Down 26-7 with just six minutes to play in the game, the Panthers chances of victory looked bleak. But Two touchdowns in the next four minutes put Kentucky Wesleyan within five with just two minutes to play. That’s where their success was halted, however, as Lake Erie was able to hold the Panthers off in the end for the victory.
Lake Erie now moves to 1-1 (1-1 G-MAC) while the Panthers fall to 0-2 (0-2 G-MAC).
After an uneventful first quarter that finished with a score of 0-0, Lake Erie got things going with two touchdowns in the second, including on with just 38 seconds left in the half to make it 14-0 at the break.
Wesleyan got things started right in the third quarter, with David Florence making two big catches on the Pather’s first drive of the frame, including a 10-yard touchdown pass from Wiley Cain to put the Panthers on the board and make it a 14-7 game. Lake Erie then went 68 yards on their very next drive to score and make it 20-7 after three.
The Panthers got a big boost in the beginning of the fourth quarter when Jaden Santos-Lopez had a huge 11-yard sack to stop an LEC drive and give Wesleyan the ball back. After the Panthers drove down the field, a Cole Cawthorne field goal attempt was blocked and brought all the way back to the Kentucky Wesleyan seven yard line, which set up Lake Erie for a quick score to go up 26-7.
With time running out, Cain hit Peyton Peters for a 34 yard touchdown with five minutes left to make it a 26-14 game. After a huge stop by the Wesleyan defense, the Panthers needed only nine seconds to score their next touchdown. Cain hit Brennen McGuire for an 81 yard touchdown pass to make it a one score game with two minutes remaining.
That pass was just one yard away from going into the top ten in longest pass completions in KWC history. Wesleyan got yet another stop on the Storm’s next drive, but with 16 seconds left, the Panthers flurry of laterals at the end of the game was not enough and they fell by just five points.
Wiley Cain went 26-for-49 with a career high 390 yards and three touchdowns. The incredible trio of Brennen McGuire (5 catches, 178 yards), David Florence (8 catches, 115 yards), and Peyton Peters (8 catches, 78 yards) each had a touchdown on the day. Landon Newman and Jatorian Dillard were extremely solid running hte ball, with Newman going for 65 yards and Dillard rushing for 60.
Bryce Yeast led the Panthers with 11 tackles, while Jalen Humphrey was close behind with 10. Jaden Santos-Lopez and Darryl Pointer Jr. each notched a sack on the day, while Malik Mundy kept the pressure up with two QB hurries. Blake Vivrette continued his strong season of punting, notching an average of 46.5 yards on his two punts for the day.
Kentucky Wesleyan will be right back at it next week when they host Missouri S&T, who are coming off a win vs. FCS foe Drake on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
