W.Va. State snaps 13-game losing streak
Apparently, West Virginia State learned its lesson - but not a moment too soon.
Apparently, West Virginia State learned its lesson - but not a moment too soon.
In their first home game three weeks ago, the Yellow Jackets failed to protect a halftime lead against Virginia State and consequently saw a two-year losing streak continue to grow. On Saturday, they found themselves in the same position - desperately clinging to a late-game lead - only this time, they held on. Just barely.
State's defense held Seton Hill on three plays from the 15-yard line in the closing seconds to secure a 27-21 West Virginia Conference victory in the muck and mire of water-logged Lakin Field.
The dramatic finish in front of a homecoming crowd of 797 ended a 13-game losing streak for the Jackets (1-3, 1-1), who hadn't won since Nov. 7, 2009 against Fairmont State.
"I tell the guys all the time not to get too low over a loss or too high over a win,'' said State coach Earl Monroe, "but I've got to let the lettermen enjoy this a little bit. It's been a long time coming. You want to get that one off your back, and hopefully we can start a new streak.''
The Yellow Jackets were cruising along with a 27-7 halftime lead Saturday, getting starring efforts from running back Fabian Payne, quarterback Ricky Phillips and receiver Landon Johnson.
Phillips threw for three first-half touchdowns - 36 yards to Payne on a beautifully executed screen pass, 30 yards to tight end Nicholas Ortiz on a sweet play fake and 36 yards to Ervin Kent on a classic post pattern. Payne also caught the Griffins napping on a 91-yard TD burst around left end and down the sideline.
But it nearly all went for naught when the offense somehow dried up in the second half on the rain-soaked field.
The Jackets' seven second-half possessions resulted in six three-and-outs and a lost fumble on first down. State mustered just 8 yards on offense and zero first downs in the entire half. That allowed Seton Hill (0-5, 0-3) to creep back into contention.
To make matters worse, State's final three-and-out wasn't even followed by a punt as it tried to milk the clock, leading 27-21 with less than a minute left. In the tricky conditions, punter Dave Wissler couldn't handle the snap from his own 42 and the Griffins' Jason Russell was on top of him as he tried to boot the ball. It resulted in a punt of minus-7 yards and Seton Hill took over at the State 35 with 39 seconds to go, needing a TD and extra point to win.
A second-down scramble of 15 yards by quarterback Ryan Morris put the Griffins at the 15 with 17 seconds remaining - enough time for three plays.
On first down, Morris' arm was hit by rushing lineman Akeem Nofiu and the ball fell harmlessly to the mud. On second down, Morris tried to find tight end Zach Delo on a curl pattern at the goal line, but defensive back Cooksey Hunter jumped in front of Delo and nearly intercepted the ball, leaving three seconds on the clock.
"My gloves were so slippery,'' Hunter said. "I tried to dry them off, but my whole uniform is wet.''
Apparently, West Virginia State learned its lesson - but not a moment too soon.
In their first home game three weeks ago, the Yellow Jackets failed to protect a halftime lead against Virginia State and consequently saw a two-year losing streak continue to grow. On Saturday, they found themselves in the same position - desperately clinging to a late-game lead - only this time, they held on. Just barely.
State's defense held Seton Hill on three plays from the 15-yard line in the closing seconds to secure a 27-21 West Virginia Conference victory in the muck and mire of water-logged Lakin Field.
The dramatic finish in front of a homecoming crowd of 797 ended a 13-game losing streak for the Jackets (1-3, 1-1), who hadn't won since Nov. 7, 2009 against Fairmont State.
"I tell the guys all the time not to get too low over a loss or too high over a win,'' said State coach Earl Monroe, "but I've got to let the lettermen enjoy this a little bit. It's been a long time coming. You want to get that one off your back, and hopefully we can start a new streak.''
The Yellow Jackets were cruising along with a 27-7 halftime lead Saturday, getting starring efforts from running back Fabian Payne, quarterback Ricky Phillips and receiver Landon Johnson.
