Oct 9, 2025 4 min read

By John Sacco

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

Talk of a losing streak and early struggles just a few weeks ago have given way to dreams of winning a second consecutive Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship.

To do that, however, the Washington & Jefferson College’s football team has a mission to accomplish Saturday afternoon at Cameron Stadium when it meets Westminster (3-1), winner of three consecutive games.

Kickoff for W&J’s Homecoming game is 2 p.m.

A win for either team will go a long way in determining the PAC championship and automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III playoffs. However, both the Presidents and Titans will have half the season remaining to play.

Make no mistake, however, this is a pivotal game.

W&J is 2-0 in the PAC and 2-2 overall. The Titans are 2-0 in the PAC.

“We were just trying to win a football game against Grove City (two weeks ago),” said Presidents’ coach Mike Sirianni. “We know what’s at stake. Our kids understand. They see the records; they see the schedules. We just want to go 1-0 this week. It’s nice to play a home game for the first time in what seems like forever.”

W&J hasn’t played at home since Sept. 6 – the season opener. The Presidents have played three road games and had an open week.

What they’ll find in Westminster is a stingy and active defense.

The Titans have put together a strong start to the 2025 season. Westminster dropped its opener to Marietta, a game in which it held the Pioneers to 12 points, but struggled offensively, compiling only 183 yards. The Titans rank 106th in Division III on offense. However, Westminster’s defense has been stout, yielding just 10.5 points per game – which ranks ninth in Division III. The Titans aim to play ball-control football and win the turnover battle, as they have committed only three turnovers this season and have forced seven.

The defense is led by linebacker Dylan Sleva, an experienced defensive line and athletic secondary led by the Brite Cannon.

“By far, they present different problems,” Sirianni said. “They change things, come at you from different angles and change coverages. Because of their scheme, I think it’s the best defense we’ve faced all year. They have good starters, an experienced defensive line and are excellent on the back end.”

The W&J offense has been all strong all season. The Presidents rank 13th in Division III in total offense, averaging 489.3 yards per game. The Presidents are buoyed by their passing offense, which averages 326.5 yards per game – 14th in the nation. The Presidents’ 124 first downs rank seventh in Division III.

“I’ve been blessed to be in a defensive system in my entire career,” Westminster coach Scott Benzel said. “I really believe that’s the difference. I was schooled by Dan Radakovich, who arguably was one of the best coaches in history, not only in college but professional football.

“I’ve been able to take that system and grow with it and learn it so foundationally that’s been why we’ve had success everywhere we’ve been with the defense. We just try to get the best athletes we can and we move them around and play them in different parts. Maybe that’s been part of the secret sauce too. I’m not afraid to switch this week. … We have multiple defensive linemen who we rotate in and out, and then a good linebacker corps. I know Dylan’s been the anchor point and that’s helped us a lot this year.”

“They have great players upfront and a lot of big guys who can disrupt an offense,” W&J offensive tackle Elijah Staub said. “The biggest thing for us up front is they do a lot of movement in the box and when you’re trying to run the ball and get the offense going that can cause a lot of distractions and missed assignments. It’s just a big focus for us this week to hone in on that and work together as a group of five and make sure we’re executing on every play and following our rules.”

Special teams will be a key. A year ago, Westminster scored 11 touchdowns on special teams. Last season, they blocked a W&J punt that shaped the remainder of the game.

“We spend a lot of time on them,” Benzel said. “It’s not just a 10-minute period. I think that could be a big factor.”

So too does Sirianni.

“We need to take care of ball,” Sirianni said. “We can’t force things in the passing game. We can’t lose the special team’s battle. They really are good on special teams. We can’t give them a short field.”