Box Score ATHENS, W.Va. – Trailing for the first time in the fourth quarter all season, the Concord University football was resilient as it came back to beat the University of Charleston, 24-20, Saturday afternoon at Callaghan Stadium.
The win moves Concord to 8-0 on the year and 7-0 in the Mountain East Conference while Charleston falls to 5-3 overall and 4-3 in league play.
Down 17-12 and facing a fourth down-and-one from its own 40-yard line in the fourth quarter, the Golden Eagles went for the conversion. UC quarterback Jermaine Kelly found a gap between the center and right guard and got the yard he needed plus 59 more as he put Charleston up 20-17 with 7:40 left in the game.
After Concord failed to get a first down on its ensuing drive, the Mountain Lions were forced to punt, but the CU defense got a stop of its own. Sophomore quarterback
Brian Novak and the Mountain Lions took over with 4:12 left in the game at the Charleston 45-yard line.
Junior running back
Calvinaugh Jones ripped off 28 yards on three carries during the drive as he finished with a season-high 171 yards on 23 carries in the contest. After Jones and senior running back
Ben Nester got the Mountain Lions inside of the 10-yard line, Novak found sophomore wide receiver
Davon McGill, wo scored his second touchdown of the season and his first since the opening game versus Glenville State, from seven yards away to give the Mountain Lions a 24-20 lead with 1:51 remaining in the contest.
Charleston was able to march into Concord territory to the 47-yard line before Kelly was intercepted by redshirt freshman cornerback
Jeremiah Johnson, who picked off his third pass of the season, to seal the win for Concord. Â
Earlier scores in the game by Concord came on two touchdown passes from Novak to freshman wide receiver T.J. Smith that included a 72-yard pass with under a minute left to go in the first half. The 72-yard connection was the longest pass play from scrimmage for CU this season.
Junior kicker
Andy Ellington was also to convert his only field goal attempt on the afternoon from 26 yards. The successful attempt was set up by a fake field goal earlier in the drive. Ellington ran onto to the field for a 47-yard attempt. However, redshirt freshman wide receiver/holder
Tyler Dotson pitched the ball to junior running back
Shaun Workinger who rumbled for 14 yards on a fourth-and-eighth play.
Before Charleston's fourth-quarter touchdown, the Golden Eagles connected on four field goal tries themselves.
A week after giving up just 98 passing yards, the Mountain Lions' defense was stout once again as they surrendered 121 yards to Charleston. Kelly finished 19-for-42 and was sacked three times in the game. Senior defensive lineman
Keith Ferguson, junior linebacker
Nick Ortiz and junior linebacker
Cade Rogers all came away with a sack each.
Additionally, Ferguson and senior linebacker
Gary Saylor tied their career-highs with 10 tackles a piece. Senior defensive linemen
Silas Agyemang and
Will Greathouse finished with eight tackles, respectively.
Offensively for Concord, Jones surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season by rushing for 171 yards. The Glen Burnie, Maryland has now achieved the feat twice in his career and has 1,004 yards this season.
Novak finished 8-for-21 passing with three touchdowns while Smith hauled in three catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns. McGill finished with two catches for 21 yards and the receiving score.
The Mountain Lions will travel to UVa.-Wise, who picked up its first win of the season with a 16-13 over West Virginia State Saturday, next week for a 2:00 p.m. kickoff against the Cavaliers.
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