OWENSBORO, Ky. – The Kentucky Wesleyan College football team came up just short on Saturday, falling to Southwest Baptist University 20-13 on Homecoming Saturday in Owensboro. The Panthers were inside the red zone in the closing seconds with a chance to tie the game but were unable to execute.
Wesleyan's defense shut down the Bearcats on their first drive of the game, holding them to 18-yards and forcing them to punt from midfield. The Panthers were able to get on the board on their first drive of the game with Chris Mangold nailing a 29-yard field goal.
Two drives later quarterback Wiley Cain connected with Ladarrius Dunn for a 71-yard score, but a holding penalty on Wesleyan brought the play back. After taking over on downs, Southwest Baptist needed just one play to score their first touchdown of the game on a 53-yard run to take a 7-3 lead.
Both teams tallied a field goal in the second quarter, allowing the Bearcats to take a 10-6 lead into halftime. The Panther defense held Southwest Baptist scoreless on four drives in the second quarter, including one drive for a loss of 20 yards thanks to sack from Dalan Cofer.
The Bearcats missed a field goal to start the second half, giving the Panthers the ball at their own 20-yard line. A pair of runs from Dessi Austin put Wesleyan at the 41-yard line before Peyton Peters dazzled with a leaping grab that was taken to the house for a 59-yard touchdown. Mangold converted the extra point to give Wesleyan a 13-10 lead with 6:07 remaining in the third.
Southwest Baptist responded on the ensuing drive with a field goal, tying the game back up at 13 entering the final frame.
Wesleyan had a chance to take the lead early in the fourth quarter, knocking on the red zone door at the 29-yard line. A missed field goal kept the score knotted at 13.
Facing fourth and one at their own 38-yard line, the Bearcats ran a fake punt play with kicker Logan Claborn connecting with Cory Hanger for a 62-yard touchdown. The extra point was good, giving the Bearcats a 20-13 lead with just under eight minutes remaining.
The Panthers had three drives in the final eight minutes but were forced to put after going three and out on the first two. Wesleyan got the ball at their own 19-yard line with 1:40 on the clock and no timeouts remaining. Two straight passes to David Florence and Peyton Peters combined for 27-yards before Cain scrambled for a first down on fourth and six.
Cain connected with Corey Johnson Jr. on two straight passes totaling 20-yards and putting Wesleyan at the Bearcat 24-yard line. Dunn hauled in an 8-yard catch to move to the 16-yard line before Southwest Baptist used their final timeout with five seconds remaining. The Panthers were able to get two plays off in the final seconds, but two incomplete passes in the end zone allowed the Bearcats to hold on for their second win of the season.
Cain finished with 264-yards on 22 completions with one touchdown. Peters led the receivers with 86-yards on three catches. De'Ondre Boggs was right behind with 72-yards on five catches. Johnson Jr. led the run game with 56-yards on 14 carries.
The Panther offense posted a season-high 341-yards on the day while scoring on two of their four red zone chances.
Armand Childs anchored the defense with nine tackles on the day, seven of where were solo. Devyn Bledsoe, Jackson Rape and Jalen Humphrey each tallied seven. RJ Wilson recorded the lone interception on the day while Cofer and Jalen Wilson each contributed one sack.
Wesleyan hits the road next week for their first road game of the 2019 season. The Panthers open Great Midwest Athletic Conference play at Lake Erie College at 1 pm CT on Saturday, September 28.
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