RICHMOND, Ky. - The University of West Georgia football team fell in another hard-fought United Athletic Conference contest in week three, falling 26-7 to the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on the road on Saturday night.
In a game where EKU's largest lead was just 12 points until their final score inside five minutes remaining, West Georgia (1-2, 0-2 UAC) made too many mistakes against a veteran FCS program in the Colonel's 2024 home opener.
West Georgia's average starting field position was their own 19 while EKU started their drives on average at their own 35-yard line. UWG would have the narrow advantage in total offense, recording 371 to EKU's 365, while getting a big night from Karmello English who caught nine passes for 109 yards.
Eastern Kentucky (1-2, 1-0 UAC) struck first, forcing a UWG punt and then capitalizing on an offside penalty on a missed field goal attempt and making the redo to take a 3-0 lead.
On the second drive of the game, UWG drove inside the redone, but was forced to try a field goal, and missed after a delay of game penalty backed up Chance Gagnon's attempt by five yards.
Early in the second, the Colonels would find the endzone for the first time, as Joshua Carter ran it in from nine yards out to make it a 10-0, EKU lead with just under 12 minutes to play in the half.
Each team would add one more score before the halftime break. For the Wolves, it was Rajaez Mosley on a four-yard touchdown rush from the wildcat formation that capped a 12-play, 85-yard touchdown drive that cut into the Colonel lead.
EKU then added a 35-yard field goal with under a minute to play in the half to make it a 13-7 EKU advantage after 30 minutes.
After two punts each out of the break, EKU cashed in on 22-yard punt return that set them up with great field percentage and they eventually scored on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Matt Morrissey to Caeleb Schlachter. The Colonels would elect to go for two and make it a 14-point lead, but the Wolves snuffed out a swinging gate attempt and kept the deficit at 19-7.
The Colonels added another passing touchdown late in the contest to account for the final margin.
Defensively, UWG corralled EKU's rushing attack, holding the Colonels to just 2.4 yards per rush and 88 yards total. As a team, the Wolves recorded four sacks, including two from Solomanie Bambara. Jalen Frazier and Jay Carter led the defensive unit with nine total tackles.
Davin Wydner played from start to finish at QB for the Wolves, completing 16 passes for 195 yards. Rajaez Mosley had his best rushing night, carrying the ball 23 times for 85 yards. True freshman running back Bryce Hicks got his first career action, rushing six times for 51 yards.
West Georgia has a bye week upcoming, but returns to home action on September 28, renewing a rivalry with North Alabama. Kickoff from Ra-Lin Field is set for 2 p.m.
