ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University football team was unable to keep pace with West Virginia State in the middle quarters on Saturday afternoon in a Mountain East Conference game at Callaghan Stadium as it fell 47-27.
After a three-and-out to start the game, the Mountain Lions (0-3, 0-2 MEC) put together back-to-back scoring drives, racing out to a 13-3 advantage.
The first score of the day was a quick three-play, 48-yard drive as sixth-year wide receiver
Kris Copeland caught a pass for 32 yards and two plays later was in the end zone on a 17-yard fade route.
WVSU (2-1, 2-0 MEC) answered with a field goal at the 5:59 mark of the first quarter, but CU's offense went right back to work. After two moderate gains pushed the Mountain Lions to their own 43-yard line, senior quarterback
Jack Mangel hit Copeland in stride at the West Virginia State 20-yard line, and Copeland went the rest of the way for the 57-yard touchdown with 4:33 left in the opening period.
But, the Yellow Jackets scored 23 unanswered points in the final 20 minutes of the first half to take a 26-13 lead into intermission.
The first two CU drives of the second half stalled out, and West Virginia State tacked on a touchdown at the seven-minute mark of the third quarter to go up 33-13. WVSU grew the lead to 40-13 at the end of the third quarter.
Mangel and the offense did open the fourth quarter with a 60-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard pass to junior
Jordyn Bentley to cut the lead to 40-20 with 13:04 remaining. The Mountain Lions were able to recover the ensuing onside kick, but a turnover two plays later thwarted the momentum.
Each team added a late score as senior quarterback
Blayne Ferguson's four-yard scramble accounted for the CU touchdown with 57 seconds remaining.
Copeland reeled in 12 catches for 170 yards as he set career highs in both to go with his two touchdowns. Mangel completed 23 passes over 35 attempts, throwing for 278 yards and three touchdowns.
In his offensive debut, Bentley finished with five receptions for 64 yards.
Junior defensive back
Mekhi Williams became the first Concord player with a double-digit tackle game this season as he registered 11 stops, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Freshman defensive back
Kendall Bournes threw in nine tackles, and junior linebacker
Jamari Smith went for eight tackles and a tackle for loss.
The Mountain Lions head to Wheeling for a 12:00 p.m. kickoff September 23. Â
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