The WVSU Yellow Jackets Take to the Ground, Rush to Third Win in a Row

INSTITUTE, West Virginia -- Sometimes things actually turn out the way they look on paper.

West Virginia State came into Saturday's home game against Concord with one of the most potent offenses in the Mountain East Conference.

The Mountain Lions (1-6) feature a defense that has allowed more yards and points than any other in the league.

That matchup produced a 52-24 Yellow Jacket win as the WVSU offense pretty much moved up and down the field at will on the way to a single game program record 451 rushing yards and a season high 566 yards of total offense.

"It was a combination of things," Yellow Jacket Head Coach John Pennington said. "You have to give a lot of credit to the offensive line and Faustino (Saucedo) did a good job of checking us into the right play and that is impressive for somebody who has only been in the program a couple of months."

The credit did not stop there.

"The tight ends and receivers did a great job of blocking downfield," Pennington said. "And we had fewer penalties, we really cut down on the holding penalties, especially the linemen."

It did take a little while for the Jackets to get their offense into gear though.

Concord led 10-7 after the first period but WVSU (4-3 overall, 3-3 MEC) scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter for a 24-10 halftime advantage

The Yellow Jackets hit their stride in the third period scoring 28 points to put the game out of reach. WVSU Head Coach John Pennington substituted liberally in the fourth quarter.

Their were several outstanding offensive performances, mainly on the ground, as the Jackets thew the ball a season-low 14 times.

The last time WVSU threw just 14 passes was way back on September 21, 2013, in a loss against West Liberty.

Sophomore Calil Wilkins led the way with 192 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries followed by freshman Carl Garmon with 116 yards and one touchdown, also on 14 carries. Junior wide receiver A.J. Barrette even got in on the ground game when he took a pitch on an end around and zig-zagged his way through the defense for a 76 yard touchdown in the third period.

Saucedo finished 7-of-14 passing for 114 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

The longest pass play was a 41 yard scoring strike to senior Tyrell Henderson in the endzone.

WVSU heads north next week for a 1 p.m. Saturday kickoff at West Liberty (2-5). The Hilltoppers fell 33-23 at Glenville State.

WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS