MEC Football Week Four
• Five games involving MEC teams are on tap for Saturday afternoon with all five contests slated for 1 p.m. kickoffs.
• The lone non-conference game of the day finds Frostburg State traveling to Mercyhurst (Pa.). In conference matchups, West Virginia State hosts West Virginia Wesleyan, Charleston heads south to Concord, Glenville State welcomes UNC-Pembroke and Fairmont State is at Wheeling.
• West Liberty is open this weekend
WEEK 4 SCHEDULE
Saturday, Sept. 28
W.Va. Wesleyan (0-3, 0-1) at W.Va. State (2-1, 1-0) | 1 p.m. | Institute, W.Va.
Last Meeting: September 30, 2023, Buckhannon, W.Va. (W.Va. State d. W.Va. Wesleyan, 51-16)
Notes: W.Va. State has won the last seven matchups in the series, scoring 38 or more points in each game. …The Yellow Jackets racked up 502 yards of total offense and forced 5 turnovers in Saturday night’s 57-37 victory over West Liberty. …QB Isaiah Bess completed 18-of-25 passes for 319 yards and 4 TDs while WR Amare Ary had 5 catches for 115 yards. …TB Joel Felder contributed 102 rushing yards and 58 receiving yards. …The Bobcats are coming off a 35-0 loss at FCS Duquesne. …W.Va. Wesleyan QBs Quinton Pulley and Nate Payne combined to complete 20-of-40 passes for 144 yards but the Bobcats were held to just 11 rushing yards on 17 attempts by the homestanding Dukes
Charleston (3-0, 1-0) at Concord (0-3, 0-1) | 1 p.m. | Athens, W.Va.
Last Meeting: September 7, 2023, Charleston, W.Va. (Charleston d. Concord, 54-14)
Notes: This is the 40th meeting between the two teams. …Charleston has won seven of the last eight encounters to take a 22-15-2 lead in the all-time series. …The nationally-ranked Golden Eagles used a 27-point third quarter to pull away in a 58-36 win over UNC-Pembroke. …TB Chavon Wright ran for 198 yards and WR Yves Bosman hauled in an MEC single-game record 4 TD passes as UC amassed 569 yards of total offense. …Concord was outscored 34-7 in the second half of Saturday’s 54-21 loss to Frostburg State. …The Mountain Lions passed for 217 yards and a pair of scores but were held to a net of minus-62 rushing yards by a Bobcat defense that recorded 13.5 tackles-for-loss and 9.0 QB sacks
Frostburg State (3-0) at Mercyhurst (1-3) | 1 p.m. | Erie, Pa
Last Meeting: September 16, 1995, Erie, Pa. (Frostburg State d. Mercyhurst, 21-7)
Notes: This is the 12th meeting between the two teams but it’s the first in nearly three decades. …Mercyhurst holds a slim 6-5 series lead. …The unbeaten Bobcats are coming off a 54-21 win at Concord on Saturday. …TB Owen Doyle ran for 99 yards and 3 TDs while QB Myles Fulton passed for 188 yards and two more scores as FSU went 7-for-7 in red zone scoring chances. …The Frostburg defense held the Mountain Lions to just 155 yards of total offense, highlighted by a net minus-62 rushing yards. …The FCS Lakers edged Wheeling, 28-25, in a mutual season opener. …Mercyhurst is coming off a 52-13 blowout loss at No. 3 Montana State. …This is the Lakers’ first home game after four straight road games
UNC-Pembroke (0-3, 0-1) at Glenville State (1-2, 1-0) | 1 p.m. | Glenville, W.Va.
Last Meeting: October 28, 2023, Pembroke, N.C. (UNC-Pembroke d. Glenville State, 49-0)
Notes: This is the 7th meeting between the programs. …UNC-Pembroke holds a 5-1 series lead. …After jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead, the hard-luck Braves came out on the short end of a 58-36 shootout at Charleston last week. …QB Colin Johnson passed for 232 yards and 3 TDs with 3 INTs. …WR Josiah Hayes had 4 catches for 68 yards and 2 TDs. …Jamae Blank, Malik McKinzie and Carlo Thompson all posted double-figure tackles. …The Pioneers overcame a 14-0 halftime deficit to beat Fairmont State, 17-14, on Thursday. …WR Tariq Miller had two third-quarter TD catches. …DB Shaun Sterling’s 21-yard interception return set up Brody Layman’s game-winning 35-yard FG with 6:57 to play
Fairmont State (1-2, 0-1) at Wheeling (2-1, 1-0) | 1 p.m. | Wheeling, W.Va.
