Rocky Mount, NC - The North Carolina Wesleyan football team suffered a tough 41–38 loss to Belhaven on Saturday afternoon at Vernon T. Bradley Jr. Stadium, as the Blazers converted a late field goal with 26 seconds remaining to escape with the win in a back-and-forth USA South battle.

The matchup featured over 1,100 yards of combined offense, as both teams traded explosive plays throughout the afternoon. The Bishops fell to 2–3 overall and 0–2 in USA South play, while Belhaven improved to 3–2 and 2–0 in conference action.

Game Summary
Belhaven opened the scoring early on a 12-yard touchdown run by Caleb Gallashaw before senior running back Nahjiir Seagraves answered immediately with a 70-yard scoring burst to even things at 7–7. After a 74-yard touchdown pass put the Blazers back on top, kicker Braxtyn Green trimmed the deficit with a 14-yard field goal, making it 14–10 after the first quarter.

The second quarter saw the teams continue to trade scores. Belhaven pushed ahead 21–10, but Seagraves again broke loose—this time for a 75-yard touchdown run—to pull Wesleyan within four. With under a minute to go in the half, quarterback Javier Rice led a 95-yard drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown pass to Michael Pannell, giving the Bishops a 24–21 halftime lead.

The Bishops extended their advantage early in the third on a 57-yard strike from Rice to Tyson Resper, but Belhaven closed the quarter with a field goal to make it 31–24. Seagraves added his third rushing touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter to give Wesleyan its largest lead of the day, 38–24.

Belhaven stormed back behind quarterback Brock Morris, who connected twice with Tyler Craft for touchdowns in the final nine minutes to tie the game 38–38. The Blazers' defense then forced a punt, setting up the game-winning 18-yard field goal by Lyndell Boatman with just 26 seconds left.

By the Numbers
The Bishops totaled 575 yards of offense, led by a dominant ground attack featuring Seagraves' 209 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Rice threw for 301 yards and two scores, completing 22 of 32 passes. Resper was unstoppable through the air, hauling in 12 receptions for 226 yards and a touchdown, while Pannell added five catches and a score.

Defensively, Mathias Winston led all tacklers with fourteen stops, while Eric Cooper and Solomon Young added six apiece. The Bishops recorded two sacks and seven tackles for loss on the day.

Belhaven quarterback Morris threw for 448 yards and three touchdowns, with Craft (98 yards, 2 TDs) and Hatch (157 yards, 1 TD) leading the Blazer receiving corps.

Up Next
Football will look to bounce back on the road next Saturday, October 18, when NCWU travels to Huntingdon.