Football 10/1/2016 6:28:00 PM

Yellow Jackets Fall 39-37 to UVa-Wise on Last Second Field Goal

Box Score
By Christopher Wade
for www.wvsuyellowjackets.com

Sunny skies accompanied a packed Dickerson Stadium homecoming crowd of 3,811 to cheer on West Virginia State against UVA-Wise Saturday afternoon.

The Yellow Jackets' passing game was explosive accounting for one big play after another but a 28-yard field goal by Cavalier kicker Trent Martin with one second left helped the visitors escape with a 39-37 victory over WVSU.

"That is what you hope for, is a shot to win it at the end," State coach Jon Anderson said. "The guys did that even to the very end. We had an opportunity. The fight was very good on our team. That is what I told the guys after the game."

State quarterback Austin Hensley had a huge day for State as the former local standout at Hurricane had 494 yards passing with four touchdowns on 38-of-58 passing.

"He's a good one," said Anderson, of Hensley. "He was pretty cool when we needed him to be. He almost had 500 yards passing and delivered an impressive day."

A trio of Yellow Jacket wide receivers also had solid games with Tyrell Henderson catching nine passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns, A.J. Barrette had 166 yards on 11 receptions, and Quinton Gray caught 11 balls for 101 yards.

"We have guys that can march the ball right down the field," Anderson said. "You add Akil Washington to the mix and we have a pretty good foursome. It means our quarterback is going through his reads, and doing what he needs to do as a ball distributor."

Hensley orchestrated what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown for State with 25.7 seconds to play before UVA-Wise's heroics late in the last few seconds.

Trailing 36-31, Hensley marched the Yellow Jackets right down the field on a nine play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 10-yard touchdown pass to Washington with 25.7 seconds to play.

Defensively, State made several crucial stands that held UVA-Wise to either field goals or no points at all, giving the Yellow Jackets a chance at the end.

Trailing 13-10, the State defense had their backs against the wall with the Cavaliers at the one-yard line facing a first and goal, looking to extend their advantage to a two-score lead.

However, the Yellow Jackets stuffed UVA-Wise on four straight running plays, denying the Cavaliers any points at all and keeping it a one-score game.

Later in the third quarter with State leading 24-20, the Yellow Jackets faced a similar situation, with UVA-Wise facing a first and goal from the one-yard line, and once again, the defense rose up.

State forced two negative plays on consecutive rushes for the Cavaliers, and an incompletion on third down resulted in just three points for UVA-Wise on a 24-yard field goal.

"The defense kept us in the ball game with what they did earlier making them kick field goals," Anderson said. "Three is better than seven. It is huge and its a great mindset they have. No matter where the ball is at on the field, you have to make them snap it again."
State had three defensive players with at least 10 tackles with Dennis Gardeck leading the way with 12 followed by Mitch Rowell with 11 and Khave Konteh with 10.

On special teams, Herrera kicked a 20-yard field goal with 7:50 left in the second quarter, giving the Yellow Jackets a 10-0 lead at the time. The senior was a perfect five for five on his extra point attempts.

The Yellow Jackets travel to northern Ohio next for a 1 p.m. Saturday meeting with Notre Dame College.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#47 Dennis Gardeck: LB; 6' 0"; Junior

#11 Quinton Gray: WR; 5' 11"; Junior

#2 Tyrell Henderson: WR; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#28 Khave Konteh: DB; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#45 Mitch Rowell: LB; 5' 11"; Senior

#16 Akil Washington: WR; 6' 1"; Senior

#12 Austin Hensley: QB; 6' 1"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#47 Dennis Gardeck
: 6' 0"; Junior
: LB

#11 Quinton Gray
: 5' 11"; Junior
: WR

#2 Tyrell Henderson
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: WR

#28 Khave Konteh
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: DB

#45 Mitch Rowell
: 5' 11"; Senior
: LB

#16 Akil Washington
: 6' 1"; Senior
: WR

#12 Austin Hensley
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: QB