ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. - Host N.C. Wesleyan moved to within one game
of clinching its second outright USA South Conference title in
three years with a 38-28 win over Shenandoah Saturday afternoon at
the Northern Nash Football Complex.
Shenandoah (1-8, 0-6 USA South) had a chance to make things
interesting as it drove all the way to the Bishops 15 with just
over a minute to play, but NCWC (7-2, 6-0) held and eventually ran
out the clock to preserve the victory.
NC Wesleyan has clinched a share of the league's title with the
victory and will earn the outright title with a win at Averett next
Saturday in the regular season finale.
The contest was the highest scoring game that the Hornets have
been involved in since a 51-16 loss at Maryville on November 4,
2006 and is the first loss by double-digit figures the team has
endured all season.
However, SU did have a pair of bright spots. Junior Keone Kyle had 31
carries for 182 yards to crack the 1000-yard mark this season; he
is just the second runner in school history to accomplish that feat
and now needs just 34 yards to break the school record of 1192 held
by Anthony Frates '05.
Sophomore Rico Wallace had six
catches for 96 yards, giving him a school record 925 for his
career. Wallace has a school record 45 receptions this fall.
The Bishops outlasted the Hornets Saturday by piling up 429
yards of offense in just 21:03 time of possession. Conversely,
SU kept itself in it by winning the time of possession battle for
the ninth time this season and gaining a second-best 425 yards of
total offense.
After Wesleyan opened the game with a five-play, 39-yard drive,
Shenandoah answered that opening Bishops score by taking advantage
of a Kevin
Aaron interception at the NCWC 45 to tie the game at 7-7.
It took seven plays for the Hornets to knock it in -
quarterback Vern Lunsford went
the final seven yards on a 2nd and goal draw to complete
the 55-yard drive.
Wesleyan had a short field of its own one drive later to take a
14-7 lead into the second half. Taking over at midfield after SU
punter Nic
Hoover made a spectacular play to recover a high snap, Bishops
quarterback Bo Jordan hit Laqwan Brodie with a 16-yard TD pass to
put the hosts back up on top.
It took NCWC just five plays to score its next touchdown -
running back Bryan Haywood capped off a 58-yard drive with a
10-yard run.
The Hornets were able to end their first half possessions with a
scoring drive, and saw Kyle achieve that personal milestone in the
process.
Kyle joined Frates in the 1000-yard club when he crossed the
mark on a six-yard run three plays in what turned into a nine-play,
80-yard touchdown drive.
Five plays later, Kyle finished off the drive with a 15-yard
option run on 3rd and 3 to make it 28-14. 
Shenandoah had the opening possession of the second half,
and Anthony Cordero
brought SU to within 10, 31-21, as he bowled over from the 8 to
complete an eight-play, 65-yard drive.
Unfortunately for the Hornets, the NCWC offense would not be
denied.
The Bishops took over on their own 8 following a holding penalty
on the kickoff, but needed just nine plays for Jordan to find
Orlando Webb on 22-yard TD strike to keep the Wesleyan advantage at
17 points.
SU then completed day's scoring when Kyle scored his second
touchdown of the day on a 15-yard run.
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