NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Turnovers proved to be costly for the Allegheny College football team in a 27-17 loss to Westminster College in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) bout on a cool Saturday night in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.

Under the lights at Memorial Field inside Harold Burry Stadium, the Gators (2-6, 2-6 PAC) were able to keep pace against a Titans (4-3, 4-3 PAC) team that put up 42 points on them just a year ago. Although Allegheny kept the gap close, it could not overcome an early 10-point deficit.

In terms of yardage, the Gator offense outpaced Westminster, 326-to-308, and Allegheny scored on all three possessions in the red zone. But a season-high four turnovers, including two muffed returns on special teams, likely were the deciding factor.

Trailing by two possessions in the fourth quarter, Allegheny had another opportunity for a comeback bid, just as the team has done on numerous occasions in close games this season. The Titans missed a 44-yard field goal with seven minutes left on the clock, keeping the score at 27-17. But the next two Allegheny possessions ended with interceptions. Its final drive of the game began at the one-yard line and stalled near midfield following an intentional grounding penalty.

While turnovers haunted the Gators, one committed by Westminster helped them get on the board in the first quarter. A muffed punt return recovered by Azary Matsuda (Roseville, Calif./Granite Bay) set the Blue and Gold up with great field position at the Westminster 37-yard line. Kyrie Miller (Bolivar, Pa./Ligonier Valley) gained 23 of the 37 yards needed on the ground and punched the ball into the end zone on a 17-yard run. His touchdown reduced a 10-0 Titan lead to just three points.

Down 17-7 in the second quarter, the Gators once again slashed the Titan lead to three points with a 10-play, 47-yard drive. Facing a fourth and two, Jack Johnson (Hingham, Mass./Hingham/Milford Academy) found Ian Durci (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) for an 11-yard gain to keep the drive alive. He then hit Declan O'Brien (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) for 15 yards down to the Westminster two-yard line, and Austin Williams (Warsaw, N.Y./Warsaw Central) hauled in a touchdown catch to make it a 17-14 contest.

Garrett Paxton (Freedom, Pa./Freedom Area) drilled a 31-yard field goal as time expired in the first half for Allegheny's only other points of the night.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny had more yards of total offense (326-to-308) and first downs (18-to-14).
• Westminster's offense had a slight advantage in yards per play, 5.0-to-4.8.
• The Gators finished with a game-high 271 yards through the yard, while the Titans had a game-high 145 rushing yards.
• Johnson threw for 271 yards on 29-of-50 (58.0%) passing with one touchdown.
• Miller ran 13 times for 67 yards and one touchdown in addition to 58 receiving yards.
• Durci paced all receivers with 107 yards on seven receptions.
• Williams caught a game-high nine passes for 59 yards and one score.
• Defensive tackle Nigel Williams (Buffalo, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) had a team-best nine tackles, including one sack.
• Linebacker Zach Altenbaugh (Industry, Pa./Western Beaver) finished with seven tackles with two for a loss.
• Defensive back Jathan Reynolds (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd H. Anderson) amassed four tackles, one tackle for a loss, and two pass breakups.

News and Notes

• Despite being held to 31 yards against Westminster, O'Brien became only the second receiver in program history to surpass 1,000 yards in a season with 1,017; Alex Victor had over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018.
• With two games to play, O'Brien only needs 21 yards to break Victor's team record of 1,037 from the fall of 2017.
• With 78 receptions, O'Brien surpassed Victor (76) for the most catches in a season.
• Miller now leads all Allegheny running backs with 366 rushing yards and tied a single-season career-best with his fifth rushing touchdown.
• Durci reached 100 receiving yards in a game for the first time in his career with the Gators.
• Paxton's 31-yard field goal marks his longest of the year.

Up Next
The Gators will celebrate Senior Day at the 2023 home finale on Saturday, October 28, against Thiel College. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.