Box Score
Kentucky Wesleyan held off a late comeback attempt by Malone on Saturday at Steele Stadium for their third win of the year. The Panthers (3-7, 1-0 G-MAC) defeated the Pioneers 40-30 in their first Great Midwest Athletic Conference matchup this season.
Wide receiver Keelan Cole finished the contest with four total touchdowns. Cole recorded five catches for 181 yards and three scores. He also scored a 98-yard kickoff touchdown return in KWC's first possession of the game. Cole collected 295 all-purpose yards in the game.
Quarterback Mike McGee had another successful start for the Panthers. McGee totaled 290 passing yards with four touchdowns. McGee has thrown nine touchdown passes in the last two games.
McGee tossed a 75-yard touchdown pass to Cole after it was deflected in the air and Cole caught it in the air and took it to the house. He also threw a touchdown to Cole off of a trick-play in the third quarter which put the Panthers ahead 33-16.
Running back Josiah Israel ran for 122 yards, including a big 51-yard run to put the Panthers inside the red-zone in the second half. Travion Tucker also accumulated 72 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, the Panthers shutout Malone in the third quarter and made several huge plays on the day. Ty Martin-Miles came up with a huge 40-yard fumble recovery touchdown to put the Panthers ahead 20-13 late in the first half.
The Panthers led 40-16 midway through the fourth quarter, before Malone slowly crept back into the game. With back-to-back touchdowns and a converted two-point play, the Pioneers cut the deficit down to 40-30.
Later on in the game, KWC held a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter, and forced Malone to turn the ball over on downs. De'Vonta Moffitt came up with the game-winning interception in the final minute of the game to seal the victory for the Panthers.
Michael Malone led the Panthers on defense after having a huge day. Malone finished with a team-high eight solo and eight assisted tackles. He also recorded one sack, and one tackle for-loss.
Kentucky Wesleyan will play its final game of the season next Saturday at Alderson Broaddus. Kickoff is set for noon CT.
