INSTITUTE, W.Va. – West Virginia State University (2-1) surged past West Liberty University (0-4) on Saturday evening, winning 57-37 at Lakin-Ray Field at Dickerson Stadium. The Yellow Jackets forced five turnovers, including three interceptions, one of which was a pick-six, and a pair of fumble recoveries.

For West Virginia State, quarterback Isaiah Bess led the way, completing 18 of 25 passes for 319 yards and 4 touchdowns with his longest completion going for 40 yards. Amare Ary was his top target, catching 5 passes for 115 yards, including a 40-yard reception and a touchdown. Joel Felder also made significant contributions both on the ground and in the air, rushing for 102 yards on 16 carries, with his longest run being 32 yards. He added 3 receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. Adrien Mosley also stepped up with 2 catches for 20 yards, including a touchdown. Defensively, Jaylen Geter was a standout with 6 solo tackles, 1 sack for 20 yards, and 2 forced fumbles, while Tim Sanford II added 3 tackles, 1 interception returned for 55 yards, and a fumble recovery returned for 21 yards.

For West Liberty, wide receiver Ben Turner delivered an impressive performance, hauling in 8 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown, including a 65-yard reception. Turner also contributed with 23 rushing yards on two carries. Quarterback Levi Guillion completed 14 of 23 passes for 266 yards and 1 touchdown, with his longest throw reaching 65 yards. On the ground, Ti'Lan McGee added 40 rushing yards on 9 carries, including a touchdown. Defensively, Nolan Shimp led the charge with 5 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and 1 tackle for loss, while Chris Harm recorded 2 tackles.

In the first quarter, West Virginia State received the opening kickoff after West Liberty deferred. WVSU's offense quickly moved down the field with a 13-yard rush by quarterback Isaiah Bess and a 40-yard pass to Amare Ary. The drive stalled near the West Liberty 34-yard line after a couple of short gains, a fumble recovery, and a missed 51-yard field goal attempt by Brennen Schmitt.

West Liberty responded with a solid drive, highlighted by a 21-yard rush from Ben Turner and a 22-yard pass from Trevor Lagarde to Will Balgo. However, Lagarde's pass was intercepted by Nick Blake of WVSU at the 3-yard line, halting West Liberty's momentum.

WVSU regained possession deep in their own territory, but a fumble by Justin Pessoa at the 2-yard line gave West Liberty an opportunity. Lagarde then scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. However, the extra point was blocked by Dwight Fialor, leaving the score at 6-0 in favor of West Liberty.

West Virginia State answered with a strong drive, capped off by a 9-yard touchdown run from Amare Ary, and Brennen Schmitt's extra point gave WVSU a 7-6 lead at the end of the quarter.

The second quarter was where WVSU truly asserted their dominance, scoring 23 unanswered points. It began with quarterback Isaiah Bess connecting on a 36-yard touchdown pass to Joel Felder just over a minute into the quarter. Felder found a seam in the defense, and Bess placed a perfect pass down the sideline to put the Yellow Jackets up 14-6 after the extra point.

WVSU's defense followed that up by forcing a quick three-and-out, which set up a 23-yard field goal from Schmitt with 10:59 left in the half, extending the lead to 17-6.

The game's biggest momentum swing came less than three minutes later. Linebacker Tim Sanford II intercepted a pass from Lagarde and sprinted 55 yards untouched for a touchdown. The pick-six, paired with Schmitt's extra point, made it 24-6 with 8:58 remaining. The defensive intensity continued as WVSU quickly regained possession after a Hilltoppers punt. On the ensuing drive, Bess fired a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nolan Johnson, pushing the score to 30-6.

West Liberty managed a 29-yard field goal from Tyler Waddell with six seconds until halftime but WVSU held a commanding 30-9 lead going into the locker room.

West Virginia State opened the second half strong, starting with Brennen Schmitt's kickoff that was returned by Marquez Hurst to the WLU 20. A personal foul on WVSU gave West Liberty better field position, setting up their drive at the 35-yard line. On the first play, West Liberty's Levi Guillion hit Ben Turner for a 65-yard touchdown pass just seconds into the quarter. The extra point was good, cutting WVSU's lead to 30-16 with 14:43 remaining.

WVSU responded with authority. After starting their drive at the 38-yard line, quarterback Isaiah Bess led the Yellow Jackets down the field, picking up several key completions. The drive culminated in a 30-yard touchdown pass to Marqus Ray at the 9:57 mark. Schmitt's extra point extended the lead to 37-16.

West Liberty's next possession was derailed by a sack and a fumble caused by Jaylen Geter, recovered by WVSU's Kameron Vargas at the WLU 10-yard line. The turnover set up another scoring opportunity for WVSU. Though the Yellow Jackets couldn't punch it in for a touchdown, Schmitt kicked a 23-yard field goal with 8:14 left in the quarter, widening the gap to 40-16.

On the ensuing drive, West Liberty struck back once more. Ben Turner, playing both rusher and quarterback in a flea-flicker trick play, connected with Vernon Settles for a 44-yard touchdown. After the extra point, the score stood at 40-23.

WVSU wasn't done for the quarter. After a 34-yard pass from Bess to Amare Ary, the Yellow Jackets continued their offensive pressure. Justin Pessoa's rushing efforts and a personal foul on West Liberty set up WVSU at the 9-yard line. Pessoa eventually ran it in from 7 yards out with just 54 seconds left in the third quarter. Schmitt's extra point pushed WVSU's lead to 47-23 at the end of the third.

West Liberty started the final quarter deep in WVSU territory at the 27-yard line but couldn't capitalize immediately. A short pass by Levi Guillion to Caleb Ratcliffe fell incomplete, followed by a 10-yard rush by AJ Barmer that brought West Liberty to the WVSU 17-yard line. On the next play, Guillion kept the ball and rushed 17 yards for a touchdown, cutting WVSU's lead to 47-30. Morgan Williamson's extra point was good, bringing West Liberty within 17 points with 14:02 remaining in the game.

WVSU's Nasean Hill returned the ensuing kickoff 6 yards to the WVSU 37-yard line, setting up the Yellow Jackets' next drive. After an incomplete pass, Joel Felder broke free for a 30-yard run to West Liberty's 33-yard line. A pass interference penalty on WLU moved the ball to the 18-yard line, but the drive stalled after a few short gains. Brennen Schmitt drilled a 36-yard field goal, pushing WVSU's lead to 50-30 with 11:27 left in the quarter.

West Liberty wasn't done, however. After returning the kickoff to their 10-yard line, they marched down the field with a series of completions from Guillion, including a 32-yard strike to Ben Turner. Despite a false start penalty, Guillion found Ti'Lan McGee for a 12-yard gain to the WVSU 6-yard line. McGee capped off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. Williamson's extra point brought the score to 50-37 with 8:00 remaining.

WVSU fielded the onside kick and began their drive at their own 38-yard line. Joel Felder once again sparked the offense with a 32-yard run, bringing the Yellow Jackets to West Liberty's 34-yard line. A few plays later, Isaiah Bess found Adrien Mosley for a 19-yard touchdown pass, sealing the game with 4:43 left. Schmitt's extra point extended the lead to 57-37.

West Liberty attempted to drive late in the game, but Kameron Vargas broke up a pass and WVSU forced a punt. The Yellow Jackets ran out the clock, with a series of runs by Caleb Jantuah and Tavis McAdoo. The game ended with WVSU on top, 57-37.

The final game of WVSU's three-game homestand will be Saturday, Sept. 28 against West Virginia Wesleyan. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.