackson figured prominently. “We knew we couldn’t continue playing those close games,” Jackson said. “Almost every game we been trailing going into the second half. We knew we had to come out and get the job done in the first half this week. I won’t lie, I don’t like playing all those close games. It takes a toll on you.” The senior from Coraopolis helped drain the drama from this one before halftime. Jackson opened the game with a 50-yard kickoff return, and though Waynesburg did not score on the drive it put Westminster in a field-position hole that lasted more than a quarter. Before the half ended, Jackson caught touchdown passes of 34, 69 and 14 yards as Waynesburg built a 35-0 advantage less than 25 minutes into the game. “I was concerned about Jackson’s speed,” Hand said. “He’s a playmaker when he gets the ball in the open field.” Jackson’s touchdowns came in a variety of ways. His 34-yard reception that gave Waynesburg a 14-0 lead came when he got behind the blitzing Westminster defense from a slot receiver position. Early in the second quarter, Jackson made it 21-0 when he lined up in the backfield and took a swing pass from Hill and sliced through the Titans’ defense for a nifty 69-yard score. Five minutes later, Jackson beat a defender off the line of scrimmage and hauled in his third touchdown pass for the 35-0 lead. Jackson finished with six receptions for 141 yards. He also rushed for 24 yards on three carries, returned two kickoffs for 54 yards and two punts for three yards. He had a 78-yard kickoff return negated by a penalty. “That’s the kind of game we’ve been waiting for from Christian,” Waynesburg coach Rick Shepas said. Westminster pulled to within 35-10 by scoring twice in the final four minutes of the first half. Quarterback Dak Britt scored the first of his two touchdowns – a seven-yard run – and Zach Baker booted a 32-yard field goal on the final play of the half. Jackson, however, turned in another big play midway through the third quarter. With Waynesburg facing third-and-nine and backed up at its own 13-yard line, he took a quick screen pass from Hill, cut back inside and spun and twisted his way to a 10-yard gain and a first down. The play seemed to take the spark out of the Titans and Waynesburg went on to an 88-yard touchdown drive, capped by Bertran Ngampa’s seven-yard run. “At first, this season was frustrating for me from a production standpoint, but we’re winning so that’s fine with me,” Jackson said. “Today, they tried to get me the ball quickly and let me do get whatever I could.” What he got was too much for Westminster’s offense to overcome. “In the games before this one, Waynesburg just found ways to win the close games. Today, they came in and started with confidence and finished it.” Extra points Hill completed 10 of his first 11 passes and finished 18 of 26 for 242 yards. He threw a two-yard TD pass to tight end Adam Moses in the second quarter. … Ngampa rushed for 109 yards on 16 carries, and Dom Moore had 94 yards on 20 carries including a seven-yard touchdown for the game’s first score. It was Ngampa’s third consecutive 100-yard game. … Marvin Sampson and LaVance Turnage had interceptions for Waynesburg’s defense. … This is the first time since 1966 that Waynesburg has been 9-0, and only the third time it has won nine games in a season. The last time was 2003, when Hand was the Yellow Jackets’ coach. … Shepas said safety Brian Gary, the team’s leading tackler who was injured last week against Geneva, will have knee surgery Nov. 5.