By: Jason Wilson Jr.

Coming into the season, West Virginia Wesleyan College had its first home opener college football game since 2012 on September 2, 2023. Both Johnson C. Smith University Golden Bulls and West Virginia Wesleyan College Bobcats were 0-0 in the season. If West Virginia Wesleyan were to win, they would make school history because this would be their first home opener victory in over 10 years. So, this was a very important game for the Bobcats.

The game kicked off at 1 pm, with both teams looking strong and confident. The Bobcats received the ball first and drove the ball down the field for 8 plays and 76 yards but ended up kicking a field goal for 3 points. The Golden Bulls then received the ball and proceeded to drive the ball down the field for 10 plays and 70 yards. During that drive, a big play occurred, which was a 25-yard pass to Tyriek Williams, leading the Golden Bulls to 7 points on the board to end the first quarter.

In the second quarter, both teams went back and forth, but the Golden Bulls scored twice on drives of 6 plays, 61 yards, and 10 plays, 80 yards, resulting in touchdowns. Before the second quarter ended, the Bobcats kicked a 46-yard field goal to conclude the first half with a score of 6 to 21.

The second half began, and the Golden Bulls received the ball, going three and out. The same thing happened to the Bobcats. About five minutes into the third quarter, the Golden Bulls drove the ball down the field for 11 plays, 73 yards, and a touchdown. The big play on that drive was a 14-yard pass from Tyrell Jackson to one of his wide receivers. The Bobcats and Golden Bulls continued to go three and out until Jacob Newman scored a 44-yard punt return touchdown for the Golden Bulls later in the third quarter, making the score 6 to 35 going into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter began, and the Golden Bulls came out and scored a touchdown in four plays for 49 yards. Both teams battled back and forth throughout the rest of the quarter until the late fourth quarter when the Golden Bulls put their last points on the board, making the score 49 to 6. Despite a difficult loss for the Bobcats, both teams showed a great amount of effort and dedication to their craft. The Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls came out victorious with a 1-0 record heading to their next game, and West Virginia Wesleyan is looking to get their record back to 1-1 next week when they go on the road to face the Notre Dame (OH) Falcons.