Box Score

GLENVILLE, W.Va. - Three interceptions deep inside Glenville State territory thrawted the University of Charleston football team's effort to stay atop of the West Virginia Conference Standings as the Pioneers held on late for a 14-10 win.

UC (7-2) took their first possession of the game down the field with a meticulious running attack before stalling just outside of the endzone. Charleston made the decision to go for the touchdown on fourth-and-inches, but the GSU defense held tight to keep the scoreboard blank. The first effort of the game was as close as either team got to the endzone in the opening quarter.

Pioneer quarterback Justin Feagin, a former University of Michigan standout, put together an extended drive early in the second stanza that ate over five minutes of game clock. Feagin capped the 11 play drive with a dive into the endzone for a 7-0 advantage.

The University of Charleston answered with a quick strike score when Jordan Roberts (Madison, WV) broke loose for a 19-yard touchdown run. The drive lasted only five plays but gave new life to a UC offense that had shown no problem getting down the field, yet was struggling to find points at the end of drives.

A string of mishaps turned the tide just before halftime. Feagin corralled three-consecutive bad snaps that went high, low and all across the turf yet what seemed like an opportunity for the Golden Eagle defense actually turned into big gains for Glenville State. Feagin plucked the ball off the turf each time and scrambled on his own to gain chunks of positive yardage. Feagin capped the two minute drive with a light toss into the endzone to a waiting tight end with only 44 seconds left on the clock before half to make the score 14-7.

Both defenses came out of the locker room with a renewed attack as the Charleston defensive line found ways to contain Feagins as they were in the backfield for much of the second half, while Glenville State managed to bend and not break against the tough running push of UC.

Puma Nuredini (Naples, FL) finally put Charleston on the scoreboard for the second half with a 29-yard field goal to open the fourth quarter as the Golden Eagle offense easily moved between the 20 yard lines, but the struggles continued inside the red zone.

Charleston mounted back-to-back drives late in the fourth quarter after the Golden Eagle defense forced Glenville State turnovers in their own territory. Despite a strong push by Roberts and crew on offense UC came up short in the end as the final comeback attempt was ended by an interception, the third of the day, just outside of the GSU endzone as the visitors slipped away with the 14-10 win.

Roberts led UC offensively with 142 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while John Knox (Salisbury, NC) tossed for 163 yard but was unable to overcome three interceptions.

On the defensive side Jeff Green (Johnson City, TN) paced Charleston with 13 tackles with a sack. Rockford Stone (Charlotte, NC) made an impact in the middle of the line to assist in containing Feagins, which allowed him to register three tackles for loss on the afternoon.

The loss drops the University of Charleston to 7-2 on the season headed into their final road contest of the season next week at WV Wesleyan. The Golden Eagles will lineup against the Bobcats at 1:00 pm on Saturday, Nov. 3 in Buckhannon, W.Va.