For more than three quarters, the University of Charleston offense struggled to do much offensively.
But the Golden Eagles came through when it counted, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter and using a smothering defensive effort to hold on to a 17-10 victory over UVa-Wise in their final game of the season to send their seniors out with one final win.
"They've been on the other end of this for the last four or five weeks and to get to the end and battle back was great," UC coach Pat Kirkland said. "It's all about the seniors right now, this was a great one for them."
It wasn't a great day for the Charleston offense. UC entered the game second in the Mountain East Conference in rushing, averaging 185 yards per game, but netted minus-30 yards on the ground against the Cavaliers, finishing with 148 total yards.
In the second half, Brant Grisel came in at quarterback for UC and helped lead the team on two crucial scoring drives. The Golden Eagles tied the game in the fourth quarter on a 22-yard field goal by Brett Benes before they forced a punt and Grisel made a big pass down the sideline to D'Andre Brooks to set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Marvin Elam that gave the Golden Eagles their first lead of the game after falling behind 10-0 in the first half.
"We hit a stutter there in the third quarter and we brought Brant in and we started to make some plays," Kirkland said. "The big key was the offensive line stepped up, gave us chances, and we took advantage of it."
While the offense was struggling to gain any momentum, the UC defense stepped up on multiple occasions to make sure the Cavaliers' lead didn't grow. The Golden Eagles allowed 246 total yards of offense, including just 23 in the second half, and forced 11 punts. UC also got a defensive score when T.J. Matrascia recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
"The defense came up big," Kirkland said. "They held a good offensive team scoreless in the second half and they stepped up and made plays when they had the chance. I'm proud of them."
Grisel finished the game with 95 yards on 7-of-12 passing, while Brooks caught six passes for 79 yards. Rhakeem Stallings had 10 tackles, a sack and an interception for UC.
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.