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West Virginia State University Athletics

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Fb22 Offense
29
Fairmont State FSU 0-3 , 0-2
34
Winner West Virginia State WVS 2-1 , 1-1
Fairmont State FSU
0-3 , 0-2
29
Final
34
West Virginia State WVS
2-1 , 1-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
FSU Fairmont State 6 14 3 6 29
WVS West Virginia State 7 7 13 7 34

Game Recap: Football | | James Garcia, Sports Information Director

West Virginia State perseveres to defeat Fairmont State, 34-29

INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University football team was victorious in a 34-29 shootout with Fairmont State on Saturday afternoon at Lakin-Ray Field at Dickerson Stadium. The Yellow Jackets clung to a narrow lead through one quarter, trailed by halftime, reversed their fortunes in the third stanza, and held on to win it in the fourth.

"This was a hard fought win today for our entire football program," exclaimed Head Coach John Pennington. "I asked this team at halftime to show me what they were made of and they showed me the toughness and teamwork that defines this program.

"I love how our team fought through being exhausted by the heat, but we have to play better to continue to win. I have to do a better job getting the team ready and we have to do a better job executing on the football field."

State improves to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the Mountain East Conference with the win. Meanwhile, Fairmont drops to 0-3 on the season and 0-2 in the MEC with the loss.

Junior running back Tavis McAdoo stole the show with a career-high 153 rushing yards on only seven carries to average an astounding 21.9 yards per rush. He broke off two long touchdown runs for 73 and 56 yards to create a ridiculous statline. Sophomore transfer running back Joel Felder also showcased his big play ability by taking a screen pass 51 yards to the house. He rushed 15 times for 94 yards (6.3 yards per carry) and caught three passes for 57 yards to total 151 yards of offense.

Senior quarterback Donovan Riddick completed 11-of-19 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for one touchdown to account for three scores on the day. Marshall transfer Jeremy Dillon came down with his first touchdown grab for the Yellow Jackets as one of the two touchdown strikes by Riddick on the day.

The numbers posted by the WVSU defense were not as impressive as the previous two weeks, but the Yellow Jackets still came up with huge stops in key moments of the game. Sophomore linebacker Jeremiah Covington-Griggs and freshman defensive back Jy Martin led the pack with seven tackles each. Covington-Griggs also made three tackles behind the line of scrimmage. State caused two turnovers in the contest with an interception and fumble recovery.

On West Virginia State's first offensive possession of the game, the Yellow Jackets were forced to punt on fourth-and-three on their first series of plays. However, a roughing the kicker penalty by the Falcons kept the drive alive. On the very next play, Tavis McAdoo found a crease and rushed 73 yards to paydirt to give WVSU an early lead, 7-0.

Fairmont then pieced together an 11-play, 60-yard drive on the following possession and broke into the red zone. The WVSU defense stood strong and forced the field goal unit onto the field with the ball at the 12 yard line. The field goal was good to put FSU on the scoreboard for the first time, 7-3.

The Falcons were able to tack on another field goal before the end of the first quarter. This time, a 45-yard punt return backed the WVSU defense up against its own 12 yard line. Again, the Yellow Jackets kept Fairmont out of the end zone to keep the lead, 7-6.

State increased its advantage at the beginning of the second quarter. Riddick found receiver Luke Gadson for a 47-yard connection on third-and-six to reach Fairmont's 12 yard line. Then on third-and-five, Riddick lobbed a pass to 6-5 wideout Jeremy Dillon who came down with it in the corner of the end zone, 14-6.

The Falcons answered immediately on the next drive with an 81-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to one point, 14-13. Then midway through the second stanza, Fairmont was given prime field position after a punt was muffed by WVSU. FSU eventually broke the plane with a three-yard run after starting the drive from State's 35 yard line, 20-14. The scoreline remained unchanged through halftime.

At the beginning of the second half, McAdoo found another crease in the defense and broke off a 56-yard touchdown run to tie the contest at 20-apiece. The point after attempt failed to keep the scoreline square.

The Falcons pieced together an 18-play, 70-yard drive on the ensuing possession that lasted nearly eight minutes. All that effort only resulted in three points because the WVSU defense stood them up inside the 10 yard line. After the field goal was converted, the Yellow Jackets trailed by three, 23-20.

State did not trail for long and marched 76 yards down the field on the following drive to go back in front. A defensive pass interference kept the drive alive on third-and-seven from Fairmont's 28 yard line. Riddick then ended up crossing the goal line on a 9-yard scamper, 27-23. WVSU held onto the lead through the third quarter and added to it at the start of the final period.

A designed screen play to running back Joel Felder was executed to perfection and allowed him to break free for a 51-yard score. The play proved to be critical as it resulted in the last points scored by State and gave WVSU an 11-point cushion, 34-23.

The Falcons were forced to punt on their first possession of the fourth quarter and got into field goal range on their second possession, but missed it wide. They were able to score a touchdown with an 11-yard completed pass on their third possession of the final stanza to shrink State's lead to five, 34-29. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful and left 3:11 on the clock.

The Yellow Jackets were forced to punt after their drive stalled out, giving FSU one last chance to march down the field. Christian Thompson did not allow that to happen as he snagged an interception with less than two minutes to go. Without any timeouts to burn, Riddick was able to kneel three times to run out the clock.

Both teams generated over 400 yards of offense. WVSU rushed for 275 yards after not breaking the 100-yard rushing mark in the first two games of the season. West Virginia State's offense complemented its defense for an all-around positive performance that bodes well for the rest of the 2022 campaign. 

The Yellow Jackets will remain in Institute for their next game against the Falcons of Notre Dame (Ohio) on Saturday, Sept. 24th. The MEC clash is scheduled for a noon kickoff.
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