INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State University controlled the line of scrimmage and delivered another explosive offensive showing in a 52–28 win over Glenville State on Saturday afternoon at Lakin-Ray Field at Dickerson Stadium. The Yellow Jackets (5–4, 4–2 MEC) never trailed and pushed their win streak over the Pioneers in Institute to more than a decade, having last dropped a home contest to Glenville State in 2013.
WVSU rolled up 513 total yards, including 289 on the ground, and converted 10-of-15 third downs while holding the ball for over 35 minutes. Quarterback
Kaleb Jackson led the way through the air, going 16-for-24 for 224 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by a 57-yard strike to
Amare Ary in the third quarter. Ary finished with 74 yards on three catches, maintaining his spot as the MEC's leading receiver.
Malik Baker II, the No. 2 receiver in the conference, also hauled in a touchdown — a highlight-reel play in the back corner of the end zone that was first ruled incomplete, then overturned to a touchdown after review, as Baker secured the ball and a defender knocked it loose after the fact.
Freshman quarterback
Joe Dailey rushed for two scores,
Devin Cox and
Jojo Restall each added rushing touchdowns, and
Tony Hornbuckle drilled a 38-yard field goal while going 7-for-7 on PATs. Defensively, the Yellow Jackets recorded four sacks, broke up 10 passes, and sealed the win when Keenan Libecca jumped a route at the GSU 34 and returned it for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
WVSU marched 75 yards on its opening possession and finished the drive with a three-yard touchdown run by
Joe Dailey out of the shotgun at the 7:15 mark to take a 7–0 lead. Glenville State answered immediately, scoring on its first offensive snap with a 75-yard touchdown pass to tie the game just eight seconds later. The Yellow Jackets responded in explosive fashion of their own when
Kaleb Jackson hit
Amare Ary on a short crossing route that Ary turned into a 57-yard touchdown, putting State back in front 14–7 with 5:46 left in the first quarter.
The second quarter remained scoreless as both defenses tightened. West Virginia State controlled possession and mounted another long march before the half, driving 12 plays for 74 yards to the Glenville State 1-yard line. On the final snap of the quarter,
Joe Dailey attempted an end-around to the right side, but the Pioneers stopped him short, and WVSU took a 14–7 lead into halftime.
West Virginia State broke the game open in the third quarter, scoring three times in less than six minutes.
Devin Cox started the surge with a 45-yard touchdown run at the 12:22 mark to push the lead to 21–7. On the next scoring drive,
Kaleb Jackson hit
Malik Baker II for a 32-yard touchdown in the front left corner of the end zone, a play originally ruled incomplete before being overturned to a touchdown after an official's conference, extending the margin to 28–7 with 6:48 remaining. Just 42 seconds later, the Jackets struck again when Keenan Libecca intercepted a pass at the Glenville 34-yard line and returned it for a touchdown, making it 35–7 at 6:06. Glenville State answered with a 3-yard rushing touchdown at 3:21, then added a 32-yard touchdown pass with 1:16 left in the quarter, cutting the deficit to 35–21 heading into the fourth.
West Virginia State extended its lead early in the fourth when
Jojo Restall broke a 41-yard run to the Glenville 22, then finished the drive on the next play with a 22-yard touchdown run, pushing the margin to 42–21. Glenville State responded with a methodical 11-play drive starting from its own 22-yard line, taking just under four minutes and capping it with a short touchdown pass to bring the score to 42–28. The Yellow Jackets answered with a 38-yard field goal by
Tony Hornbuckle, and later sealed the win when
Joe Dailey powered in a one-yard touchdown run, closing out the 52–28 victory.
West Virginia State travels to Frostburg State on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. The Yellow Jackets return home the following week to close the regular season.
