SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Execution, or a lack thereof, was behind the 20-13 loss the Notre Dame College football team (6-2, 6-2 MEC) suffered at home against West Virginia Wesleyan College (4-4, 4-3 MEC).
 
With the game standing at 14-13 in favor of the visiting Bobcats, the Falcons tried for a Hail Mary on the final play, which resulted in a fumble returned for a touchdown. But the key factor head coach Mike Jacobs said was responsible for the outcome?
 
Execution.
 
"The biggest contributor to us not playing very well today was just a lack of execution," Jacobs said. "Unfortunately, that lack of execution occurred at different points in the game in all three phases. Certain things got away from us today."
 
One of the standout plays of the game was a blocked extra point, which would have tied the game 7-7 in the second half after a Malik Grove two-yard touchdown run. Once again, it all comes back to one thing.
 
Execution.
 
"We didn't protect our gap," Jacobs said. "When you're not gap sound in any phase of football you're in trouble. We let the guy through our inside gap, and there it is."
 
In the second half, NDC put the first point on the board with a four-yard touchdown run by Brian Walker to take a 13-7 lead, but in the fourth quarter a pass from Ryan Gumbita found an open Ryan Deal for a 24-yard score. The Bobcats were up 14-13 with just seven minutes remaining in the game.
 
WVWC earned a win, which puts them at an even 4-4 this season because of one major component.
 
Execution.
 
"Quite a bit of credit is due to Del Smith and his guys," Jacobs said. "They play extremely hard. They had a better game plan than us today and executed it better, and that's the difference in the game.
 
"They did a better job against our option run game than most teams have done. They loaded up the box and we didn't do enough in the passing game to make it a threat."
 
In a tough loss, the first at home since September 24 of last season, not much can be taken away. Jacobs said there are no moral victories in this game and everyone on the team, coaches and players are responsible for the result.
 
"Top to bottom we're all culpable in this loss. As coaches, we need to put our players in better positions, and as players we need to execute our assignments better. That's on all three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams. There's no one that's singularly responsible for this."
 
What will be used from this game is an opportunity to learn and get better as a team. Jacobs acknowledged there is a lot of football left to play this season and he's ready for practice next week, where one thing will be on everyone's minds.
 
Execution.
 
"We'll be better [next week] because we'll practice better," Jacobs said. "That's where it starts. We'll go back to basics. We have to run, block and tackle; that's really what football is all about."
 
Notre Dame will play Charleston next week on October 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.