CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The University of Charleston broke open a close game with a dominant second quarter and went on to snap West Liberty’s three-game winning streak in decisive fashion with a 42-13 victory Thursday night at UC Stadium.
Golden Eagle TB Marvin Elam ran the ball 18 times for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns while QB Jermaine Kelly passed for 2 touchdowns and ran for another as Charleston (6-3, 5-3) racked up 450 yards of total offense –more than 300 of it on the ground – in pulling away from the mistake-prone Hilltoppers (5-4, 5-3).
Charleston scored first on an 11-yard run by Elam with 3:37 left in the first quarter but a long kickoff return by WLU’s Anton McCallum set up a 3-yard TD burst by R.J. Thomas in the final minute of the quarter. The Golden Eagles blocked the PAT to carry a 7-6 lead into the second frame.
That’s when the hosts took command, reeling off 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to build an insurmountable 28-6 halftime lead.
Kelly got things started with a 6-yard scoring run to make it 14-6 at 13:09 of the quarter and the Golden Eagles picked off a Dakota Conwell pass deep in West Liberty territory to set up another quick UC score. A scrambling Kelly found WR Joey Augustin on the back line of the end zone at the 10:57 mark for a 21-6 advantage.
Charleston capped the first half scoring with a methodical 12-play, 77-yard march that chewed nearly 5 ½ minutes off the clock. Elam darted in from 6 yards out to pad the lead with 3:57 left before intermission.
Penalties in crucial situations hurt the Hilltoppers throughout the game. Three of Charleston’s four first-half touchdown drives were extended by 15-yard penalties against the WLU defense. The Black and Gold were flagged 10 times for 113 yards on the night.
On the other side of the ball, an aggressive Golden Eagle defense kept the West Liberty offense at bay with an assortment of blitz packages which created several sacks and tackles-for-loss.
Elam added an 11-yard touchdown run in the final two minutes of the third quarter and Kelly’s 9-yard TD pass to TE Andrew Flohr gave UC its largest lead, 42-6, at 13:43 of the fourth quarter.
Backup QB Dylan LaGarde provided a bit of a spark off the bench for West Liberty in the fourth quarter, completing 7-of-11 passes for 77 yards, including an 8-yard TD pass to WR Dylan Potts to wrap up the scoring.
LaGarde and Conwell combined to complete 17-of-36 passes for 156 yards and a TD with 3 interceptions. TE Daree Goodwin was the leading receiver with 5 catches for 75 yards while TB Isiah Moody led the WLU rushing attack with 12 carries for 45 hard-earned yards.
Kelly completed 15-of-23 passes for 123 yards and 2 TDs with 2 interceptions while running the ball 12 times for 86 more yards and another score. Charleston finished with 327 rushing yards on 51 attempts – the eighth straight season UC has rushed for more than 200 yards against the Hilltoppers.
West Liberty hosts UVA-Wise in the Hilltoppers’ final home game of the season on Nov. 8. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at West Family Stadium.
Charleston 42, West Liberty 13
