Just as they did last week versus Notre Dame College and last season versus Shepherd, errors cost the University of Charleston football team dearly Thursday night.
The Golden Eagles stayed within a touchdown of No. 4 Shepherd until late in the fourth quarter. But a chop-block penalty in the end zone cost UC a safety that sealed the game for the Rams, who ultimately won 38-22 at University of Charleston Stadium.
Charleston suffered its first 0-2 start since 2013.
The Golden Eagles found themselves snapping from just outside their goal line thanks to another blunder. On UC's previous drive, running back Tevion Cappe fumbled at the Golden Eagles 35. Octavious Thomas recovered for Shepherd at the UC 38. Shepherd couldn't get anything off that drive, but punter Ruan Venter booted a 33-yard end-over-end kick that stopped inside the Charleston 1.
"Those were two big, glaring mistakes," UC coach Pat Kirkland said. "We had a lot of opportunities to take the game over and win, and we kept shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers. Against a good football team, you can't do that."
Mistakes did in the Golden Eagles against Shepherd last season, when the Rams turned four interceptions into 17 points in a win in Shepherdstown. Mistakes hurt UC last week versus the Falcons, too. Charleston lost three fumbles and threw an interception in a loss at Notre Dame.
The Golden Eagles lost an early lead, but pulled even with the Rams with 23 seconds left in the third quarter thanks to a Shepherd defensive breakdown and some UC special teams razzle-dazzle. After C.J. Davis' 45-yard touchdown catch from Jeff Ziemba gave Shepherd a 22-14 lead, Charleston struck back when receiver D'Andre Brooks found himself all alone down the left sideline.
Mason Olszewski found him, too, and lofted a 46-yard touchdown pass. Then the Golden Eagles sent out an unbalanced line, place-kicker Bret Benes took the snap, threw across the field to Blaine Stewart, and Stewart tossed the ball to long snapper Ryan Gamber in the end zone for the 2-point conversion and a 22-22 tie.
But Shepherd came back with an 8-play, 46-yard drive capped by a 1-yard Jeff Ziemba touchdown dive that put the Rams (2-0, 1-1 Mountain East) ahead for good. Then came the safety and a 3-yard Brandon Hlavach insurance touchdown with 39 seconds left.
Ziemba threw for 219 yards, three touchdowns and an interception on 15-of-26 passing, but he really helped the Rams with his legs. He rushed for 56 yards and a score on 12 carries and scrambled to keep several pass plays alive.
"He's got running skills," Shepherd coach Monte Cater said of Ziemba. "He talks about what a great runner he is, and he's full of beans. But he has some skills doing that, whether it's getting out of some junk, because they put a lot of pressure on him. ... I thought he did a nice job."
The Rams started out the game looking very little like the team that reached the 2015 Division II national title game. UC took a 14-3 lead on touchdown runs from Cappe and Marvin Elam. Cappe's score came from 1 yard out with 43 seconds left in the first quarter. Elam barreled in from 4 yards out with 10:35 left in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Shepherd struggled in the run game and Charleston's defense flustered Rams quarterback Ziemba just enough. The reigning MEC offensive player of the year was hurried several times and tossed at least three passes out of bounds to avoid a sack. He also threw his second interception of the season, a leaping, juggling catch by Rhakeem Stallings. Ziemba threw just five interceptions in 14 games last year.
But the Rams righted themselves once Ziemba reconnected with receiver Billy Brown. Brown, a 2015 Associated Press Little All-America third-team pick, caught both of Ziemba's first-half touchdown passes to put the Rams ahead. The first came on a 4-yard slant, while the second came on a perfect strike in the back left corner of the end zone.
Olszewski finished with 160 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 10-for-17 passing and led UC on the ground with 81 yards on 11 carries.
Now the Golden Eagles have to rally again if they want a shot at returning to the Division II playoffs. Two losses on the ledger makes it very tough. Three losses would close the door to just a sliver of light. But Kirkland believes his players have the fortitude to make it happen.
"We've got good kids," Kirkland said. "It matters to them. They take a lot of pride in this program and they understand what happened tonight. They understand we had chance to win against a very good football team. They're motivated."
Contact Derek Redd at 304-348-1712 or derek.redd@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @derekredd.