INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University football team played for a share of the Mountain East Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon at Lakin Field. This was the first time that WVSU played for a regular season title since joining the league in 2013. The Yellow Jackets challenged No. 15 Notre Dame (Ohio) for four quarters, but were ultimately defeated by the Flacons, 31-14.

"I'm disappointed in today's result because we missed some opportunities to take control of the game," stated Head Coach John Pennington following the game. "However, I'm incredibly proud of our seniors and the legacy they've created over the past three years. The support that we have received from the Yellow Jacket Nation has been overwhelming and I promise that we will work harder than ever to get back into this position and, next time, we'll take advantage of it!"

The seniors that were honored prior to the game included: Tevon Littleton, AJ Barrette, Jake Harms, Austin Hensley, Isiah Scott, Tyler Brown, Zach Pate, Kyle Alexander, Cameron Spencer, Nick Ebanks, Devon Bradshaw, Chase Henderson, Anthony Casillas, Kenan Johnson, and Judah Tutt.

West Virginia State (7-4, 7-3 MEC) finished the 2019 season in a four-way tie for second place in the league standings. Meanwhile, Notre Dame (10-1, 9-1 MEC) earned another outright conference title with the win.

Freshman quarterback Donovan Riddick filled in as the starter with Hensley sidelined for the past two weeks. Riddick completed 19 of his 32 pass attempts (59 percent) for 201 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. He also led the Yellow Jackets in rushing with nine carries for 56 yards (6.2 yards per rush). Scott was on the end of his one passing touchdown, while junior fullback Dant'e Jones rushed for West Virginia State's other score.

On defense, junior defensive tackle Kendell Robinson recorded a game-high 11 tackles (seven solo/four assisted), including two tackles-for-loss. Fellow junior Dustin Crouser was close behind with 10 tackles (seven solo/three assisted), including one TFL.

The Falcons deployed the leading rusher in all of NCAA Division II, Jaleel McLaughlin, early on. He ran for two touchdowns, one from 25-yards out and the other in a goal line situation, to put NDC up 14-0 at the conclusion of the first quarter.

In the opening moments of the second quarter, Notre Dame connected on a 50-yard bomb to make the deficit grow even further, 21-0. West Virginia State responded on the very next possession with a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with Riddick finding Scott open for a 17-yard touchdown (21-7).

The WVSU defense held its own for the remainder of the first half by holding the Falcons to a 41-yard field goal with seconds left until halftime (24-7).

The third quarter was won by West Virginia State, 7-0. Riddick passed for 25 yards and broke off a 36-yard run to get Dant'e Jones inside the 10-yard line where he specializes. Jones punched the pigskin into the end zone in two attempts to cut the deficit to 10 points, 24-14.

The Yellow Jackets went into the fourth and final quarter with a real chance to upset No. 15 Notre Dame. Unfortunately, the Falcons were able to put together one final scoring drive that lasted over six minutes. They went ahead, 31-14, with another McLaughlin rushing touchdown and gave the ball back to WVSU with less than two minutes left in the game. The Yellow Jackets wrapped up the 2019 season with the ball in their possession.

While the 2019 season didn't finish with the fairy tale ending that many players, coaches, and fans wished for, there was still an unquestionable feeling of pride left lingering from a remarkable journey.

The Yellow Jackets were undefeated in the MEC through five games in one of the best starts to a season in program history.

Then, hearts dropped when Urbana scored late to hand West Virginia State its first in-conference loss of the season.

The Yellow Jackets responded by beating West Virginia Wesleyan in dramatic fashion and earning a spot in the national playoffs when the regional rankings were released the following week.

In the first nationally and locally televised football game at West Virginia State University, the Yellow Jackets were bested by their rivals in gut-wrenching fashion.

They didn't hang up their cleats just yet, though, and shutout Wheeling in the penultimate week of the season. Across the league, Glenville State shocked the nation by upsetting Notre Dame in overtime.

For the final game of the 2019 season, West Virginia State played for a share of the Mountain East Conference title after being ranked in the Top 10 in Super Region One for the past three weeks.

Despite falling to one of the best football teams in the country, West Virginia State accomplished a seven-win, in-conference record for the first time in school history.

For three years in a row now, West Virginia State football has been a winning program at the end of the season. West Virginia State can hold its head high for another year and look forward to competing for more championships in the future.