MEC Football Week Seven
· A battle for first place between two unbeaten and nationally-ranked teams highlights this week’s 5-game Mountain East Conference slate.
· No. 13 Charleston and No. 22 Frostburg State put their unblemished records on the line in Frostburg on Saturday in a 1 p.m. kickoff. Other Saturday games find UNC-Pembroke at Fairmont State and West Virginia State at Wheeling in a pair of noon starts with West Liberty hosting West Virginia Wesleyan and Glenville State traveling to Concord in 1 p.m. games.
WEEK 7 SCHEDULE
Saturday, Oct. 19
UNC-Pembroke (2-4, 2-2) at Fairmont State (3-3, 2-2) | 12 p.m. | Fairmont, W.Va.
Notes: This is the sixth time these teams have met on the gridiron with the Braves holding a slim 3-2 advantage. …UNC-Pembroke QB Colin Johnson is coming off a record-setting 514-yard, 7-touchdown passing performance in Saturday’s 67-20 win over West Liberty. …The Braves never punted, finishing the day with 31 first downs and 675 yards of total offense. …WRs Que Kennedy, Josh Jenkins and Josiah Hayes each had 2 TD catches and 100+ receiving yards. …The Falcons used a balanced attack (231 rushing yards, 232 passing yards) to down W.Va. Wesleyan, 40-21. …TB Dereik Crosby ran for 193 yards and 3 TDs while QB Nino Marzullo completed 19-of-26 passes for 232 yards and a score
W.Va. State (5-1, 4-0) at Wheeling (2-4, 1-3) | 12 p.m. | Wheeling, W.Va.
Notes: This is only the third meeting between the Cardinals and Yellowjackets. …The teams split the first two matchups. …W.Va. State rolled to its fourth straight win on Saturday, handing Concord a 44-14 setback. …The Yellowjackets had 428 yards of total offense with 275 coming on the ground. …TB Justin Pessoa led the ground game with 169 yards on 19 carries. …QB Isaiah Bess threw for 135 yards and one TD – a 67-yard bomb to WR Adrien Mosley. …DB Nick Blake had a 65-yard interception return TD. …Wheeling lost to Charleston, 42-23, on Saturday. …Cardinal QBs combined to complete 17-of-34 passes for 135 yards and one TD. …WR Chris Charles had 5 catches for 75 yards and a score
Charleston (6-0, 4-0) at Frostburg State (6-0, 4-0) | 1 p.m. | Frostburg, Md.
Notes: This is the fourth meeting between Frostburg State and Charleston with the Bobcats having won 3 of the first 4 matchups. …UC remained unbeaten with a 42-23 win over Wheeling on Saturday. …TB Chavon Wright ran for 170 yards and an MEC season-high 5 TDs while QB Ean Hamric threw for 214 yards and ran for 44 more. …The Golden Eagles had a 38-22 edge in time of possession. …Frostburg State held Glenville State to just 215 yards of total offense in a 41-9 road win on Saturday. …QB Myles Fulton completed 17-of-23 passes for 238 yards and 4 TDs while WR Jordan Marcucci caught TD tosses of 65 and 27 yards to go along with a 59-yard touchdown run from scrimmage
W.Va. Wesleyan (0-6, 0-4) at West Liberty (1-5, 1-3) | 1 p.m. | West Liberty, W.Va.
Notes: matchup between W.Va. Wesleyan and the Hilltoppers. …West Liberty has won 5 straight and 8 of the last 9 to extend its 41-24-1 series lead. …The Hilltoppers gave up 520 passing yards in Saturday’s 67-20 loss at UNC-Pembroke. …WR Ben Turner had 3 catches for 105 yards, highlighted by a 60-yard TD grab. …QB Levi Gullion completed 18-of-37 throws for 224 yards and 2 TDs. …WLU blocked three PAT attempts. …Fairmont State needed two late TDs to hold off the Bobcats, 40-21, on Saturday. …W.Va. Wesleyan QB Nate Payne completed 21-of-30 passes for 233 yards and a TD. …Colyn Webster led the defense with 13 tackles, including 6 solo stopsthThis is the 67
Glenville State (2-4, 2-2) at Concord (0-6, 0-4) | 1 p.m. | Athens, W.Va.
