WINCHESTER, Va. – One week after snapping a 13-game losing
streak, Shenandoah University now owns a two-game winning streak
thanks to a 21-18 USA South Conference football victory over
Methodist University Saturday night.
The win also snaps a seven-game home losing streak for the
Hornets (2-4, 2-1 USA South). Shenandoah had not won on the Sprint
Field at Shentel Stadium turf since defeating Methodist (2-4, 1-2)
in the 2008 season finale.
Much as it had in the 2009 meeting between the two schools,
Saturday's game came down to a MU kicker Tyler Mosko's leg.
In 2009, Mosko gave his Monarchs a 17-14 overtime win by
drilling a 42-yard field goal, but Saturday fate turned against
him.
With MU trailing 21-18 and the drive stalled on the Hornets 12,
Mosko was called on to try and send the game into overtime for the
second straight year.
The senior hooked his 29-yard attempt left, giving Shenandoah
its second straight victory.
The contest came down to Mosko's attempt due to a furious
Methodist comeback. Down 21-10 with just over six minutes to play,
the Monarchs brought themselves to within three on the legs of
quarterback Travis Murphy.
Murphy drove the visitors 59 yards in 10 plays and 3:17 and
completed the drive by converting the two-point conversion himself
on a draw play.
A successful on-side kick followed, setting up the fateful drive
by the Monarchs.
Shenandoah had the cushion it needed to secure the win by
opening up a 14-0 lead by the middle of the second quarter and then
opening the fourth period with its only points of the second
half.
Quarterback Daniel Wright, who
keyed the first touchdown of the game by scampering 59 yards on a
1st down option to set SU up with a 1st and
goal from the MU 1, hooked up with Rico Wallace for a
20-yard TD pass in the fourth that proved to be the winning
points.
The 20-yard strike represented nearly half of the Hornets aerial
production on the evening – Wright was 6 for 15 for 51 yards
and the TD through the air.
In between those two offensive scores, junior Trey Cregan had a
scoop-and-score 76-yard fumble recovery at the 7:27 mark of the
second to put the hosts up 14-0.
The majority of Shenandoah's offensive production came via
senior Keone
Kyle, who gained 115 yards on 22 carries. He had the first TD
on a 1-yard plunge over left guard.
Defensively, Corey Giffing and
Joshua
Rogers had 14 and 13 tackles, respectively.
SU travels to Ferrum next week for a 1 p.m. kick.
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