Boykin tallies four sacks, NCWC football downs Ferrum 34-24

Rocky Mount, NC - Senior defensive lineman LeeRon Boykin (pictured) set a new single-game program record with four sacks on Saturday afternoon, leading his Blue & Gold football squad to a 34-24 victory over Ferrum College in the USA South Conference opener for both teams. The Battling Bishops raced out to a 28-7 halftime lead and did not look back in evening their record at 2-2 on the season. With the loss, the Panthers also stand at 2-2 overall.

After forcing a Panther punt on the game's first drive, Wesleyan executed an 11-play, 76-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown rush by quarterback Bo Jordan on 4th-and-goal. Kevin Quicker's PAT gave NCWC an early 7-0 advantage.

The Panthers answered with an 80-yard drive of their own that was capped by a Matt Lucas five-yard TD run. The successful point-after sent the two squads into the second quarter tied 7-7.

Wesleyan proceeded to put up 21 unanswered points before the break. Tailback Teron Bush struck first with four-yard touchdown run, followed by a 17-yard TD catch by Orlando Webb later in the period.  Bryan Haywood's two-yarder with 47 seconds left before intermission gave NCWC a commanding 28-7 lead.

In the second half, things got interesting when the Bishops fumbled the opening kick-off. A 37-yard field goal by Scott Puschell made the score 28-10, and Ferrum looked to pull even closer when Wesleyan fumbled once again on its next possession, giving FC the ball on the NCWC 29-yardline. 

The Bishop defense, however, held strong thanks to a 10-yard sack by Boykin on 3rd-and-26 that pushed the Panthers out of field goal range. Wesleyan then drove 77 yards in 11 plays for a 34-10 lead with just under three minutes left in the third.

Ferrum countered quickly with a 65-yard drive that featured three runs for over 10 yards, the last of which was a 13-yard touchdown rush by QB Zack Lewis.  Lewis then completed the two-point conversion with a pass to Aaron Johnson for a 34-18 Bishop lead heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, the Panther defense forced a three-and-out on Wesleyan's first possession, and FC's offense rewarded them with a 66-yard drive that was capped by a 17-yard touchdown by Mike Vann.  All four plays on the drive were by way of the ground as Quintel Banks accounted for 49 yards.

After forcing another Bishop punt on the next possession, Ferrum's offense again drove down the field, but a costly fumble on Wesleyan's 9-yardline was recovered by Jaren Wilcox with 6:30 remaining. The Blue & Gold went on to pick up five first downs to run out the clock on the Panthers' comeback try.

NCWC quarterback Bo Jordan turned in a solid performance, going 21-of-27 for 311 yards and a touchdown. Bush finished with 117 net yards on the ground, while Webb finished with nine catches for 128 yards. Wesleyan amassed 516 yards of offense on the day.

Defensively, Boykin recorded two other tackles to go along with his four sacks, while freshman James Wallace led the Battling Bishops with nine total takedowns in the contest.

For Ferrum, Banks finished with 93 yards on the ground, and as a team, the Panthers accumulated 300 rushing yards in the game. Defensively, Brandon Jackson led all players with 11 tackles.

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