Last Meeting: September 16, 2023, Fairmont, W.Va. (Wheeling d. Fairmont State, 43-37, OT)
Notes: This is the 5th meeting between the programs with the teams having split the first four matchups. …The Falcons are coming off a 17-14 home loss to Glenville State on Thursday night. …FSU held the Pioneers to just 288 yards of total offense but had 3 turnovers and were hurt by 110 yards in penalties. …QBs Will Adkins and Nino Marzullo completed 15-of-30 passes for 186 yards and 2 TDs with 2 INTs. …DL Donovan O’Malley had a game-high 12 tackles. …Wheeling hasn’t played since rolling to a 52-14 win against W.Va. Wesleyan on Sept. 14. …TB Steven Mitchell ran for 115 yards and 2 TDs while QB Javon Davis completed 19-of-29 throws for 265 yards and 3 TDs
NOTABLE
• Three MEC teams rank among the Top 20 nationally in scoring. Frostburg State leads the way at 44.7 ppg., which ranks No. 3 nationally put of 159 NCAA D2 teams. Charleston checks in at No. 9 with an average of 39.7 ppg. and West Virginia State is 14th at 36.3 ppg.
• Frostburg State and Charleston are averaging more than 400 yards a game in Total Offense. The Bobcats lead the way at 435.3 ypg. with the Golden Eagles hot on their heels at 418.0.
• On the flip side, Frostburg State and Wheeling are holding their opponents below 300 yards of total offense per game. The Bobcats lead the MEC in total defense at 239.3 ypg. The Cardinals are second at 294.3 ypg.
• Charleston leads the MEC in rushing (194.0 ypg.) and rushing TDs (9), just ahead of Frostburg State – 191.7 ypg. and 8 TDs
• West Liberty has taken over the No. 1 spot in passing offense this week, averaging 249.0 ypg. through the air. Frostburg State is a close second at 243.7 ypg. and leads the MEC with 8 passing TDs
• Charleston’s Chavon Wright leads the MEC and ranks No. 2 nationally with an average of 159.3 rushing yards/game. West Virginia State’s Joel Felder (100.7 ypg.) is second in the conference
• Wright’s 198 yards on 28 carries in Saturday’s win against UNC-Pembroke is tops in the MEC this season
• West Liberty’s Ben Turner’s 207 receiving yards on 8 catches in Saturday night’s loss at West Virginia State is the first 200-yard receiving game in the MEC this season and ranks among the Top 5 single-game totals in the country to date
• Charleston’s Yves Bosmans tied an MEC single-game record with 4 TD catches in Saturday’s win against UNC-Pembroke. Bosmans, who finished with 182 yards on 10 catches, had TD grabs covering 43, 28, 24, and 8 yards. His 4 touchdown catches are an NCAA D2 season-high this year
• Bosmans leads the MEC with 19 receptions for 254 yards, an average of 84.7 receiving yards/game. Turner is second with 17 catches for 329 yards, an average of 82.3 ypg.
• Frostburg State’s Myles Fulton leads the MEC in passing yards/game (242.0) and pass efficiency (176.2), where he ranks No. 6 nationally this week
• Fulton’s 350 passing yards at West Liberty is the single-game high in the MEC this season. W.Va. State’s Isaiah Bess posted the league’s second 300-yard passing game on Saturday, throwing for 319 yards and 4 TDs – also against the Hilltoppers
• West Liberty TB Hunter Patterson’s 80-yard touchdown run and 81-yard touchdown catch against Frostburg State are the longest plays from scrimmage in the MEC this season
• Fairmont State’s Tyrees Smith leads the MEC with 25 total tackles. Glenville State’s Shaun Sterling Jr. is tops in the conference with 18 solo stops
• Frostburg State’s Leonard Scott has posted an MEC-high 7.5 tackles-for-loss through the first three games to lead the MEC. Charleston’s Andre Chamblee is second with 6.5 TFLs
MEC Notebook
MEC Player of the Week – Week Four!
The Charleston duo of wide receiver Yves Bosmans and running back Chavon Wright shared MEC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Glenville State defensive back Shaun Sterling Jr. is the MEC Defensive Player of the Week with Concord kick returner Jeremiah Valdry earning MEC Special Teams Player of the Week laurels.
Bosmans, a 6-1, 205-pound junior from Fort Worth, Texas, tied an MEC single-game record with 4 touchdown receptions as UC pulled away to a 58-36 victory against UNC-Pembroke on Saturday. Bosmans finished with 182 receiving yards on 10 catches. Wright also had a four-touchdown day for the Golden Eagles, running for 198 yards and 3 TDs to go along with a 33- yard touchdown reception.
Sterling, a 5-11, 210-pound senior from LaPlace, La., had two interceptions to spark Glenville State’s 17-14 win at Fairmont State on Thursday. His fourth-quarter interception and 21-yard return set up the Pioneers’ drive to a game-winning field goal.
Valdry, a 5-9, 165-pound freshman from Marietta, Ga., etched his name in the Mountain Lion record books with a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Saturday’s game against Frostburg State. It was Concord’s first kick return TD since 2022. Valdry finished the day with 136 yards on three kick returns.
National Poll!
• The Mountain East Conference once again has multiple teams gaining attention in the national Top 25 polls. The University of Charleston moved up to 19th in the AFCA Coaches’ Top 25 and 22nd in the D2Football.com online poll. Frostburg State was listed among teams receiving votes in the AFCA poll for the second straight week.
