ATHENS, W.Va. — Kaleb Jackson threw three touchdown passes, and West Virginia State shut out Concord in the second half to pull off a 28-21 comeback win on the road Saturday afternoon at Callaghan Stadium.

The Yellow Jackets (4-2, 3-1 MEC) found themselves trailing by a touchdown midway through the second quarter but responded with 14 unanswered points after the break and a defensive stand that changed the tone of the game. Jackson finished with three scoring tosses, two of them to senior receiver Malik Baker II, while Tony Hornbuckle hit a pair of field goals and Nesean Hill added a two-point conversion rush early in the fourth quarter.

WVSU struck first on its opening possession of the afternoon. Jackson hit Amare Ary on a 30-yard touchdown to give the Yellow Jackets a quick 7-0 lead, but Concord answered with a 95-yard scoring strike from Tyler Mizzell to Damani Burrell just over a minute later. Jackson then led a 7-play, 75-yard response that ended with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Baker, putting State back in front 14-7 late in the first quarter.

Concord took control in the second. The Mountain Lions opened the quarter with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Mizzell to Headley Isnadin, then capitalized on a short field to take a 21-14 lead on a 6-yard toss to Rodney Mike with 6:02 remaining. WVSU chipped away at the deficit with a 27-yard Hornbuckle field goal late in the half, and Demarcus Daniels ended the second quarter with a blocked 39-yard field goal to keep it a four-point game heading into the break.

After giving up 21 points and allowing Concord to convert six of seven third downs in the opening half, the Yellow Jacket defense delivered a dominating response after the break. The Mountain Lions were held scoreless in the second half and converted none of their three third-down attempts. On Concord's opening drive of the third quarter, they marched inside the five-yard line but were turned away on four straight plays. On fourth-and-goal from the WVSU 2, linebacker Mike Wilson rushed untouched off the right edge and leveled Maurice Jones just as he took the handoff, dropping him for a three-yard loss and flipping momentum firmly in State's direction. The next three Concord possessions ended with a punt, an interception, and a fumble, as the Yellow Jackets repeatedly came up with stops to preserve the lead.

Hornbuckle's 40-yard field goal midway through the third quarter brought State within one, and the Yellow Jackets took the lead for good on their next possession — a grinding 12-play, 95-yard drive that chewed 6:21 off the clock and bridged the third and fourth quarters. Jackson capped the march with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Baker II, threading a ball into tight coverage in the right corner of the end zone. On the ensuing two-point attempt, Nesean Hill took a direct snap and barreled through the middle for the conversion to give State a 28-21 advantage. From there, the defense continued to hold firm. Concord's final threat ended at the 2:25 mark of the fourth quarter, when Mizzell scrambled into WVSU territory and was stripped at the 41-yard line. Greg Deloach recovered the loose ball to effectively seal the win.

West Virginia State finished with 401 yards of total offense, running 74 plays and controlling the ball for more than 36 minutes. The Yellow Jackets rushed for 241 yards on 50 attempts and added 160 yards through the air on 10-of-24 passing. Jackson threw all three touchdown passes and overcame one interception, while the offense converted 5-of-16 third downs and a perfect 3-of-3 on fourth. WVSU went 3-for-3 in the red zone, and the special teams unit delivered a clean performance with two field goals, three extra points (including Hill's rushing conversion), and a blocked field goal to close the first half. The defense contributed one interception, one fumble recovery, and held the Mountain Lions scoreless after halftime to secure the win.

Kaleb Jackson completed 10 of 24 passes for 160 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, while also rushing 10 times for 50 yards to lead the WVSU offense. Junior running back Nesean Hill paced the ground game with 105 yards on 18 carries and added a critical two-point conversion rush in the fourth quarter. On defense, senior linebacker Marshawn Mankins recorded 10 total tackles, and senior lineman Mike Wilson added eight stops, including a pivotal tackle for loss on fourth-and-goal.

The victory marked WVSU's fifth straight win in Athens and extended the program's winning streak in the series to 10 consecutive games, dating back to 2016.

West Virginia State returns home next Saturday, Oct. 18 to take on Wheeling. Kickoff is set for noon at Lakin-Ray Field at Dickerson Stadium.