Athens, WV -- It has been a tough two weeks for West Virginia Wesleyan Football. On one hand, the Bobcats offense has been terrific in moving the football down the field, and on the other, the defense has been gashed in late game-deciding drives by opponents. This Saturday, it was Concord who orchestrated the game-winning drive. QB Kyle Akin connected with WR Caeleb Bass in the endzone with one minute left on the clock to seal a 28-24 victory for the Mountain Lions. 

With Saturday's result, both teams now sit at 1-8 in 2019, with 1-7 records in the Mountain East Conference.

Fast-forwarding to the fourth quarter, Wesleyan grabbed a 24-21 lead when Redshirt Freshman RB Kord Jenkins scampered 40 yards and found the endzone. It was Jenkins' second touchdown of the day, as he ran it in from eighteen yards out earlier in the second half. What followed Jenkins' go-ahead run was a sight all too familiar to the Bobcats and Coach Testa. Concord's QB Kyle Akin was able to march his offense down the field on a twelve-play drive that culminated in a seventeen yard strike to Bass, who made a great over-the-defender catch to take the lead with a minute remaining. Despite giving up significant yardage on Wesleyan's final drive, the Concord defense made the big play when it was needed, and broke up Jarrett Northrop's pass to the endzone with one second left. 

Despite the defeat, the Wesleyan offense was again in great form moving the ball, picking up 503 total yards. Redshirt Junior QB Jarrett Northrop set a career-high in passing yards for the second week in a row, this time collecting 382 yards through the air. There were even more career marks from the offense on Saturday; the aforementioned Jenkins got into the endzone twice for the first time, and Redshirt Freshman WR Devin Taylor reeled in ten catches for 113 yards, which are both career highs. Senior WR Derek Drapen was a threat all game as well, coming down with six catches for 88 yards. Senior DE Aman Speed Jr. should be mentioned for his defensive work on Saturday. He made it into the backfield on multiple occasions, grabbing three tackles for loss and a sack for a total of twelve yards. Junior DB Kobe Vinegar also recovered a Concord muffed punt at midfield that led to Jenkins' go-ahead touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

It is difficult to understand how the team that wins the yardage battle 503-245 loses the football game, but Wesleyan was defeated by their own turnovers and penalties. Three lost fumbles and eighteen penalties for a total of 146 yards are going to make it difficult to win a conference game on the road. The toughest part of a loss such as this is having to accept it, learn from it, and fix the mistakes in practice, rather than dwell on what should have happened. 

For Concord, the win was secured in their discipline and safety with the ball. They came into Saturday with the lowest offensive yard totals in the MEC, and this game is not going to change that rank. However, their offense did take advantage of mistakes from the other side, and turned them into scoring drives. The Mountain Lions QB Kyle Akin gained 62 yards on the ground to lead the team, in addition to his 133 passing yards. They ran an offense predicated on the run, but when they did throw it, WR Tywan Pearce was the main target. He collected seven catches for 64 yards, and Freshman WR Caeleb Bass caught the game-winning touchdown which was the first of his career.

The Bobcats need to put this one behind them, as they have another winnable game coming up on Saturday when they host West Liberty. The Hilltoppers were drubbed at home by Urbana on Thursday night, and will come in with a 3-5 record in the MEC. Kickoff is set for 1 PM from Cebe Ross Field in Buckhannon, more pre-game coverage will be released during the upcoming week.

Concord has the difficult task of traveling to take on Charleston next Saturday in the state capital. The Golden Eagles will be flying high after their big rivalry-game upset victory over West Virginia State on Saturday.