Notes: This is the 80th time these old rivals have squared off. …The Pioneers have won 7 of the last 8 encounters to take a 44-34-1 series lead. …Glenville State fell to unbeaten Frostburg State, 41-9, on Saturday. …The Pioneers converted just 1-of-12 third-down attempts, lost 2 fumbles and were held to just 3.9 yards/play by the nationally-ranked FSU defense. …QB Anthony Garrett completed 16-of-27 passes for 149 yards and one TD. …Concord fell to W.Va. State, 44-14, on Saturday. …Two Mountain Lion QBs combined to complete 15-of-36 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown. …Jaden Judge ran for 53 yards and a TD on 13 carries to go along with 5 catches for 51 receiving yards
NOTABLE
· UNC-Pembroke QB Colin Johnson posted only the third 500-yard passing game in MEC history on Saturday when he completed 29-of-43 passes for school records of 514 yards and 7 TDs in a 67-20 victory over West Liberty
· Johnson’s 514 passing yards are the second-highest single-game total in the nation this season and the 7 TD throws are tied for an NCAA season-high
· His 514 passing yards rank No. 3 on the all-time MEC single-game list while the 7 passing TDs tied the league record shared with three other players
· Six of the MEC’s 10 teams are averaging more than 30 points per game and two of them are ranked among the Top 10 nationally. Frostburg State leads the MEC and ranks No. 6 in the nation at 41.5 ppg., just ahead of No. 7 W.Va. State (41.0 ppg.). Charleston (38.7) is 3rd in the MEC and 14th among NCAA D2 teams, followed by Fairmont State (33.8), Wheeling (32.5) and UNC-Pembroke (31.3)
· Four MEC teams are averaging over 400 yards/game in total offense. W.Va. State leads the MEC and is 10th nationally at 454.2 yards/game. Fairmont State (442.3) is next followed by Frostburg State (432.5) and Charleston (428.7)
· Frostburg State leads the offensive-minded MEC in Total Defense, yielding an average of just 250.7 yards/game to rank 13th among NCAA D2 teams. Charleston is second at 307.8 ypg.
· Three MEC teams rank among the nation’s Top 20 in rushing yards per game. Charleston leads the MEC and ranks No. 6 nationally in rushing (251.0 ypg.) while West Virginia State (204.7 ypg.) and Frostburg State (196.3) are 17th and 20th, respectively
· Fairmont State leads the MEC and ranks No. 12 nationally with an average of 289.5 passing yards/game. UNC Pembroke is 16th in the nation at 279.3 ypg. and has an MEC-best 19 TD passes
· Charleston TB Chavon Wright leads the nation in rushing yards (1,074), rushing yards/game (179.0) and rushing TDs (19). No other running back has more than 11 rushing TDs
· After throwing for more than 500 yards in Saturday’s win over West Liberty, UNC-Pembroke’s Johnson is the leading passer in the MEC with an average of 243.7 yards/game. Frostburg State’s Myles Fulton (232.8) and West Virginia State’s Isaiah Bess (230.0) are second and third, respectively
· Fulton continues to lead the MEC in passing TDs (18) and pass efficiency (179.4), where he ranks No. 9 nationally this week
· West Liberty’s Ben Turner leads the conference in receiving yards (490) and receiving yards/game (81.7) while Fairmont State’s Gage Michael tops the MEC with 33 pass receptions. UNC-Pembroke’s Josiah Hayes ranks No. 1 in the conference with 8 TD grabs
· Two MEC standouts rank among the top four nationally in All-Purpose Yards. Charleston’s Wright is No. 2 among all NCAA D2 gridders with an average of 186.5 yards/game while Wheeling’s Holloway checks in at No. 4 with a 165.5 ypg. average
· Concord’s Ryker Brown leads the MEC with 49 total tackles, just ahead of Fairmont State’s Donovan O’Malley (48). Glenville State’s Shaun Sterling Jr. leads with 31 solo stops, one ahead of West Virginia State’s Tim Sanford (30)
MEC PLAYERS OF THE WEEKS
The MEC Football Player of the Week awards are presented by The Health Plan.
UNC-Pembroke quarterback Colin Johnson was selected as the MEC Offensive Player of the Week with Defensive Player of the Week honors going to West Virginia State defensive back Nick Blake. West Liberty defensive back D.J. Johnson was chosen as the MEC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Colin Johnson, a 6-2, 205-pound senior from Sanford, N.C., completed 29-of-43 passes for school records of 514 yards and 7 TDs in a 67-20 victory over West Liberty. The 7 passing TDs tied the MEC single-game record and while the 514 passing yards are the second-highest total in NCAA D2 this fall.
Blake, a 5-10, 170-pound junior from New York, N.Y., earned his second straight Defensive Player of the Week honor after a 65-yard interception return touchdown that helped propel the Yellowjackets to their fourth straight win. Blake also had a pair of tackles and a pass break-up.
D.J. Johnson, a 6-1, 195-pound junior from Deerfield Beach, Fla., averaged 40.9 yards on 7 punts for WLU on Saturday, highlighted by an MEC season-best 70-yard bomb. He also led the Hilltopper defense with a game-high 11 tackles to go along with a tackle-for-loss and an interception.
