Concord Beats Glenville State on Homecoming, 14-9 - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

Freshman running back Calvinaugh Jones rushed for 186 yards and sophomore fullback Ben Nester finished off two long drives with touchdowns as the Concord University football team defeated Glenville State, 14-9, Saturday on homecoming at Callaghan Stadium.

The nine points allowed by the Concord defense was the lowest scoring output by an opponent this season.

The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory improved Concord's record to 3-3 overall and 2-2 inside the WVIAC. Glenville State fell to 2-4 overall and 2-1 in conference competition after the defeat.

The Mountain Lions controlled nearly all facets of the game. Concord held advantages in first downs (18 - 16), total yards (285 - 256), rushing yards (222 - 123), third down conversion percentage (35.7 percent - 30.7 percent) and time of possession (32:55 – 27:05).

Concord had seven drives that lasted at least six plays thanks to a rushing attack that saw three players carry the ball at least five times with Jones doing the heavy lifting with 30 attempts. He averaged an impressive 6.2 yards per carry. In addition to scoring twice, Nester also rushed for 28 yards on seven attempts. Nester is the first Concord player to run for two touchdowns in a game since Brian Kennedy in 2010. Freshman Jocorey Robins gained 31 yards on six attempts.

Freshman quarterback Albert Rose was 9-of-18 for 63 yards. Senior wide receiver Ansel Ponder caught four balls for 29 yards. Freshman wide receiver DJ Holmes also had 29 yards receiving on three catches.

Concord's defensive effort was led by the duo of junior linebacker Jake Lilly and senior linebacker Howard Jordan. Lilly made a game-high 14 tackles with Jordan not far behind at 13 stops.

The Concord secondary came away with two timely interceptions, one by senior Kevin Elliott on the first play of the game and the other by junior Riyahd Richardson when Glenville was at Concord's five-yard line late in the second quarter. Elliott's INT was his second in as many games and third of the season.

Points were hard to come by in the first half. After a scoreless first quarter, Glenville State's Colston Bayless put GSC up 3-0 with a 34-yard field goal. Two minutes later, Glenville's second kicker, Eddie McKay booted a 47-yard attempt through the uprights to put the visitors on top of CU 6-0. The Pioneers took the narrow lead into halftime. The Mountain Lions were able to keep the margin to just one possession thanks to Richardson, who grabbed his interception at the goal line with just 17 seconds remaining in the half.

Concord was not fazed by the deficit and came out of the locker room to go on a 10-play, 56-yard drive that ended with Nester rumbling in for his first score of the day. An Andy Ellington extra point gave the Mountain Lions a 7-6 lead with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.

Three series later, Concord's offense once again mounted a long scoring drive. This one lasted 12 plays and spanned 75 yards with Nester finishing it off with a five-yard touchdown. Another Ellington extra point gave Concord a 14-6 advantage with 10:24 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The eight-point lead was more than enough for the Concord defense, which allowed just Glenville to gain just 25 more yards and score one field goal for the remainder of the game en route to Concord's 14-9 triumph. Concord held the ball for 17:32 in the second half.

The Mountain Lions will look to get above the .500 mark with a victory next Saturday at Seton Hill. Kickoff in Greensburg, Pa. is slated for noon.