Danville, Va. - N.C. Wesleyan's football team won its third game in four weeks on Saturday, downing Averett 56-51 in league play. Dustin Midgett, Malik Adams, and Adrian Minondo each broke program records in the win.
Midgett set a new single-game record with 449 passing yards on the day, while his four touchdown passes moved him past former Bishop Cedric Townsend as the all-time leader with 45 in his career. Catching three of those was Adams, who set a new single-season record for touchdown receptions with his 12th of the season. Adams also racked up a single-game record 220 receiving yards on 11 catches, while Minondo did the rest on the ground by rushing for a new Bishop record of 278 yards and four scores. As a team, Wesleyan finished with a program record 709 total yards of offense.
Despite the offensive explosion, the Bishops were not able to put the Cougars away until late in the fourth. After forging a 28-20 lead at the half, NCWC watched as AU scored the first 14 points of the third quarter. Wesleyan actually trailed three times in the half, with a 7-yard run by Minondo and a pair touchdowns from Midgett to Adams each giving NCWC different leads.
Up 49-45, Wesleyan's defense forced Averett to punt with just over seven minutes remaining, and the ensuing 59-yard drive saw Minondo find the endzone from two yards out for a 56-45 lead. A quick Cougar score made it 56-51, but AU would not get the ball back again as Minondo rushed six times for a trio of first downs that allowed Wesleyan to run out the clock.
Defensively, Michael Clemmons tallied nine tackles and a sack, while Jaylon Johnson added eight stops.
The Bishops (3-5, 3-2 USA South) continue conference play next Saturday at LaGrange College. Kickoff is slated for 1:00pm.