Institute, W.Va. – West Virginia State University (1-1, 0-0 MEC) opened their season with a strong statement, defeating Barton College (0-2, 0-0 Conference Carolinas), 28-14 in their home opener at Lakin-Ray Field at Dickerson Stadium. From the opening drive to the final whistle, the Yellow Jackets combined explosive offense with a key defensive plays to take control and set the tone for the game.
WVSU totaled 282 yards of offense, with 182 yards on the ground and 100 through the air. Barton, meanwhile, managed 303 total yards—64 rushing and 239 passing—but struggled to convert key plays. The Yellow Jackets dominated third-down situations, converting 7 of 11 attempts, while holding Barton to just 3 of 9, vastly improving last week's 3 of 12 effort on third down. Time of possession also favored WVSU, 30:35 to 29:25.
The Jackets leaned heavily on the ground game, rushing 41 times for 182 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Their ability to sustain drives with consistent rushing paid off, keeping the Bulldogs' offense off the field and the clock in their favor.
Jojo Restall led the ground attack with 83 yards on 16 carries (5.1 yards per carry).
Justin Pessoa added 65 yards on 11 carries, including a 27-yard run and a touchdown.
Kaleb Jackson contributed 24 yards on seven attempts, while
Nasean Hill added 23 yards and a rushing score on six carries.
WVSU opened the scoring with Pessoa's touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead, a lead that they would never relinquish. The Bulldogs twice were within a touchdown, but each time Barton quarterback Trevor Nored threw a pick-six to a waiting Yellow Jacket defender, first to
Jacob Camacho just 19 seconds after the halftime break to make it 14-0. Nored then threw a pick-six again to
Kyeran Garcia in the first play after the 4th quarter two-minute timeout to put the game out of reach, 28-14.
West Virginia State will take a week off but then will look to continue their winning streak when they travel to face West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, at 1:00 PM at Cebe Ross Field.
