Box Score URBANA, Ohio - Urbana scored its first offensive points at UU Stadium this season, but it wasn't enough as the Blue Knights fell 37-12 to Charleston Saturday afternoon.
The Blue Knights showed their best offensive performance in front of the home crowd, totaling 255 yards on 58 plays, including a career-high 190 passing yards from junior QB
Eric Pelfrey.
Urbana (2-6, 1-6 MEC) received another record-setting defensive performance from senior captain
D'Gary Wallace, who tied his career-high of 20 tackles. He entered the contest with the sixth-most career tackles among active NCAA Division II players, and his total on Saturday equaled his own Mountain East Conference record set earlier this season.
Now with 368 career defensive stops, Wallace needs only six more tackles to break UU's all-time career record, which is currently held by Charles Boyd (2001-2003).
Wallace wreaked havoc all over the field, while forcing one fumble and recovering another, but it wasn't enough to contain the UC offense.
The Golden Eagles (7-1, 7-1 MEC) outmuscled the Blue Knights by running the ball 53 times for 214 yards. UC gained a total of 376 yards of offense, and went 7-of-14 and 3-of-4 on third and fourth downs, respectively.
Down 13-0 in the second quarter, Pelfrey put UU on the board when he found redshirt freshman
Shemar Hooks in the back of the end zone from 11 yards out. It was Hooks' first career TD, as he stepped up with a game-high five receptions for 37 yards.
Hooks would've had an even bigger day had his 33-yard TD grab not been called back in the fourth quarter.
Pelfrey finished with a career-high 15 completions on 26 attempts, and also ran the ball 15 times. He scored on a keeper late in the game from two yards out to make it 37-12.
Three UU receivers finished with three catches, including
Ron Roberts (56 yards),
Trevon Saunders (48 yards), and
Kelly Carter (42 yards).
The UU secondary limited the Golden Eagles' passing attack to just 162 yards, but UC quarterback Jeremy Johnson was efficient in the red zone with three passing touchdowns.
The visitors scored through the air in each of the first three quarters, while tacking on a rushing TD in the final period. UC kicker Brett Barnes connected on a 27-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, giving UU a 16-6 lead at the break.
Defensively for UU,
Kevin Chapple and
Bo Keener each racked up 10 tackles, while
Andre Cliff recorded five stops.
Each team lost a pair of fumbles, and both were strong in the red zone. UC scored on 6-of-8 trips, while UU went a perfect 2-for-2.
Urbana travels to UVa-Wise next Saturday, Oct. 31, as it tries to end a two-game skid. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET.
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