Sometimes, as was the case Saturday in the University of Charleston's 31-30 win over Glenville State, the most mundane play in college football can be the most crucial.
After Glenville quarterback Sean Steele sneaked his way in for a 1-yard touchdown with 1:55 left in the third quarter, Chris Carrera's extra point try bounced off the right goalpost, keeping the Pioneers' lead at 30-24. UC redshirt freshman defensive lineman John Cominsky said he didn't think much about the miss.
"We planned on winning by more than one point," he said.
Yet that was the final margin, set when senior running back Marvin Elam scored his third touchdown of the afternoon and Brett Benes' extra point sailed through with 14 minutes left. After that, the Golden Eagles (2-1 overall, 2-1 Mountain East) weathered a few attempts by Glenville to retake the lead.
The Pioneers (2-1, 2-1) got into UC territory three times in those final 14 minutes, the Golden Eagles turning them away each time. The first drive ended in a missed 42-yard field goal, the second ended with a punt and the third ended with a fourth-and-11 stop at the UC 35, Steele's end-zone throw to Rahmann Lee sailing long. Steele tried to hit that same spot the play before, but Jonte Pooler was there to break up the pass to Ralph Gordon.
"I'm proud that we won and the way our guys played for four quarters," UC coach Pat Kirkland said. "Obviously, we've got some things we have to work on, but I'm excited to come out with a win."
The Golden Eagles, who entered Saturday's game allowing 270 rushing yards per game, held the Pioneers to 189 on the ground, though Steele struck for 313 yards and three touchdowns on 20-for-38 passing.
But Charleston was able to put pressure in the backfield that it hadn't in its first two games. The Golden Eagles' two sacks, by Rhakeem Stallings and Cominsky, were their first of the year.
Meanwhile, UC quarterback Jeremy Johnson kept a steady hand under center, moving the offense with both his arm and legs. He completed 11 of 20 passes for 214 yards, didn't turn the ball over and took just one sack. He also gained 88 yards on 11 carries, including a 56-yard sprint that set up Tevion Cappe's 5-yard touchdown run two plays later.
Johnson credited his day to his offensive line, which he said did a masterful job of keeping Glenville's defense at bay.
"Today, I had the advantage because of my line," he said. "Man, they did a great job. It felt like I was in my living room, sitting down on my couch. I felt no pressure."
Mistakes marred both team's games, but cost the Pioneers more. In the second quarter, UC drove to the Glenville 6, but Cappe fumbled there and Glenville recovered. Pioneers defensive back Andre Dalton took that fumble deep into UC territory, but a personal foul call put the ball back on the UC 35. On top of the missed extra point in the third and missed 42-yard field goal in the fourth, Carrera missed a 44-yarder in the second quarter.
"There are a lot of plays in that game where we had some opportunities and didn't make plays," Glenville coach David Hutchinson said. "We had way too many missed tackles on defense. Offensively, we never really got into rhythm.
"Basically, at the end," he said, "they made one more play than we made."
The Pioneers and Golden Eagles battled to a stalemate after the game's first 30 minutes, neither team gaining more than a touchdown advantage in the process. UC struck first, Marvin Elam's 12-yard touchdown run opening the scoring. But Glenville answered and overtook the Golden Eagles on a pair of touchdown passes.
Both came from long distance. The first came on a 43-yard throw from Sean Steele to Dante Absher. The second came on a Steele-to-Lee connection. Lee - Glenville's star running back who destroyed West Virginia Wesleyan for 412 rushing yards last week - took a Steele swing pass down the sideline for a 71-yard score.
Lee, who finished 7 yards shy of the Division II single-game rushing record, finished Saturday with just 99 yards on 18 carries. Western Michigan transfer Tevin Drake was right behind him, with 98 yards on 16 carries.
Cappe tied the game again at 14 with his 5-yard run capping a five-play, 78-yard drive. Glenville responded with a clock-chewing 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. The Pioneers ended that when Steele found Absher again, this time wide open in the back right corner to make it 21-14, Glenville. Elam reached the end zone again to even things up, scoring from 8 yards out with 28 seconds left in the half.
Benes and Carrera traded 22-yard field goals in the third quarter before the final two touchdowns of the game. Absher led Glenville with 113 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. Cappe led UC with 125 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while Elam gained 90 yards and three scores on 18 carries.
The win gave Kirkland sole possession of third place in UC and Morris Harvey College history with 30 career victories, breaking a tie with Jule Ward. It was the Golden Eagles' fifth straight win at home.
UC visits West Virginia State at 1 p.m. Saturday.