RELEASE DATE: 9/20/03

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JOE BENNETT’S SET SCHOOL RECORD WITH FOUR TOUCHDOWN CATCHES IN 50-17 WIN OVER WESTMINSTER – EARNEST  “POOHBEAR” McNEAL RUNS FOR 198-YARDS AND TWO TOUCHDOWNS

NEW WILMINGTON – Junior Joe Bennett ( Horseheads , NY /Notre Dame) set a school with four touchdown catches and Earnest “Pooh Bear” McNeal ran for 198-yards and two touchdowns to lead Mansfield University to a 50-17 win over Westminster College at Burry Stadium Saturday afternoon.

"In the first two games, the defense played the better game,” said head coach Chris Woods. “Today, it was the offense and you need one side of the ball to pick up the other when it’s struggling.”

 It looked like the Mountaineers defense would control the game as it did in the last first two games.  Mansfield got on the scoreboard first when Dan Holland blocked a punt in the end zone for a two-point safety with 5:09 to play in the first quarter.

But the Mountaineer defense would give up their first score in eight quarters when Westminster hit a 65-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-2 lead with 3:06 to go in the first quarter.

Mansfield answered back :18 seconds later when Joe Bennett pulled in a 64-yard pass from Travis Motley (York/Central York) for a 9-7 lead after the two-point attempt failed.

Less than three minutes later Westminster retook the lead on an eight-yard run by Scott Froelich.

With 3:20 left in the first half, Joe Bennett would strike again – this time on a 30-yard pass from older brother Dan for a 15-14 lead.

“I played with Dan before and we’ve tried to throw a touchdown pass to each other, but it never worked out”, said Bennett.

Just over a minute later, Joe Bennett caught his third touchdown pass of the first half when Motley hit him on a 24-yard strike.

But Westminster would not go down easily taking a fumble recovery and kicking a 35-yard field goal with  :01 on the clock to cut the score to 22-17.

Mansfield dominated the game statistically in the first half, racking up 296 yards in total offense to 201 by Westminster .

Westminster would take the opening kickoff of the second half and drive to the Mansfield 22-yard line before Joe Frick stripped the ball and Ronnie Montgomery picked up the fumble and returned it 54-yards to the Westminster 24-yard line in a play that changed the direction of the game.

“There’s no doubt that was really the defining moment of the game,” said head coach Chris Woods. “We were not playing well at that point and that play really turned into a 14-point difference.”

Earnest “Pooh Bear” McNeal would account for all 24-yards of the ensuing drive including a two-yard touchdown run. McNeal also caught a two-point conversion pass from Travis Motley to give Mansfield a 30-17 lead.

“It’s easy to run for yardage when you see the holes,” said McNeal. “I’ve got to give credit to the offensive line. They opened the holes and I just ran through them.”

The Mountaineers put together a 11-play, 81-yard drive on their next possession with Joe Bennett catching his school record fourth TD pass of the day on a 15-yard flip from Motley.

“Records are always nice,” Bennett said. “But in a game like this that was so close at halftime, records are the least thing on your mind. My focus was just on the game and making sure we won.”

Mid-way through the fourth quarter, McNeal would put the game way when he scored from five-yards out after Wesley Bair III recovered a fumble on the six-yard line.

Dan Bennett would score the final touchdown of the game on a 23-yard pass from Motley with 4:04 to play.

Motley completed 12-of-18 passes for 265-yards and four touchdowns to become just the second player in school history to surpass the 6,000 yard mark in career passing yardage. Motley now has 6,198 yard. Bill Bair (1989-92) holds the school record with 7,531 yards.

“I’m just glad we got the win,” Motley said after being informed he went over the 6,000 yard mark. “All those yards and all those touchdowns don’t mean a thing without a win and after today we are 3-0. That’s what’s important to me.”

Bennett broke the school record of three TD receptions last set in 2002 by Mike Zulkowsky against Westminster .  His 210-yards was the third best in a single game in school history.

Mansfield racked up 529 yards in total offense and held Westminster to 82-yards on the ground. Dan Holland led the defense with 13 tackles and blocked a punt for a safety. Freshman Andre’ Turner had nine tackles and an interception with Ryan Geishauser recording eight tackles and Brian DeCecco six. 

Mansfield is 3-0 on the season for the first time since starting the season 4-0 in 1996. The 50 points are the most since Mansfield scored 52 points against East Stroudsburg in 1991.

The Mountaineers will travel to Lock Haven next Saturday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

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