The Case Western Reserve University football team beat the Westminster College Titans 35-14 on Saturday, Sept. 29.

Both teams made 70 offensive plays each throughout the game, but the Spartan plays gained 150 percent more yards per play than the Titans.

The Spartans hit the field hard, stunning the Titans with a quick touchdown a minute into the first quarter by third-year running back Sam Jenkins off a pass from first-year quarterback Drew Saxton. Saxton threw for 330 passing yards against Westminster.

The Titans pushed back in the second quarter and racked up two back-to-back touchdowns, putting the score at 7-14. Fourth-year quarterback Shamon Walker made a successful pass to fellow fourth-year wide receiver Jaevon Hardy. Walker scored the second touchdown off a one yard run with about three and one-half left on the clock.

The Spartans sprang back in those three remaining minutes, tying up the score at 14-14. Saxton passed to fourth-year wide receiver Justin Phan to tie up the score right before the end of the half.

Westminster got possession in the last minutes of the second quarter, but

Cameron Brown, a fourth-year defensive lineman, sacked Titan quarterback Walker right before halftime. This was Brown’s third solo sack of this season, and the only Spartan sack of the game.

The CWRU team rallied in the third quarter to force a three-and-out from the Titans. The Saxton-Phan duo made good on the chance, seizing the lead by scoring a touchdown for the Spartans, putting the score at 21-14.

Westminster fell even further behind as Colt Morgan, a second-year wide receiver, put the Spartan score at 28-14.

But the Spartans didn’t stop there. Third-year safety Patrick Crossey intercepted a Titan pass and returned it 55 yards, giving CWRU possession of the ball at the Westminster 44 yard line.

With under two minutes left in the game, second-year running back Zach Hall rushed 18 yards for a touchdown, which put the score at 35-14.

Westminster gained possession and had the chance to score in the last minute of the game, but second-year inside linebacker Michael Amadio made his first collegiate interception, securing the ball for the Spartans at the end of the fourth quarter. The Spartans held onto the ball for the remainder of the game and let the clock expire.

So far this season, the Spartans remain undefeated with a 4-0 overall record and a 3-0 record in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC).

This week, they’ll be on the road again for their first real test of the season, playing Washington and Jefferson College on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. Washington and Jefferson has a 4-0 record in the PAC, a 5-0 record overall, and is ranked No. 12 among Division III teams by D3football.com.

This matchup is highly anticipated across the nation as this game will likely determine who earns the automatic bid from the PAC to the DIII football playoffs. CWRU and W&J were co-champions of the conference, but the automatic bid went to the latter due to a tiebreaker. CWRU earned an at-large bid.