Box Score
Thomas Gordon's 164 rushing yards and Chris Owen's passing helped propel Kentucky Wesleyan to a 38-33 win over Central State in a college football matchup Saturday afternoon in Wilberforce, Ohio.
"We changed some blocking techniques, and it's good to see that pay off," KWC head coach Brent Holsclaw said. "The holes were there."
KWC improved to 2-1, the best start in Holsclaw's eight-year tenure. Central State dropped to 1-2.
"The kids are ecstatic, and now the challenge is to handle it," Holsclaw said. "Our goal now is to be 3-1."
The Panthers got another big effort from quarterback Owen. He completed 16-of-28 passes for 191yards and four touchdowns, with two interceptions.
DaMarcus Ganaway had a team-high 71 receiving yards on five catches. He scored two TDs, including a 27-yard scoring strike that gave the Panthers an early momentum boost and 9-0 lead.
Central State showed off its own ability less than one minute later with a 7-yard TD reception by Roosevelt Williams that closed the first quarter. The Marauders added a 5-yard TD run by Josh Anderson early in the second quarter to take a 14-9 lead.
After KWC's David Smith hauled in a 26-yard TD pass, Anderson added another TD run to put Central State back on top. But KWC seized the momentum at halftime with Derek Brown's 6-yard TD catch with 41 seconds left in the second quarter that pushed it ahead 24-20.
Central State capitalized on a special teams miscue by KWC to reclaim the lead early in the third quarter. But the Panthers answered with a 21-yard TD pass to Ganaway, then Sammy Bland returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown to extend the lead to 38-27 with 8:28 left in the game.
"Sammy made a great play on the ball," Holsclaw said. "I felt like that was where the game was put away."
Central State added a TD with 45 seconds remaining to close the scoring.
The Marauders had 353 yards of total offense -- 191 through the air.
KWC returns to action next Saturday when Alma visits for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Steele Stadium.
"I really like this group of kids," Holsclaw said. "They're close-knit, and they like playing together."
