Charleston, W. Va. – The Charleston Golden Eagles would square off with the Yellow Jackets of West Virginia State University of the chance to cap off a milestone that has never been accomplished at the University of Charleston: an undefeated regular season. Coming in with a record of 10-0, the Golden Eagles looked to put the icing on the cake with a win in the Kanawha Classic.
The Basics
Location: UC Stadium
Score: UC 52, WVSU 17
Records: UC 11-0 (9-0 MEC), WVSU 6-5 (5-4 MEC)
How it Happened
With a great Senior Day crowd on hand, the Golden Eagles could not disappoint the home side in their last regular season showdown of the year. After forcing a punt on State's opening possession, Charleston caught fire immediately, and somewhat literally, as Ean Hamric scorched a pass to a wide-open Yves Bosmans for the 40-yard touchdown reception taking the early 8-0 advantage in the first after a successful two-point try. Levi Paxton knocked home his fifth field goal of the season from 34 yards away on Charleston's second possession to extend the lead to 11-0. After forcing another punt, Charleston's Chavon Wright found his first rushing score of the day from seven yards out to take an 18-0 lead towards the end of the quarter.
On State's drive in the second quarter, Caleb Jantuah would be picked off by Louikenzy Jules at Charleston's own 17-yard line, eliminating any offensive threats from the Yellow Jackets in the early stages. Caleb Jantuah's day would come to an end after throwing a second interception caught by Ra'Shaad Morris, but the turnover would once again not be cashed in for a score on Charleston's offensive possession. With 34 seconds left on the clock in the half, Hamric would fire a missile to Bosmans once more and connect on a 63-yard touchdown to give Charleston a 25-0 lead. A major special teams play would be cashed in for points, as Cashawn Beasley and Luke Francis forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff recovered by Aden Miller. The turnover would result in a Charleston touchdown with Wright punching in from three yards out to give Charleston a 32-0 lead heading into the break.
Following the halftime break, Ean Hamric continued the Charleston dominance on the second play from scrimmage as he galloped into the endzone from 46 yards out moving the lead to 39-0. A Charleston drive starting from their own 27 yard-line ended with a two-yard rushing touchdown for Wright's third of the day, giving Charleston a very comfortable 45-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets got on the board late in the third quarter after Brennen Schmitt's 36-yard field goal to cut the lead to 45-3. Following seven rushing attempts on a seven-play drive for Charleston, it would be capped off by Wright's fourth score of the day, tying the NCAA Division II record for the most rushing touchdowns in a season of football and giving Charleston a 52-3 lead. He would also surpass the 2,000-yard mark this season on this drive as well. The Yellow Jackets would score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but
ultimately Charleston had created a mountain too high to climb, as the Golden Eagles too their second consecutive Kanawha Classic victory by way of 52-17 to cap off an undefeated 11-0 season.
Up Next
Back where they left off last year, Charleston enters the Super Region One Playoffs as the 2nd ranked seed in bracket behind 11-0 Kutztown following the NCAA Selection Show. The Golden Eagles will host 7th seeded Ashland University this upcoming Saturday at UC Stadium with kickoff slated for 1:00pm.
