It All Comes Down to One Game for Football Saturday - West Virginia State University Athletics

West Virginia State University Athletics

     Heartbreaking losses, thrilling victories, injuries, tears, laughter.

      For the West Virginia State football team, coaches, and fans the 2018 season all comes down to one last game this Saturday.

     Defeat visiting West Virginia Wesleyan and the Yellow Jackets have back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in a decade. They will have survived losing their starting quarterback in the season opener and seven more starters to injury as the season progressed.

     Finishing with a 6-5 record would be much more than a moral victory under those circumstances. It would be a character victory, a validation of the program and the direction it is headed.

    It would be big, in other words.

    Emotions will be running high not only because of the situation but because 11 Jackets will be playing their final games in a WVSU uniform.

    "The only real concern I have is that we get too emotional on Senior Day," Yellow Jacket Head Coach John Pennington said. "We just want to make sure our guys are locked in."

     His squad will be heavily favored as the Bobcats come into the game with a 1-9 record overall and 1-8 conference mark. Their only win was 27-26 over Charleston in a game played in Buckhannon.

     WVSU won last season's meeting 45-28 on the road.

    "We've got to execute," Pennington said. "That's what it comes down to."

      Wesleyan ranks near the bottom of the conference nearly all statistical categories with the exception of passing offense where the Bobcats are second with 237.6 yards per game and in kickoff returns where they lead the MEC with an average of 24 yards a return.

       Seniors Luke Casey and Matt Vinson split time behind center for West Virginia Wesleyan. Casey has completed 55.5 percent of his throws for 1,638 yards while Vinson has connected 53.8 percent of the time for 738 yards. Combined they have thrown 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

       The Bobcats' top receiver is 5-foot-10 freshman Jujuan Linzy who has 49 catches for 503 yards and six touchdowns. He is the main kick returner also. 5387

     Also of note Saturday sophomore running back Calil Wilkins can become the first Yellow Jacket to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Vince Powell finished with 1,066 in 1988.Wilkins comes into the game with 902.

      Senior Aaron Ball will be looking to add to his WVSU record 26 career field goals.

       If you cannot make it out to Dickerson Stadium you can follow the action right here.

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