ATHENS, W.Va. – Despite two defensive touchdowns, the Concord University football team dropped a tight 23-18 decision to West Virginia Wesleyan Thursday night in front of a packed Callaghan Stadium in Mountain East Conference action.
The Mountain Lions (0-1, 0-1 MEC) started fast as redshirt freshman defensive back
Jonathan Roebuck, who was making his first collegiate start, snatched a batted ball from Wesleyan (1-0, 1-0 MEC) quarterback Ryan Deal and ran it back 30 yards for the first score of the game at the 10:51 mark of the first quarter.
WVWC responded later in the first period as they used 7:07 off the clock and converted a short field goal to trim the CU lead in half. It was the first three of 20 unanswered points to finish the first half for the Bobcats as the Mountain Lions faced a 20-6 intermission deficit.
Even though the Concord defense allowed over 300 yards to the Bobcats in the first 30 minutes of the contest, CU took advantage of another offensive miscue from WVWC in the third quarter. After a completed pass to Kenny Lewis deep in Wesleyan territory, the WVWC receiver lost the ball. Senior defensive back
Jeremiah Johnson swooped in from the secondary and ran the loose ball to the end zone for a 25-yard fumble return, cutting the Concord deficit to 20-12 with 8:44 remaining in the third.
The Bobcats opened the fourth quarter with the ball and drained two additional minutes off the clock and added a third Tyler Fischer field goal to expand the lead 23-12.
However, the Mountain Lions would not be deterred as they marched 69 yards in 13 plays that ended with the first career CU touchdown, a two-yard run, for junior quarterback
Jake Gibson.
Wesleyan burned over four minutes off the fourth-quarter clock before Concord's defense stopped the drive at midfield. CU took over possession with just two minutes left in the game, but was unable to put a serious threat together in the final minutes of the contest.
Concord's defense allowed just 98 yards of offense in the second half, but Wesleyan outgained CU 454-216 for the game.
Roebuck tallied a second interception in the game and also broke up an additional pass. Not only did Johnson run a fumble back for a touchdown, but the three-time all-conference player also chased down Wesleyan's Devin Montgomery after a 63-yard run and stripped him of the ball in the first half.
Johnson finished with six tackles in the game.
Junior linebacker
Zach Malone led all Mountain Lions with 11 stops on the night while freshman linebacker
Kendall Byrd racked up seven tackles.
Offensively, Gibson finished 13-for-22 with 106 yards through the air to go along with the rushing touchdown.
Sophomore wide receiver
Camari Murray tallied 109 all-purpose yards as both a receiver and returner.
Montgomery finished the night with 238 yards on the ground. Harry Lewis tallied eight total tackles and three sacks for the Bobcats.
The Mountain Lions take to the road for another Thursday night game at Charleston 7:00 p.m. September 7.
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