ATHENS, W.Va. – Senior quarterback
Kyle Akin threw the game-winning touchdown to freshman wide receiver
Caeleb Bass with 1:01 left in the fourth quarter as the Concord University football team earned its first win of the season with a 28-24 triumph over West Virginia Wesleyan in Mountain East Conference action Saturday afternoon.
Despite being outgained in the contest, 503-245, the Mountain Lions (1-8, 1-7 MEC) erased a late deficit on their way to the win. Trailing 24-21 with 6:48 left in the fourth quarter, Concord received the ball after a Wesleyan (1-8, 1-7 MEC) go-ahead touchdown. Akin took the Mountain Lions 12 plays and 75 yards before connecting with Bass for the score. While only two plays on the drive went for more than seven yards, the key play in the possession was Akin finding junior wide receiver
Tywan Pearce for 23 yards on third-and-nine to move the stick to the Wesleyan 19-yard line.
Down three with a minute left, Wesleyan quarterback Jarret Northrop drove his offense inside the red zone but his pass over the middle of the goal line was swatted away by junior linebacker
Tylen Fowler as time expired.
Not only was Pearce instrumental in setting up the eventual game-winning touchdown, the North Kissimmee, Florida native's 82-yard kickoff return in the third quarter put CU at the 13-yard line before sophomore running back
Joshua Maxwell punched in his second touchdown to put Concord up 21-17 with eight minutes left in the third period.
Though the Bobcats more than doubled Concord's offensive output, WVWC had 18 penalties for nearly 150 yards—146—to CU's seven penalties for 64 yards. Another key factor in the Mountain Lions' win was forcing four turnovers while giving the ball away just once themselves—a muffed punt to assist Wesleyan's final touchdown.
Senior defensive lineman
Ryan Gatrell pounced on two fumbles with the second coming two plays in the third quarter that set up Akin's 16-yard rushing touchdown to give CU a 14-10 lead after trailing by three at halftime.
Junior defensive back
Imani Moore recovered his fourth fumble of the season in the early stages of the fourth quarter while senior defensive back
Ke'Shawn Hall intercepted his second pass of the season to stall out a first-half possession for the Bobcats.
Fowler finished the game with a career-best 12 tackles and two pass break-ups. Moore tallied nine tackles, a tackle for loss and the fumble recovery.
Offensively, Akin threw for 133 yards and rushed for another 62 to go with two total touchdowns. Pearce hauled in a team-best seven receptions for 64 yards.
CU has a short week as it visits Charleston 7:00 p.m. Thursday.
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