Box Score INSTITUTE, W.Va. – Playing in their fourth consecutive homecoming tilt this season, the Notre Dame Falcons fell to West Virginia State, 32-29, in a back and forth battle on Saturday afternoon.
The Falcons (1-5, 1-4 MEC) have now lost four in a row, while the victory for the Yellow Jackets (4-2, 4-2 MEC) was their second in a row and their first at home this season.
The lead changed hands constantly, with both teams holding leads on four separate occasions. Notre Dame had two touchdowns called back due to penalties, and had a chance to win it in the final seconds, but their drive stalled as time expired.
Emmanuel Smith took the opening kickoff back to the WV State 41 yard line, and the Falcons were able to get three points out of the opening drive, as
Kyle Kaplan hit his first of three field goals on the day, a 36-yarder to give the Falcons a 3-0 lead.
On their first drive of the game, West Virginia State went 65 yards on three plays, and took a 7-3 lead on a 28 yard touchdown rush from Tyrone Barber.
After WV State kicker Antony Herrera missed a 36-yard field goal, Notre Dame marched down the field and tacked on three more, on Kaplan's second field goal of the game, this one from 24 yards out to bring NDC within one (7-6) with 1:53 left in the first quarter.
The first few drives of the second quarter resulted in punts from both sides, before the Falcons took their second lead of the game, as
Malik Grove found
Mitchell Shegos on a 34-yard touchdown pass, giving NDC a 13-7 lead with 12:09 left in the half.
Herrera hit a 30-yard field goal on WVSU's next drive to make it a three point game (13-10), and they scored with 33 seconds left in the half on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Matt Kinnick to Akil Washington to give them a 17-13 lead at the half.
The first drive of the second half saw the Falcons produce their first turnover of the game, as
Marlon Oden picked off a pass for the second game in a row, and Notre Dame capitalized on that turnover, as Kaplan hit a 30-yard field goal at the end of the next drive. It appeared as though the Falcons had seven, when Grove connected with CJ Germany on a 24-yard touchdown pass, but it was called back because of a penalty, and NDC had to settle for the field goal.
After forcing a three-and-out on WVSU's next drive, the Falcons looked like they'd scored on a 57-yard touchdown pass from Grove to
BJ Baldwin, but it was called back because of a penalty. On the very next play, Grove found Germany again, this time for a 72-yard scoring strike to give NDC a 22-17 lead with 4:16 left in the third quarter. They went for two after the touchdown and did not convert.
On NDC's next drive, they were forced to punt, but a bad snap on the play went through the back of the end zone for a safety, bringing the Yellow Jackets within three (22-19) with 14:06 left in the game.
The Yellow Jackets capitalized on that momentum, with a terrific return on the ensuing free kick to the NDC 22 yard line, and Barber scored again, this time on an 11-yard touchdown rush to give WVSU a 25-22 lead after they missed the extra point.
The Falcons capitalized on another big play on their next drive to take their final lead of the game. Grove found Shegos on a third and short situation, on a 79-yard touchdown pass to give NDC a 29-25 lead with 11:39 left.
Zach Chatlain picked off a pass on WVSU's ensuing drive, and the Falcons took over with just under 10 minutes to play. They were driving inside WV State territory, when the Yellow Jackets forced a fumble and got it back.
The turnover did not result in any points, as they turned the ball over on downs inside the Notre Dame 20, but they quickly forced a three-and-out from the Falcons.
On their next drive, the Yellow Jackets drove down the field, and scored with 55 seconds left, on a nine yard touchdown pass from Kinnick to Barber.
The Falcons had two timeouts remaining, and the ball at their own 19 yard line with 51 seconds left, but they were unable to move the ball on their final drive as time expired.
Grove completed 18-of-35 passes on the afternoon for a career high, 335 yards and a trio of touchdowns, while rushing for 80 yards as well.
DJ Greene led the way on the ground for the Falcons with 91 yards rushing. Shegos was the top target in the passing game, hauling in five passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Chatlain was NDC's leading tackler, coming away with 12 on the day, while
Jonah Harper added six, including three for a loss and a sack.
The Falcons are in action again on Saturday, Oct. 17, when they return to Mueller Field for another MEC contest against Concord. Kickoff is scheduled for Noon.
