FULTON, Mo. – The University of Minnesota Morris football team defeated Westminster College, 30-27, in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play Saturday afternoon in Fulton, Mo., winning on a field goal as time expired.
 
The Cougars improve to 2-3 overall and 2-0 in the UMAC, while the Blue Jays fall to 2-3 and 0-2 in conference play.
 
Minnesota Morris opened the game with possession. On the opening drive, Bryson Drake connected with Dylan Shafer for 15 yards and Orion Knakmuhs for a 25-yard gain. Facing fourth-and-eight from the Westminster 15-yard line, UMM attempted a field goal, but the kick was no good.
 
Westminster responded with a similar drive. Inside the red zone, Chayce Meyer recorded UMM's first sack of the day. The Blue Jays lined up for a field goal, but Brennan Johnk got a hand on the attempt to keep the score 0-0.
 
On the final drive of the first half, Drake broke free for a 30-yard run into Blue Jay territory. With time expiring, Oscar Weah Jr. rushed for eight yards, setting up a fourth-and-one at the Westminster 19. Drake picked up the first down on the ground, then capped off the drive with a 12-yard rushing touchdown — the first score of the game.
 
On the ensuing kickoff, Christian Davis booted it deep, and Brenton Overall forced and recovered a fumble, giving the Cougars a short field. UMM stayed on the ground with runs from Sean-Keley Chinanga, Weah Jr., and Drake. On the only pass of the drive, Drake found Knakmuhs for a seven-yard touchdown. The PAT was good, giving UMM a 14-0 lead.
 
Westminster quickly answered with an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to cut the lead in half.
 
After facing second-and-21 on the next drive, Drake completed an 11-yard pass, followed by a five-yard rush from Chinanga. On fourth down in their own territory, head coach Marty Hoffmann opted to go for it. Drake connected with Carter Watnaas for a 37-yard gain. Chinanga added a nine-yard run to enter the red zone and later finished the drive with an eight-yard rushing touchdown. The PAT was blocked, giving UMM a 20-7 lead at halftime.
 
Westminster opened the second half with a drive that included another sack from Meyer but eventually converted a fourth down and moved into scoring position. Three completed passes set up a touchdown run. Jesse Davis blocked the extra point, keeping the score at 20-13.
 
UMM's next drive stalled at their own 39-yard line, and the Blue Jays blocked the punt and returned it for a touchdown to tie the game at 20. The Cougars then fumbled on their own 49-yard line, and Westminster capitalized, scoring another touchdown to take a 27-20 lead.
 
Early in the fourth quarter, UMM's defense came up big as Juan "JT" Garza III intercepted a pass on the Cougar 36. On the first play of the drive, Drake hit Watnaas for a 23-yard gain into Blue Jay territory. On third-and-six, Weah Jr. rushed for seven yards to move the chains. Chinanga capped the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run, tying the game at 27.
 
Both teams went three-and-out on their next drives, setting Westminster up at their own 16-yard line with 5:10 remaining. The Blue Jays moved the ball and drained the clock, but Meyer recorded his third sack of the day, forcing fourth down with under two minutes left.
 
The Cougars got the ball back at their own 22-yard line with 1:16 remaining. After failing to convert on third down, Minnesota Morris lined up to punt — but an illegal substitution by Westminster gave them a fresh set of downs. Drake hit Manny Guy for a five-yard gain, then found Chinanga for a 12-yard pickup. A targeting penalty moved the ball to the Westminster 33. Another penalty — this time for pass interference — set the Cougars up at the 23-yard line. With three seconds left, senior Logan Ahlers lined up for his first kick of the season — and drilled it through the uprights as time expired to give Minnesota Morris the 30-27 win.
 
The offense was led by Drake with 166 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 67 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Chinanga totaled 92 rushing yards with a pair of touchdowns. Watnaas tallied 62 receiving yards. Knakmuhs followed with 34 yards and a touchdown.
 
The defense was led by Dylan Young and Arian Saenz with six tackles each. Meyers got to the quarterback three times resulting in three sacks. Young added two sacks and Ahlers had the other one. The defense forced two takeaways with a fumble by Overall and interception by Garza.
 
Trever Cockerill had one 45-yard punt that landed inside the 20-yard line. Garza contributed 93 yards on four returns, including a long of 36 yards.
 
Minnesota Morris looks to continue its winning streak when the Cougars host the University of Northwestern on Oct. 18 with a 2 p.m. kickoff.