Phillips threw for three first-half touchdowns - 36 yards to Payne on a beautifully executed screen pass, 30 yards to tight end Nicholas Ortiz on a sweet play fake and 36 yards to Ervin Kent on a classic post pattern. Payne also caught the Griffins napping on a 91-yard TD burst around left end and down the sideline.
But it nearly all went for naught when the offense somehow dried up in the second half on the rain-soaked field.
The Jackets' seven second-half possessions resulted in six three-and-outs and a lost fumble on first down. State mustered just 8 yards on offense and zero first downs in the entire half. That allowed Seton Hill (0-5, 0-3) to creep back into contention.
To make matters worse, State's final three-and-out wasn't even followed by a punt as it tried to milk the clock, leading 27-21 with less than a minute left. In the tricky conditions, punter Dave Wissler couldn't handle the snap from his own 42 and the Griffins' Jason Russell was on top of him as he tried to boot the ball. It resulted in a punt of minus-7 yards and Seton Hill took over at the State 35 with 39 seconds to go, needing a TD and extra point to win.
A second-down scramble of 15 yards by quarterback Ryan Morris put the Griffins at the 15 with 17 seconds remaining - enough time for three plays.
On first down, Morris' arm was hit by rushing lineman Akeem Nofiu and the ball fell harmlessly to the mud. On second down, Morris tried to find tight end Zach Delo on a curl pattern at the goal line, but defensive back Cooksey Hunter jumped in front of Delo and nearly intercepted the ball, leaving three seconds on the clock.
"My gloves were so slippery,'' Hunter said. "I tried to dry them off, but my whole uniform is wet.''
On the final play, Morris again looked for Delo running to the back line of the end zone, but Hunter broke up the pass and knocked the ball out of play.
"I waited until he threw the ball,'' Hunter said, "and then I broke on it. I got my hands on it, but it slipped again. I just tried to play off them a little bit, and then I came back when the ball was in the air.
"It was a defensive game, but I love my offense. The offense played great. It's a blessing. I thank God.''
Hunter wound up with three passes defended and one of State's 12 tackles for loss. The Jackets had six sacks, two by right end Raymond Bryan. Linebacker Chris Young finished with a team-high 15 total tackles in a game-long rain.
"You're holding your breath the whole game,'' Monroe said. "We could hardly get the ball up the quarterback. You're scared to death. You're scared each punt. Are you going to get the snap? Are you going to get the kick off? Your feet are sticking in the mud. I couldn't walk, so I know they couldn't run. We played zone and let the elements do as they do, and not run as risky a defensive coverage.''
Phillips, who had trouble handling numerous snaps, wound up 9-of-15 passing for 185 yards, with three completions to Johnson for 70 yards. Johnson also had a 27-yard kickoff return to set up a TD drive. Payne, the former South Charleston standout, led State's offense with 138 yards on 20 carries and 52 yards on three receptions.
Daniel Butler paced Seton Hill with 141 yards and one score on 34 carries.
Monroe admitted to flashbacks from the Virginia State game, in which State led 14-3 in the third quarter before losing 17-14.
"You've got to learn how to win,'' Monroe said. "We haven't been up that much on a team in a while. The guys got a little bit relaxed in the locker room at halftime and I told them we were ahead our last home game and didn't finish. I told them, 'Guys, it's not over,' but you could see them kind of relaxing. A young team hasn't been in this position much and hopefully that scared them enough to realize you have to play 60 minutes. You've got to learn how to finish.
"Hopefully we can get back to a regular routine and move on. It got to the point where everybody was asking [when we would win], and you start pressing and you're working all night. You can't sleep. It just becomes a nightmare. But we can't celebrate too much - maybe just a couple more hours. We meet at 2 on Sunday and move forward. We've got some tough teams coming up.''
Reach Rick Ryan at 304-348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.
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