INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University football team suffered its first Mountain East Conference (MEC) defeat by a score of 35-31 versus Urbana on Saturday afternoon. A fourth quarter shootout between two of the league's top quarterbacks ultimately decided the game.
West Virginia State (5-2, 5-1 MEC) falls to third place in the league standings after the loss. Undefeated Notre Dame (Ohio) holds on to first place, while Frostburg State (6-1, 6-1 MEC) sits in second with one more conference game in hand. Urbana (5-2, 5-2 MEC) stays on the heels of WVSU in fourth place following the win.
Senior quarterback Austin Hensley had a stellar game despite the disappointing defeat. He went 20-of-34 passing (58.8 percent) for 380 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. His QB Rating came out to 181.8 at the conclusion of the contest.
Senior wide receivers Isiah Scott and Zach Pate each tallied over 100-yards receiving. Scott's 149-yards was a season-high. He also reeled in two touchdowns. Pate scored once and led his team with seven receptions.
On the ground, freshman halfback Taylor Carter rushed for over 100-yards for the first time in his career and averaged 7.2 yards per carry.
Defensively, junior linebacker Dustin Crouser made his presence known around the league like he does every week. He led all players with a career-best 17 total tackles, including five solo tackles. Senior defensive end Jake Harms also had the best game of his career with five solo tackles and four assisted tackles.
The first quarter was a stalemate between the two teams with neither one being able to put points on the board.
Urbana carried over a drive from the first quarter to light up the scoreboard for the first time in the game. The Blue Knights finished off the nine-play, 80-yard drive with a 30-yard pass completion for a touchdown. The score put them up 7-0 less than a minute into the second quarter.
WVSU answered right back with a nine-play, 84-yard drive that ended with Pate wide open in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard score. The A-to-Z connection left the game tied at 7-7 with 9:26 remaining in the first half.
The final touchdown of the first half was scored by West Virginia State after the offense took over possession with just under three minutes on the clock. Following a series of short-yardage plays, Hensley caught the secondary napping and found Scott on a seam route for a 34-yard passing touchdown. The Yellow Jackets subsequently went into halftime with a 14-7 lead.
The Blue Knights benefited from the game's only turnover by recovering a fumble near midfield. They rushed six times in a row to get over the line and tie the contest at 14-14. A missed field goal from 33-yards out towards the end of the third quarter left the score deadlocked going into the fourth quarter.
Both offenses suddenly sprang to life in the final quarter. First, Urbana scored on a 50-yard pass completion (21-14). Next, kicker Martin Ahlstroem converted a short field goal after a drive stalled out in the red zone (21-17). Then, Urbana jumped ahead with another long pass completion for a touchdown (28-17).
The Yellow Jackets got the ball back with 4:11 left in the game. They needed to score quickly to chip away at the 11-point deficit and did just that. Two long pass completions set up a 2-yard touchdown rush by junior fullback Dant'e Jones. A failed two-point try left West Virginia State down by five, 28-23, with three minutes remaining in the game.
The WVSU defense came up huge on the next possession and stopped UU on fourth down. After keeping the Blue Knights from picking up a single first down on the drive, the WVSU offense took over with just under two minutes left in the contest.
On the third play of the ensuing drive, Hensley dropped a dime in behind a defensive back which Scott grabbed and ran the rest of the way for a 44-yard score. A successful two-point conversion gave the Yellow Jackets a 31-28 advantage with one-minute remaining.
Urbana did what West Virginia State has done to teams all season and scored within 30-seconds. The Yellow Jackets could not reply in the 23-seconds given for their last possession.
Both teams accounted for approximately 500-yards of offense. Urbana was only penalized five times, compared to 11 penalties committed by West Virginia State.
Head Coach John Pennington took responsibility for the tough loss and walked away with a positive outlook:
"I'm proud of the way our team battled and fought for four quarters today. I love our grit, toughness, and how no one points any fingers...even after a tough loss. But we have to play better if we want to win and that starts with me. I have to do a better job getting this team to start faster and commit less penalties. We all need to learn from our mistakes and make improvements over the next few weeks so we can finish strong."
The Yellow Jackets travel to West Virginia Wesleyan next for another MEC showdown on Saturday, Oct. 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
