SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – On a national stage, the top two teams (as voted on by the conference coaches) in the MEC showed off their offensive abilities, putting up over 100 points in a close 54-49 game that No. 7 Shepherd escaped with.
 
From the start, the Notre Dame College defense struggled to slow down senior quarterback Connor Jessup as he led the Rams down the field to score in under two minutes from the start of the clock. Jessup ended the game with 476 yards and five touchdowns through the air along with 50 yards and two scores on the ground.
 
The former Virginia Tech player didn't surprise anyone after throwing for 480 yards and five touchdowns in his one start last season.
 
"I've been saying for quite some time that Jessup, their backup last season, is easily as good as [Jeff] Ziemba who they've started the past few years," said head coach Mike Jacobs. "He was on display today. There is a reason he was with Virginia Tech at one point. He did a great job distributing the football."
 
Not to be outdone, however, the Falcon offense spent their day responding to Jessup, bringing it down to the final two minutes when the Rams recovered an onside kick to secure the game. But it wasn't until the second half that the offense really took off.  
 
After a fumble recovery in the end zone and a 90-yard kickoff return by Emmanuel Smith, NDC headed into halftime trailing 21-14. The Falcons came out in the second half and scored on their first possession on a spectacular play that nearly ended in a sack. Senior quarterback Malik Grove tied the game 21-21 after escaping a near tackle on the left side of the field, scrambling to his right and finding junior wide receiver Tay Johnson in the end zone.
 
Johnson, a Lake Erie College transfer, ended the game with three overall touchdowns. The 6-2 receiver gave Grove a nice target to hit, catching four passes for 48 yards.
 
"He had a nice day today," Jacobs said. "We thought he'd add a different dimension for us with his body size."
 
As a smaller target, Smith also put on a performance with 14 of the Falcons' 21 receptions. The 5-foot-8 senior recorded 98 yards receiving to add to his 90 yards returning and 17 yards rushing.
 
The teams tied it up once again at 28-28 in the third quarter with a touchdown pass to a wide open Conner Henry before Shepherd scored three touchdowns to give the Rams a 48-28 lead. That lead was enough for the top 10 team to win its home opener, despite the Falcons scoring three of the game's final four touchdowns.
 
Two of the fourth-quarter touchdowns were 13- and 23-yard rushes by junior DJ Greene. Returning from two 1,000-yard seasons, Greene finished the game with 121 yards while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

"You got to see how special that kid is today," said Jacobs. "He's a physical runner. To watch him thump the ball and hit it up in there with the tempo our offense had today was great."
 
Grove also returned to form from last season completing over 72 percent of his passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns.
 
"That kid is the real deal," Jacobs said. "He's our leader and on a big stage he came out and played some football."
 
Ultimately, the result of the game came down to fumbles according to Jacobs. The Falcons fumbled three times, turning the ball over twice.
 
Despite the loss, it was a solid performance for Notre Dame as the team came into the No. 7 team's stadium and battled it out for the country to see on ESPN3. Mountain East Conference Commissioner Reid Amos was pleased with how the two teams competed during the heavily-publicized game.
 
"It's a tremendous opportunity to showcase two of your fine programs on the NCAA Division II Football Showcase," Amos said. "I don't think anyone who watched the game, whether it was online or the great crowd we had here today, regretted spending their time doing so. It was a fantastic opportunity for the conference and think we showcased ourselves well today."
 
It wasn't only the offensive unit that looked good on the big stage. The NDC special teams also played an important role for the Falcons.
 
Along with the touchdown return by Smith, Nehemiah Brown returned the ball five times through kicks and punts to gain 99 yards, including a 51-yard kickoff return. Anton Vrebac punted the ball well, averaging 40 yards per attempt while the coverage unit helped land one ball inside the 20 and the other three to be fair caught. Redshirt-freshman Tanner Harding impressed also, making all seven of his extra point attempts.
 
"[Special teams] truly is a third [aspect of the game] for us," Jacobs said. "We spend as much time on that as anything. We were fortunate enough to take one back today; it really kept us in the game early. I was excited for our young kicker to be perfect on extra points. I thought he did a really nice job on kick off and getting the ball the ball where we wanted it."
 
Defensively, the Falcons were led by Tre'von Slater and Alex Zelch who recorded seven tackles each. Claudy Mathieu and Curtis Collins were each able to get in the backfield and record a sack.
 
Overall, Jacobs said he was proud of the way his team's constant effort and playing a full game without giving up.

Notre Dame will look to bounce back next week in the home opener against Glenville State on September 9. The game is set to kickoff at 12 p.m. on Mueller Field and will also be NDC's Military Appreciation Game.