Institute, W.Va. – The Golden Eagles closed the regular season with a strong 38–21 road victory over West Virginia State.
The Basics:
Location: Dickerson Stadium
Score: UC 38, WVSU 21
Records: UC 8-3 (7-1 MEC), West Virginia State 5-6 (4-4 MEC)
How it Happened:
Charleston traveled to Institute, West Virginia for their final regular season matchup against rival West Virginia State. After winning the coin toss and choosing to defer, the Golden Eagles sent their defense onto the field first. UC forced a stop after a long WVSU drive stalled, and the Yellow Jackets were forced to punt. Charleston then began their opening scoring drive at the UC 34-yard line. It took just four plays for the Golden Eagles to strike first as quarterback Matthew Frye connected with Marquan Herron for a 53-yard touchdown to give UC an early 7–0 lead.
West Virginia State answered with a 13-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a one-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 7–7. Charleston responded quickly. After a 44-yard pass from Frye to Aiden Diaz moved UC into scoring range, Gryffin Mitstifer drilled a 44-yard field goal to put the Golden Eagles back in front 10–7. WVSU regained momentum shortly after with two second-quarter touchdowns, one on a short run and another on a 21-yard pass, giving the Yellow Jackets a 21–10 lead with just over four minutes left in the half.
Charleston needed a spark and found it immediately. After a long kickoff return by Caleb Barringer set UC up in WVSU territory, Ean Hamric entered at quarterback and on his second play delivered a 41-yard touchdown strike to Herron to cut the deficit to 21–17. UC's defense held firm on the final drive of the half, keeping the score unchanged heading into the locker room.
Coming out of halftime, the Golden Eagles took full control. Starting at their own 31, UC put together an eight-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a six-yard rushing touchdown by Hamric to reclaim the lead 24–21. Moments later, Jaylen Butera broke loose for a 57-yard run down to the one-yard line and punched in the touchdown on the next play to extend the Charleston advantage to 31–21.
The Golden Eagles continued to dominate defensively in the second half, holding WVSU scoreless across the final two quarters. UC's defense recorded four sacks and forced a key fumble early in the fourth quarter to stop a potential scoring threat. With momentum fully in Charleston's favor, the offense delivered the final touchdown of the game as Hamric led an eight-play drive and connected with Yves Bosmans for a 25-yard score to make it 38–21 with just over six minutes left.
Charleston ran out the final minutes after another defensive stop, sealing a strong road victory. Butera finished with 90 rushing yards, Herron totaled 94 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Hamric accounted for three total scores as the Golden Eagles closed the regular season at 8–3 overall and 7–1 in MEC play.
Up Next:
With yesterday's win, the Golden Eagles conclude their 2025 season. Charleston closes the year at 8–3 overall and 7–1 in MEC play, finishing on a strong note with back-to-back conference victories.
