West Virginia Wesleyan rallied from a 38-24 fourth quarter deficit to clam a 45-44 victory over #14 Shepherd on Saturday afternoon at Ross Field. The Bobcats' John Maddox stuffed Tommy Addison's two-point attempt in overtime to seal the victory. The win was the Bobcats first over the Rams since 2003.
Adam Neugebauer completed 41 of a school record 66 passes for 412 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. Jon Meadows hauled in 13 passes for 149 yards. Zane Zebrasky changed field position with nine punts, three of which came from his own endzone, averaging 35.2 yards per. Zebrasky also completed a fake punt pass to Maddox on fourth down in the first half. Maddox led the way defensively with 12 tackles, including two for a loss.
Addison gained 153 yards on 30 carries with two scores. The Rams Bobby Cooper was 20-of-33 with 297 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. John Frick hauled in three passes for 98 yards and a pair of scores. Corey Washington racked up 11 tackles for the SU.
The Rams got on the board first when Michael Haynes sprinted in from 14 yards. Wesleyan answered with a Phillip Warner field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 after one quarter.
The Bobcats took their first lead when Neugebauer found Corey Williams in the corner of the endzone to make it 9-7. Addison broke through from 59 yards to put the Rams back in front 14-9. Neugebauer connected with Keith Dickens on the ensuing possession, and after a Ram penalty on the extra point, the 'Cats opted to go for two where Neugebauer found Stephen Campbell to make it 17-14 WVWC. Shepherd was forced to punt on their next opportunity and the Bobcats took advantage as Neugebauer connected with Williams with just seven seconds left to give WVWC a 24-14 lead at halftime.
The Rams got back in the game on the second possession of the second half as Addison jolted in to get SU within three at 24-21. The Ram defense forced a three and out, then Copper hooked up with a wide open John Frick for a 67 yard touchdown to put the Rams ahead 28-24. The Rams added another third quarter tally as Robert Byrd rushed in from 29 yards to give the Rams a 35-24 lead.
Shepherd forced a fumble and turned it into a field goal to get its advantage up to 38-24 with just over eight minutes to play. The Bobcats got a quick score when Neugebauer found Campbell from 10 yards out to cut the lead to 38-31. The Bobcat defense forced a three and out on the Rams' next possession. Neugebauer again found Campbell to tie the game at 38-38 and send the game into overtime.
The Bobcats opened the extra session with the ball and Neugebauer found Benners from 21 yards to give WVWC a 45-38 lead. Copper hooked up with Frick to get within one at 45-44. The Bobcats were flagged for roughing the kicker on the extra point which moved the ball the one yard-line. The Rams elected to take their chances and put the offense back on the field, but Addison's rush attempt for two was stuffed by Maddox.
The Bobcats host Fairmont State next Saturday at 1 p.m. for homecoming.
