Buena Vista, VA — North Carolina Wesleyan Football used a dominant second quarter and a turnover-hungry defensive effort to earn a 45-27 road victory over Southern Virginia Saturday afternoon at Knight Stadium. The Battling Bishops scored 28 points in the second quarter and forced six turnovers on the afternoon to secure their second straight victory and improve to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in USA South play.
Southern Virginia took an early 6-0 lead, but North Carolina Wesleyan responded with a long drive late in the opening quarter. The Bishops marched 46 yards on 10 plays before Jorge Hernandez-Lara connected on a 19-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 6-3.
After Southern Virginia extended its advantage to 14-3 early in the second quarter, Wesleyan quickly turned the momentum in its favor. Aarmon Randolph intercepted Devin Watson and returned it 15 yards before recovering his own fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, bringing the Bishops within 14-10.
The Wesleyan defense struck again just seconds later when Michael Wallace intercepted Watson, giving the offense possession at the Southern Virginia 34-yard line. Four plays later, Karlen McEntyre broke free for a 27-yard touchdown run on fourth down to give the Bishops their first lead of the afternoon at 17-14.
North Carolina Wesleyan continued to build momentum before halftime. With 2:16 remaining in the second quarter, Braden Selvage connected with Ethan Fay for a 61-yard touchdown, extending the Wesleyan lead to 24-14.
The defense created another opportunity moments later when Daviaus Johnson intercepted a Southern Virginia pass and returned it 29 yards to the Knights' 21-yard line. Selvage took advantage of the short field, finding Tyson Resper for a 17-yard touchdown with 29 seconds remaining to send the Bishops into halftime with a commanding 31-14 advantage.
Wesleyan carried that momentum into the second half. Johnson forced a fumble on Southern Virginia's opening possession of the third quarter, and Derek Schemenauer recovered it at the Knights' 49-yard line. The Bishops responded with a seven-play scoring drive, capped by Selvage's one-yard touchdown pass to Jimmie West III to extend the lead to 38-14.
Southern Virginia continued to battle and trimmed the deficit to 38-27 in the fourth quarter, but North Carolina Wesleyan answered when it needed to. The Bishops took advantage of strong field position and drove 42 yards in five plays, with Robert Wayne Trip III scoring on a two-yard run with 6:06 remaining to push the advantage back to 45-27 and help seal the road victory.
Selvage finished the afternoon completing 16 of 26 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Resper led the receiving corps with eight catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, while Fay recorded three catches for 85 yards and a score, highlighted by his 61-yard touchdown reception. West III added three catches for 43 yards and a touchdown.
On the ground, McEntyre led the Bishops with 85 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown, while Trip III added 51 yards and a score on 13 attempts. Wesleyan finished with 405 yards of total offense, including 247 through the air and 158 on the ground. The Bishops also converted 10 of their 17 third-down opportunities and controlled possession for more than 36 minutes.
The Wesleyan defense played a major role in the victory, forcing three interceptions and recovering three fumbles while also recording four sacks. Schemenauer and Zeon Ware led the Bishops with 10 tackles apiece, while Mathias Winston added eight.
Randolph turned in a standout all-around performance with seven tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception that resulted in a touchdown. Elijah Wiggins added six tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery, while Johnson recorded an interception, forced a fumble and finished with four tackles. Wallace also added an interception as the Bishops repeatedly created opportunities for the offense.
North Carolina Wesleyan's ability to create turnovers and capitalize on short fields proved to be the difference, as the Bishops overcame an early 14-3 deficit by scoring 35 unanswered points and continued their late-season momentum with a 45-27 conference road victory.
