WATERBURY, Conn. – Senior defensive lineman Matthew Myrick took his first career interception 55 yards to the house, highlighting a record-setting season-opening win for Post University Football against West Virginia Wesleyan College, in which the Eagles broke or tied seven programs en route to their 51-14 victory. Post's defense had a record-breaking five interceptions in the game to help the Eagles move to 1-0 for the second consecutive season after doing so last year with their first-ever home victory at Municipal Stadium, 41-24, over the Bobcats on August 31st. 

THE BASICS

Post University 51, West Virginia Wesleyan College 14

Post University (1-0)

West Virginia Wesleyan College (0-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED
In a first half that saw the Eagles hold their opponent scoreless for the first time in program history, Post jumped out to a commanding 30-0 lead heading into halftime after manufacturing four scoring drives before Myrick's 55-yard interception that he took to the house. Both senior quarterback Malakai Taylor and junior quarterback Tyler Phommachanh combined to throw just 14 total passes, going 7-for-14 overall with 104 passing yards, no touchdowns, and one sack, which Taylor took. Led by their rushing attack, Post generated 228 total rushing yards, a new program record that passed their October 23rd, 2023, high of 198 yards against Franklin Pierce University, which led to six touchdowns, another program record that beat out the three they scored against Lake Erie College on September 14th, 2024. 

Sophomore running back Adonis White led the way in the ground game with 92 yards on 22 attempts for two touchdowns, positioning himself for the fifth-most rushing yards and fourth-most rushing attempts in program history as the Eagles ran the ball a total of 48 times as a team, the second-most in a single game for the program. After the defense forced a quick three-and-out, Taylor and the Eagles drove 55 yards over the course of 10 plays to take a 6-0 lead via White's one-yard touchdown run, his first of two in the half. Freshman kicker Nathan Hawkins missed the point-after attempt, but it would be his only miss of the day as he hit his next six PATs to set the single-game program record and hit a 28-yard field goal through the uprights in the second quarter.

Post's defense would not let the West Virginia Wesleyan offense get onto their side of the field until the second quarter, following a three-yard catch by sophomore tight end Tristan Boone with Post already ahead 13-0 following a 10-yard run by Phommachanh with 3:13 left in the first. Senior quarterback Logan Landers drove the Bobcats just outside of the red zone before junior linebacker Michael Gabettie quelled the threat with the first of three interceptions for the Eagles in the second quarter alone. The next pick would be Myrick's 55-yard run, which made it 30-0, before graduate safety Ajay Morrison picked off Landers at the Post two-yard line near the end of the half. 

A shaky start for Post to begin the second half saw the Bobcats cut their deficit down to just 16 points via back-to-back touchdown drives after forcing a three-and-out to start the third. Junior quarterback Quinton Pulley started the first drive, leading the charge down the field 72 yards on 10 plays, ending in an eight-yard touchdown run from Kevin Montague to get the Bobcats their first points of the season. After both teams exchanged punts, the ensuing Post drive would end in the first challenged play in program history as Taylor was sacked and stripped of the ball, which was recovered by senior defensive lineman Riley Slaughter in the Bobcats' red zone. Head Coach Adam Schultz would challenge the play, but the call would stand, giving West Virginia Wesleyan prime field position.

Six plays later, the Bobcats would get their final score of the day on sophomore running back Mason White's one-yard touchdown run before Post scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to set the program's point record in the 51-14 win. Freshman wide receiver Israel Hiraldo had one of the three fourth-quarter touchdowns, along with Phommachanh's second and the first of sophomore running back Malachi Dudley's career. Hiraldo finished with 185 all-purpose yards, including a 48-yard punt return, which was the longest in program history, to go along with 99 kickoff return yards, 20 receiving yards on two catches, and 18 rushing yards on two carries. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Totaling up 51 points as a team, Post University set the new program record for points in a game, surpassing their mark from August 31st, 2024 against West Virginia Wesleyan University when they scored 41 points in that victory -- The Eagles also passed their mark for most rushing yards in a game with 228, moving past their 198-yard record against Franklin Pierce University back on October 21st, 2023
• The dominance of the ground game for Post University led to a program-record six rushing touchdowns, the most in a single game since they scored three against Lake Erie College on September 14th, 2024 -- The pair of rushing touchdowns each for Adonis White and Tyler Phommachanh tied Broghean McGovern (9/24/22 at Northern Michigan) and Isaiah Emmanuel (9/14/24 at Lake Erie) for the most in a single game by a Post player
• Adonis White finished the game with 92 rushing yards on 22 attempts to go along with his two touchdown runs -- White now holds the mark for the fifth-most rushing yards in a single game as well as ties Isaiah Emmanuel's 22 rushing attempts against Assumption University on September 27th, 2024, for the fourth-most in a single game in program history 
• On special teams, Israel Hiraldo set the new program record for the longest punt return after running one back for 48 yards, passing Talik Burton's 37-yard run against the University of New Haven on October 15th, 2022 -- Hayden Hall now holds the sixth-longest punt in program history with a 44-yard boot, while Nathan Hawkins owns the program record for most point after attempts made with six made today to move ahead of Aden Caine's five PATs against West Virginia Wesleyan on August 31st, 2024 
• Defensively, Post University had five interceptions, the most in a single game in program history, surpassing their three interceptions against Saint Anselm College on October 22nd, 2022 as well as a program-record four sacks, moving past their three-sack record set against Franklin Pierce University (10/29/22) and Southern Connecticut State University (10/28/23) -- Omar Tillman's 2.5 tackles-for-loss tied him for the second-most in a single game in the history of the program 
• Holding West Virginia Wesleyan College scoreless in the first half, this was the first time in program history in which Post University has held its opponent scoreless through the first 30 minutes – The Eagles led 30-0 at halftime

WHO'S NEXT
Like last season, Post University will head into its Bye Week before returning to Municipal Stadium on September 13th to face Southern Connecticut State University at 1:00 PM. This will be the first of two matchups against the Owls this season, with this one being the second of three nonconference games on the Eagles' schedule. Post is 0-3 all-time against Southern Connecticut, dropping a narrow 31-27 decision in their most recent matchup last year.