ATHENS, W.Va. – A powerful and fast-scoring offense propelled the Concord University football team to a 59-17 home win over West Virginia Wesleyan Saturday afternoon at Callaghan Stadium in Mountain East Conference action.
The offense exploded for 588 total yards, 345 rushing yards and 49 first-half points as the Mountain Lions improved to 3-1 overall and against league foes while West Virginia Wesleyan fell to 0-4 overall.
Saturday marked the second straight year CU racked up over 340 rushing yards against WWVC as the Maroon and Gray pounded out 348 rushing yards against the Bobcats last season. The 588 yards of offense Concord amassed was the most since the Mountain Lions put up 619 yards against West Chester last season.
Senior running back
Calvinaugh Jones amassed118 yards of total offense (69 rushing, 49 receiving and three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). All of Jones' work came in the first half of Saturday's game as Jones rested in the second half.
Sophomore running back
Jamal Petty had a career day as he rushed for 171 yards on 17 carries and also scored a touchdown. Petty broke his career-high in rushing yards that he previously set last season at UVa.-Wise with 125.
Sophomore wide receiver
TJ Smith scored his first two touchdowns of the season, both in the first half as he caught passing scores of 39 and 10 yards. Smith finished the game with four catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Also scoring his first two career CU touchdowns on the afternoon was junior wide receiver
Javares McRoy. However, both of McRoy's scores came on the ground as he had a 10-yard score in the first half and a third-quarter touchdown of nine yards.
Meanwhile, junior quarterback
Brian Novak surpassed two career milestones by completing his 400
th career pass on his first completion of the game. Novak also went over 6,000 yards passing in his career on Smith's first touchdown reception.
For the game, Novak finished 11-for-16 with 226 yards and three touchdowns.
The Mountain Lions scored four times in the first quarter as Jones found pay dirt twice while Smith and McRoy each scored once. Three more touchdowns in the second quarter, one each by Jones, Petty and Smith, stretched the CU lead to 49-0 before the Bobcats added a late field goal before halftime.
Senior kicker
Andy Ellington connected on a 32-yard field goal to start the second half and McRoy concluded the CU scoring with a rushing touchdown with 1:22 left in the third.
Defensively, Concord forced three turnovers as junior defensive back
Akil Bordelon and senior linebacker
Brandon Martinez each intercepted their second passes of the season. Meanwhile, senior linebacker
Austin Dotson's jarring hit in the first half caused a WVWC fumble as junior linebacker
Davon McGill recovered the loose ball.
McGill led the Mountain Lions in tackles with seven while redshirt freshman linebacker
Zach Malone posted a career-high six tackles to go along with his first career sack.
The Concord special teams came up with a blocked punt as senior wide receiver
Ryan Stewart busted through the protection to allow senior linebacker
Cade Rogers to catch the block by Stewart.
The Mountain Lions used the blocked punt led to Smith's second touchdown of the day, and CU scored on two of three West Virginia Wesleyan turnovers.
CU plays in its first week night game since 2010 when it travels to Charleston 7:00 p.m. Thursday.
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