Season Preview: Westminster

Westminster, picked to finish third in the preseason coaches poll, is coming off an eight win season a year ago. The team that was known for its explosive offense and a defense that finished 20th in the NCAA Division III will need to establish consistency coming into the year. Lost from last year are stars Carl Givens (WR) and Zain Gower (RB). Scott Rodgers will no longer be the starting QB as he attempts to transition to WR. Instead, sophomore Joe Plassmeyer (QB) will lead an offense that at times last year was as explosive as any in the UMAC. Plassmeyer will benefit from what appears to be a WR group that is loaded with talent and experience even with the departure of the extremely talented Givens. Plassmeyer can also look forward to some upperclassmen leadership on the offensive line.

The defense returns eight starters from last year’s team that allowed only 87 yards per game on the ground and 189 yards per game through the air while only allowing 17.2 points per game. Rodney and Gus Lyles, both first team all-conference players, return as the leading tacklers from last year’s team. The secondary will be led by some new faces and will look to match last year’s secondary that led the conference in interceptions with 20. Overall, this is a talented group that is well coached and should be excellent again.

 
Prediction: Westminster faces a tough conference season opener against Northwestern. With a change in QB, it will be interesting to see how the offense will perform early in the season. The next three of four games will be challenging for the Jays as they go on the road to Martin Luther, Crown, and Morris with a home game against Eureka. The game that looms on the schedule is when St. Scholastica comes to town that will have conference championship implications on the line. The next big game comes two weeks later against Greenville sandwiched between two easy games against MacMurray. The schedule is not kind to Westminster, but luckily all of the top teams must travel to Westminster. I think this team will finish 6-2 and finish third in the UMAC.