Fulton, MO — FULTON, MO — The Westminster College football team wasted little time making its first home game of the 2026 season count. The Blue Jays scored four touchdowns in the opening quarter and never looked back, racing past Lyon College, 35-17, Saturday night at Kent & Judith Mueller Stadium. The victory moves Westminster to 2-1 on the season and gives the Blue Jays their second consecutive victory following the week two 41-0 shutout of Eureka in the inaugural Berlin Wall Bowl. Westminster's fast start was exactly what the Blue Jays were looking for. After forcing a Lyon interception on the opening possession, Westminster needed just three plays to find the end zone. Quarterback Trey Thomas connected with Cameron Smith on an 11-yard touchdown pass to put the Blue Jays ahead 7-0. One possession later, Martez Stephenson broke loose for an 89-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 14-0 with 10:22 remaining in the first quarter. The Blue Jays continued to capitalize on Lyon mistakes. Ethan Paulat recovered a Scots fumble, setting Westminster up at the Lyon 39-yard line. Four plays later, Thomas found Jeremiah Thomas for a 20-yard touchdown to make it 21-0. Stephenson added his second touchdown of the quarter with 1:23 remaining, scoring from 15 yards out to cap a dominant opening 15 minutes and give Westminster a 28-0 advantage. Stephenson finished the night with a career-best 229 rushing yards on 22 carries, averaging 10.4 yards per carry while finding the end zone twice. His 89-yard touchdown run marked the longest rushing play of the season for the Blue Jays. Thomas turned in an efficient performance through the air, completing 18-of-33 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception. He connected with five different receivers, including Cole Harrell for a 32-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The Blue Jays finished with 437 yards of total offense, including 208 yards on the ground and 229 through the air. Westminster averaged 6.7 yards per play and finished with 22 first downs. After Lyon finally got on the scoreboard with a field goal just before halftime, Westminster answered with its longest sustained scoring drive of the evening. The Blue Jays marched 63 yards on 10 plays, holding the ball for 5:47 before Thomas found Harrell for the 32-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to 35-3. Lyon added a pair of second-half touchdowns, but the Westminster defense continued to make key plays when needed. The Blue Jays intercepted Lyon quarterback Malaki Lockhart twice, with Andrew Martin and Justin Parker each recording an interception. Paulat also finished with a sack and fumble recovery, while Darvin Fowler added a sack and four quarterback hurries. Matthew Wiegand led the Westminster defense with eight tackles, while Paulat added six tackles to go along with his sack and fumble recovery. The Blue Jays also received a strong contribution from the special teams unit. Darian Jones averaged 28.3 yards on three punt returns, including a 75-yard return, while Westminster finished the night with 85 punt-return yards. Westminster controlled the clock for 31:48 and committed no turnovers. The Blue Jays also converted four of five red-zone opportunities into touchdowns. The victory gives Westminster its second straight win heading into the heart of the 2026 schedule. The Blue Jays return to action Saturday, October 3, when they host Greenville University in their Upper Midwest Athletic Conference opener at Kent & Judith Mueller Stadium. Westminster 35, Lyon 17. The Blue Jays are 2-1. And the work continues.