SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Not only was Notre Dame College hosting Homecoming weekend, but a very important Mountain East Conference matchup took place on Mueller Field. After defeating Frostburg State last week, the Falcons followed that emotional win with a victory over first-place West Virginia State, this week, by a score of 31-24.
 
"Football is such an emotional game," said head coach Garrett Mack. "You spend so much time and everyone is so invested here. We're proud to have the support of the players, the community, the alumni. Through thick and thin, they have our back."
 
Notre Dame has now won seven consecutive games on Homecoming Weekend, dating back to 2016.
 
Throughout the day, the wind was swirling, affecting the pass game and kicks. Almost immediately, that became evident as the opening kickoff by West Virginia State was caught by junior James Faulkner at NDC's 38-yard line and returned it 20 yards into WVSU territory.
 
The Falcons then kept the ball in the hands of their two running backs. Junior Idris Lawrence ran three times, with the highlight being a 29-yard run to move the NDC offense to the 7-yard line. Two plays later, Notre Dame capped the opening drive with a rushing touchdown by junior Krys Riley-Richardson.
 
"At the end of the day, hats off to our offensive line," Mack said. "You can tell, these past two weeks, we established the run game with those guys getting it going up front and our backs have started to compete with each other."
 
West Virginia State responded immediately. The ball was in quarterback Donovan Riddick's hands most of the game and he would lead the Yellow Jackets down the field on their first drive. He found Nolan Johnson for 16 yards and then, on 3rd and 2, a pass out to the right was caught by Marqus Ray with, what turned out to be, a 50-yard touchdown as Ray ran down the sideline into the endzone.
 
NDC's next drive was extended with an unnecessary roughness penalty on W.Va. State, after failing to convert on 3rd and 16. Senior Cameron Shirkey was called upon to attempt a 52-yard field goal, but could not convert in the wind.
 
Entering the weekend, West Virginia State's offense led the conference in total yards gained and yards per game along with ranking second in touchdowns scored. And they showed that offense with another quick four-play, 63-yard drive that ended with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Bunch to give WVSU its first lead of the game, with 3:29 remaining in the first quarter.
 
After Notre Dame had to punt the ball away, the Falcons' defense put up the stop sign on a huge West Virginia State drive, that could have allowed the Yellow Jackets to take a two-score lead early in the second quarter. Instead, WVSU punted the ball away and NDC would score to tie the game at 14.
 
On this Notre Dame scoring drive, unlike the earlier possessions, the passing game became a big factor. Junior Deshawn Evans found junior Andre Allen Jr. for 14 yards, early in the drive. Evans then threw the ball over a defender to sophomore Michael Solomon, who jumped up and grabbed the ball over the defense. On West Virginia State's 17-yard line, Evans sent a pass to the back-right corner of the endzone and WVSU was called for pass interference. On the next play, Riley-Richardson fought through the line for his second rushing touchdown.
 
The Yellow Jackets put together a 14-play drive, but it resulted in a 44-yard field goal miss off the foot of Brennen Schmitt, late in the first half.

WVSU did receive the ball to start the second half and on the second play of that drive, Riddick found Johnson for 39 yards to get the Yellow Jackets to the NDC 30. Schmitt would make a field goal from 40 yards away, on the other side of the field, giving West Virginia State a 17-14 advantage.
 
Lawrence ran the ball eight times on the Falcons' next drive and that led to a Shirkey 25-yard field goal to tie the game at 17, with 4:44 to go in the third quarter.
 
"Like Coach Mack says, it starts up front," Lawrence said. "We had hard practices all week and I kept my good reads when I saw the holes open up."
 
The wild rollercoaster continued, as W.Va. State broke through on a big play to take a 24-17 lead, about a minute later. On the third play of the drive, Riddick rolled out to the right, was tripped up, but stayed on his feet. The Yellow Jackets' quarterback ran down the sideline 59 yards into the endzone.
 
Notre Dame then stepped up as a team in the fourth quarter and won the game in every aspect. The Yellow Jackets turned the ball over on downs, twice, in the final stanza, stopped by the Falcons' defense. NDC's Jacalyn Morrison intercepted a pass and the offense scored two touchdowns.
 
On 4th and 9, trailing by a touchdown, Evans stepped up and found Allen over the middle for 21 yards and the first down. He then connected with Faulkner, before Lawrence tied the game with a six-yard run.
 
In need of a big drive to take the momentum back, Riddick sent the ball to a receiver covered tightly by Morrison. The Falcons' cornerback intercepted the pass and returned it 19 yards, leading to Lawrence carrying the ball into the endzone to give NDC its first lead since the first quarter.
 
"It's always a lot of pride and emotions come out when you are able to make a big play like that in a big game," Morrison mentioned. "It starts with the D-Line, and their pressure makes it easier for us."
 
Lawrence ran the ball 33 times for 182 yards, career-highs in both categories. He also tied a career-high with two touchdowns. As a team, the Falcons ran the ball for 230 yards and were 5-for-5 on red zone chances.
 
Just like last week, the Falcons' defense did bend, but did not break on the opponent's final drive. WVSU went 76 yards down the field, but were stopped on 4th and 7, when Riddick could not connect with Bunch.
 
"We talk to our guys week in and week out about growth," Mack explained. "We grew over those two losses, no doubt. You're playing bruised and battered but the guys are stepping up and making plays. Everyone is putting in the effort and buying into the culture."
 
NDC's Isaiah Stephens posted a season-high 12 tackles, including nine solo stops. Sophomore Nathan Rosario-Santos had nine tackles.
 
Notre Dame will hit the road for the next two weeks, beginning with a trip to Charleston to play the undefeated Golden Eagles, on Oct. 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.