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The West Virginia State Yellow Jackets were narrowly defeated by Division I opponent Morehead State 37-35. The game, broadcasted on ESPN+, was a classic back-and-forth battle that will be talked about for years to come.
The game started on a positive note for the Yellow Jackets, with Nicholas Fannin intercepting a pass thrown by Morehead quarterback Carter Cravens on third down to put a halt to the Eagles' first offensive drive of the game. Although WVSU received a good field position, they were unable to capitalize on the turnover.
Morehead State then got the ball back and put together an 8-play, 67-yard drive that led to a 38-yard pass thrown by Cravens and caught by receiver Chance Harris for the first score of the game. Morehead State led 7-0. However, WVSU quickly responded with a 71-yard touchdown run by running back Joel Felder to tie the game at 7-7.
The Eagles took back the lead with an impressive 49-yard drive, capping it off with a successful 24-yard field goal. The defense of WVSU held up in a first-and-goal situation on the eight-yard line. They made three consecutive stops, forcing Morehead State to settle for a field goal attempt. Morehead State led 10-7.
Morehead State scored again to start the second quarter after a 13-play, 73-yard drive. Cravens found his receiver for a 14-yard touchdown pass on a crossing route that put the Eagles up 17-7. Later on, Morehead State's defense forced a three-and-out that led to a blocked punt that they recovered. It then set up another scoring drive as Cravens threw a nine-yard touchdown pass that put the Eagles up 24-7 with 6:54 left in the half.
West Virginia State would not quit. Yellow Jackets quarterback Donovan Riddick made a stellar connection with wide receiver Javion Monroe, resulting in an impressive 27-yard gain that brought WVSU to midfield. Then Riddick found Felder for a 24-yard touchdown that cut the Morehead State lead to 24-14. Yellow Jackets defensive back Jy Martin then intercepted Cravens to stall the Eagle's offense to close out the first half.
WVSU came out of the second half determined to make a comeback and secure the upset. They immediately scored to start the second half with running back Joe Jones capping the drive off with a nine-yard touchdown reception in the redzone. The score was 24-21. Morehead then scored again on a six-yard rush to go up 31-21. West Virginia State then made up for a costly turnover that stalled their offense when Christian Thompson forced a fumble that resulted in a recovery by Nick Blake that turned into a scoop-and-score. The score cut Morehead's lead to 31-28 heading into the fourth quarter.
At around the nine-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Eagles made their move. Cravens threw a 35-yard pass completion on first down, putting the Eagles in WVSU territory. Caleb Ramseur scored Morehead State's last touchdown of the night on a 10-yard run. The score was 37-28.
The Yellow Jackets responded with an 8-play, 75-yard offensive drive that ended in a 37-yard pass completion thrown by Riddick to Javion Monroe for a touchdown. The score was then 37-35 with 6:17 remaining in the game.
Morehead State was able to hold onto the ball for an 11-play, 46-yard drive that allowed them to run out the clock and end the game, narrowly escaping an upset. The WVSU ended the game with 457 total offensive yards behind the stellar quarterback play of Donova Riddick. Riddick threw for 288 yards and completed 25 of his 32 passes for 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He battled well against Morehead's Carter Cravens, who finished the game throwing for 236 yards and 3 touchdowns and completing 21 of his 32 passes with two interceptions.
Despite the loss, West Virginia State looks to bring this same level of offensive firepower to their matchup against UNC-Pembroke on Saturday, September 9th.
