Box Score
ATHENS, W.Va. -- The Notre Dame defense turned in another stellar second half performance, as the Falcons came from behind to win their sixth straight road game, in a 14-10 victory over Concord.
The win for Notre Dame (6-1, 5-1 MEC) was their sixth straight away from home, a new program record, while the loss for the Mountain Lions (2-5, 2-5 MEC) was their third in a row.
Notre Dame's defense was rock solid once again when the game was on the line. They allowed only three fourth quarter points, and they came up with a big stop on fourth down as well as an interception with the game hanging in the balance in the final four minutes.
The Falcons took the ball to start the contest, and they drove to the Concord 41, before they lost a fumble, and Concord took over. However, NDC's defense was able to diffuse the situation, as they forced Concord to attempt a 34-yard field goal, which missed wide to the right.
Notre Dame took over, and marched 80 yards on four plays, and
Malik Grove found
Mitchell Shegos on a 27-yard touchdown pass to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead with 9:22 left in the first quarter.
Concord was able to tie the game with six minutes left in the first half. Nick Loftin brought an 11-play, 80-yard drive to a close on a four yard touchdown rush to tie the game at 7-7.
DJ Greene ran for 85 yards in the opening half, as the Falcons found some success on the ground, while Grove completed 12-of-16 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown, and he completed seven of those passes to Shegos for 114 yards.
The second half turned into a defensive struggle on both sides, as drives constantly stalled, while the defensive units continued to win their respective battles.
Concord began their final scoring drive at their own 23 yard line after a missed field goal, and they drove down to the Notre Dame 16 yard line, where the drive stalled, and they settled for a 22-yard field goal from Zack Keaton to take a 10-7 lead with 12:52 to play.
After the two teams exchanged punts on the ensuing possessions, Notre Dame took over at their own 10 yard line with 7:25 left in the fourth quarter. It took the Falcons less than 90 seconds to go 90 yards on five plays, as Grove found a wide open
Darius Johnson on a 64-yard touchdown pass, which proved to be the game winning score with 5:57 to play.
Concord had two more chances to score. They had the ball at their own 49 yard line on third down and five, when
Onslow Williams hammered Loftin at the 48 for a one yard loss, and on fourth down, Concord quarterback Brian Novak was tackled by
Jake Chestnut five yards short of a first down.
The Mountain Lions would get the ball back with 1:33 to play at their own 20 yard line. On the second play of the drive, Tyrell Hill picked off a pass to seal the deal.
Greene went over 100 yards on the ground for the second straight week, rushing for 136 yards on 28 carries.
Grove completed 22-of-30 passes for 267 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Shegos caught 11 of those passes for 141 yards and a touchdown, while
Marvelle Ross caught eight passes for 37 yards.
Defensively, the Falcons held the Mountain Lions to a 16.6-percent (2-for-12) clip on third downs. Williams and Chestnut led the charge for NDC with seven tackles each. Of Williams's seven stops, three were for a loss, while
Jalon Avent had five tackle, including a sack, and 4.5 tackles for a loss.
The Falcons return to action next Saturday, Oct. 22, when they play host to West Liberty at Mueller Field in South Euclid, Ohio. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.
