Ten down, one to go, with history in sight.
Behind another record-setting day from quarterback Jeremy Johnson, the University of Charleston football team put away Alderson Broaddus 56-21 Saturday afternoon at UC Stadium.
A week after he set UC's single-game passing record, Johnson eclipsed it, throwing for 316 yards, adding three touchdowns as the No. 20 Golden Eagles (9-1, 8-1 Mountain East Conference) won their eighth straight. The sixth-year quarterback added a game-high 89 rushing yards.
All that's left for Charleston is Thursday's regular-season finale at the University of Virginia-Wise. UC is searching for its first Division II playoff berth and, with the Golden Eagles ranked third in Super Region One, a win at Wise should clinch it. It also could put UC in line to host a postseason game.
But before there's any postseason talk, UC coach Pat Kirkland would like his Golden Eagles to straighten some things out heading into Thursday's game.
"We didn't play our best ball," he said. "AB has some playmakers and they did a nice job scheme-wise, but we had too many mistakes and too many penalties. So we've got to get them corrected."
Charleston, which entered Saturday's game with the second-fewest penalty yards in the MEC (70.7 per game), was flagged 14 times for 149 yards against the Battlers.
UC jumped to a commanding lead early, capitalizing on AB miscues. The Battlers clawed their way back into the game before the Golden Eagles took off again. AB found itself in a one-touchdown hole just 12 seconds into the game. Battlers kick returner Marcus Anderson couldn't keep the opening kickoff in his hands, Zaire Lewis came up with it and zipped 15 yards the other way for a touchdown.
Slippery fingers led to another UC score, which staked the Golden Eagles to a three-touchdown lead. A botched pitch to the outside fell to the turf and Battler players kicked it into the end zone while trying to recover it. UC's James King finally jumped on it in the back of the end zone to give the Golden Eagles a 28-7 lead.
The Battlers (6-4) kept what could have become a much earlier rout within striking distance, thanks to quarterback Dakota Bruggeman. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior was able to find openings in UC's zone defense and kept A-B moving. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. His second touchdown throw - which also was tight end Cooper Schroeder's second scoring catch - cut Charleston's lead to 35-21 with 10:49 left in the third quarter.
"We were playing some zone coverage and they had some zone-beaters that hurt us a little bit," Kirkland said. "That's just good call-bad call, to be honest with you. I thought we did a better job in the second half with some adjustments, coverage-wise, and guys handled it well."
Those were the last points Alderson Broaddus would score. Charleston pulled away with 21 unanswered points thanks to Johnson and reserve quarterback Jermaine Kelly. Kelly, working in a wildcat-type package, rushed for two touchdowns, a 2-yarder and a 57-yarder. Johnson's third touchdown pass of the day, a 7-yarder to Rashawn Dickerson, was sandwiched between them.
After becoming the first UC quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards in a game in last week's win over West Virginia Wesleyan, Johnson became the first UC quarterback with back-to-back 300-plus-yard games. He said much of the defense he was able to exploit against Wesleyan showed up again versus AB.
"It was man across and they were trying to put pressure on me and make me get the ball out quick," said Johnson, who completed 14 of 26 passes. "I just utilized the talent around me, got them the ball and let them make plays."
Running back Marvin Elam led UC with 121 yards on five catches, while Dickerson caught four passes for 25 yards and two scores, Johnny Delahoussaey caught three passes for 93 yards and a touchdown and Joey Augustin caught two passes for 80 yards.
The Golden Eagles could have piled on even more points if not for penalties. Flags erased a Torie Wagner 79-yard punt return for a TD, a 73-yard Kane Roush touchdown run, and a 72-yard Tevion Cappe run that put the Golden Eagles inside AB's 1-yard line.
Those mistakes, and the drive to correct them, will help UC stay focused heading into a short week and its last regular-season game. At 1-8, Virginia-Wise is at the bottom of the MEC standings, but Thursday's is a game UC must win to ensure a solid spot in the playoffs and contend for a home game.
"We can't think ahead," Johnson said. "If we think ahead, we'll take away some of our preparation for the next week. We're just worried about Virginia-Wise. After we celebrate this win, we'll work on Virginia-Wise. Every game is a playoff game, to be honest."