Box Score
Despite a strong second half effort, Kentucky Wesleyan fell in their season opener at Delta State 50-29 on Thursday evening in Cleveland, Miss. The Panthers (0-1) out-scored the Statesmen in the second half 29-14, but fell in too large of a hole in the first half to fully mount a comeback in the contest.
Delta State scored 36 unanswered points in the first half, which had Kentucky Wesleyan reeling heading into the locker room.
The Panthers got things going in the second half, as quarterback Damarcus Smith connected with Keelan Cole from 19 yards out for the first touchdown of the season. Later on in the quarter, Smith recorded his first rushing touchdown with a five-yard run. David White would run in the two-point conversion.
The Smith and Cole combination continued to click in the second half. They would score two more touchdowns together on and 82-yard pass play, and a 24-yard passing score. KWC finished the game with 389 total yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, James Todd led the way with eight total tackles. Malik Malone and Ty Martin-Miles each collected seven tackles apiece. Malone, Martin-Miles, and freshman Jamison Blackwell each led the Panther defense with five solo tackles apiece.
Damarcus Smith had a solid game in his Panther debut, as he finished with 351 yards of total offense and four total touchdowns. Smith completed 13-38 pass attempts for 277 yards and three touchdowns. He also was the Panthers' leading rusher in the contest with 74 yards and a touchdown.
All three of Smith's touchdown passes were to senior wide receiver Keelan Cole. Cole continued to flourish offensively after having a huge season last year. He caught six passes for a total of 181 yards and three scores throughout the game.
Kentucky Wesleyan will be back at home at Steele Stadium next Saturday for their first home contest of the season against Davidson. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
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