Athens, W. Va – It would take nearly four hours for this game to come to an end, but the Concord Mountain Lions got the better of the Charleston Golden Eagles on Saturday in the highest scoring game in Mountain East Conference history. 
 
The Basics
Location: Callaghan Stadium
Score: UC 60, CU 68
Records: UC (3-4, 3-3 MEC), CU (6-1, 5-1 MEC) 
 
How it Happened
Saying that this matchup was a "back-and-forth battle" would be an understatement, considering that this game featured 13 total lead changes within the three hours and forty-two minutes of action. This game also entailed 26 combined penalties for 275 yards, with 18 of those penalties coming from the Golden Eagles. 
 
Charleston kicked off to start the game, but they took the ball right back on Concord's opening possession as Paul Miller stripped the ball away from a Mountain Lion and gave the Golden Eagles great field position on offense. Charleston would capitalize on the turnover with a Chavon Wright rushing touchdown with a two-play drive led by a 50-yard rope from Javonte Howard to Colby Cooper. With a missed extra point, Charleston would hold a 6-0 lead. 
 
Concord would get their first points of the day on a 66-yard reception from Jack Mangel to Kris Copeland to go up 7-6 with eight minutes left in the first quarter. 
 
Charleston would answer on their next drive after 10 plays with Wright's second rushing touchdown on the day from three yards out to make the score 13-7. The Mountain Lions fired right back with another explosive play. Thurlow Wilkins found a gap in the line and took off 41 yards downfield to give Concord the 14-13 advantage. 
 
The first play of the second quarter resulted in a touchdown for Charleston as Javonte Howard found Marquan Herron for his 8^th touchdown on the year to take the 20-14 lead. On Concord's next drive, Charleston's defense would cause another turnover as Taylor Green caught an interception in the endzone, but they would find themselves back on the field after the Mountain Lions recovered a loose ball deep in Charleston territory. Concord would use this opportunity to score on a 16-yard reception to Solomon Butler in the endzone and they would take the lead back. 
 
Concord would get an unsportsmanlike penalty after the score and had to kick from their own 20-yard line. Colby Cooper saw this as a chance to give the Golden Eagles great field position. He returned the kickoff 71 yards to Concord's 22-yard line and Marquan Herron would score his second receiving score on the next play to take the 27-21 lead. 
 
Thurlow Wilkins would answer on the next Concord drive with a 39-yard bolt into the endzone and the Mountain Lions would take the lead once more. Just as these shootouts go, Charleston would take the lead back on a Tae Marrero receiving score from 12 yards out, but another failed extra point would give them the 33-28 lead. Just before halftime, Jarod Bowie would give Concord the lead on an 18-yard reception and Concord went into the break with the 35-33 lead. 
 
Javonte Howard set the tone in the third quarter after he opened up the scoring with a 9-yard rushing touchdown to take back the lead. Richard Souffrant recognized the tone and gave his quarterback the ball back by knocking the ball loose on the following drive and Charleston would recover at Concord's 33-yard line. The Golden Eagles would capitalize once more on the turnover and Xzavion Gordon would find his first receiving score of the day from a yard out to give Charleston the 47-35 lead. 
 
With the first two score lead of the game, Charleston felt confident, but Concord would answer with a Kris Copeland score that shortened the deficit to just six points. 
 
The Golden Eagles would put together a long drive down the field that ended with a Tim McCutchen 32-yard field goal to give Charleston the two-score lead. 
 
In the fourth quarter of action, Charleston would answer on defense once again. On a botched snap, Mangel threw a desperation attempt into the endzone and was picked off by Nirion Washington resulting in a touchback. 
 
After a Charleston punt, Concord would cut into the lead with a Bowie receiving score from a yard out to make the score 50-48. The Mountain Lions would get the ball back after the kickoff hung up in the windy sky and was mishandled by the Golden Eagles. Concord would take advantage of the opportunity and obtain the 55-50 lead with another Wilkins rush from 16 yards out into the endzone. 
 
Charleston drove down the field and put the ball in the endzone with Wright's third score of the ballgame and would convert on the two-point play with a Colby Cooper reception, making the score 58-55. This drive was led by Howard's 55-yard rush to Concord's 15-yard line. 

Jarod Bowie would take the lead back with a 34-yard receiving score on the next drive, but the Golden Eagles made a huge play on the extra point as Nick Evans blocked the kick and Nirion Washington scooped the ball. He would make his way to the other endzone for two points and the score brought Charleston to within one. 
 
The Golden Eagles were unable to convert on their next drive and the Mountain Lions had the upper hand. Thurlow Wilkins would run 59 yards for the touchdown and Concord would take a 68-60 lead with 1:35 remaining on the clock; however, this gave Charleston a chance to tie the ballgame and go to overtime. 
 
The Golden Eagles put together a hard-fought 63-yard drive and found themselves at the two-yard line with a running clock and no timeouts. Miscommunication between the players lead to the clock hitting zero, and the Mountain Lions would escape with the win.  
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will face the University of North Carolina at Pembroke on October 22^nd at 12:00 PM right here at home. The Golden Eagles are 1-1 in the last two seasons against the Braves who recently joined the Mountain East Conference.