MEC Football Week 10
- The penultimate weekend of Mountain East Conference football kicks off on Saturday with five afternoon contests
- West Liberty and Fairmont State start things off at noon in Fairmont with the other four games – Wheeling at Concord, Frostburg State at UNC Pembroke, Charleston at W.Va. Wesleyan and W.Va. State at Glenville State – all set for 1 p.m. kickoffs.
WEEK 10 SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 9
West Liberty (2-7, 1-5) at Fairmont State (5-4, 4-3) | Noon | Fairmont, W.Va.
Last Meeting: September 7, 2023, West Liberty, W.Va. (Fairmont State d. West Liberty, 42-29)
Notes: This is the 90th meeting between the long-time rivals. …Fairmont State holds a 44-40-5 series lead but West Liberty has won two of the last three matchups. …The Hilltoppers are coming off a 38-0 shutout loss to nationally-ranked Charleston on Saturday. …WLU held UC under 400 yards of total offense but came up empty on all three red-zone possessions. …RB Hunter Patterson ran for 110 yards on 18 carries. …DL Delano Marcelus had a game-high 13 tackles. …The Falcons used a 28-point second quarter to rally past Concord, 34-19. …RB Dereik Crosby II rushed for 221 yards on 31 carries while QB Nino Marzullo completed 19-of-36 passes for 274 yards and 2 TDs with 3 INTs.
Wheeling (4-5, 3-4) at Concord (1-8, 0-5) | 1 p.m. | Athens, W.Va.
Last Meeting: September 23, 2023, Wheeling, W.Va. (Wheeling d. Concord, 44-27)
Notes: This is only the 5th meeting between the Cardinals and Mountain Lions with Wheeling having prevailed in three of the first four encounters …Wheeling dropped a 28-21 decision at home to Glenville State on Saturday. …The Cardinals battled back from a 21-0 deficit to forge a 21-21 tie but the Pioneers scored the game-winning TD with under 3 minutes to play. …QB Landon Lutz threw for 223 yards and 2 TDs in the loss. …Fairmont State handed Concord a 34-19 setback on Saturday. …QB Kam Howard completed 21-of-45 passes for 292 yards with WRs Jake Roberts (8-136) and Marcus Striggles (6-103) topping the 100-yard receiving mark. …RB JQ Brown ran for 131 yards and a TD on 28 attempts.
Frostburg State (6-3, 4-3) at UNC Pembroke (4-5, 4-3) | 1 p.m. | Pembroke, N.C.
Last Meeting: October 7, 2023, Frostburg, Md. (Frostburg State d. UNC Pembroke, 31-21)
Notes: This is the 6th meeting between Frostburg State and UNC Pembroke. …The Bobcats won last year’s matchup to take a 3-2 series lead. …Frostburg State lost its third straight on Saturday, falling by a 38-24 tally at W.Va. State. …QB Myles Fulton completed 18-of-35 passes for 263 yards and a TD. …WR Trashaun Timmons caught 4 passes for 112 yards. …DL Yasir Holmes had 14 tackles and 3.0 TFLs. …The Braves scored a program-high 79 points in a 79-20 win over W.Va. Wesleyan. …RB Sincere Baines ran for 166 yards and a TD while fellow RB JaQuan Kelly had 116 rushing yards and 2 TDs. …QBs Colin Johnson and Caleb Locklear combined to complete 14-of-21 throws for 217 yards and 5 TDs
Charleston (9-0, 7-0) at W.Va. Wesleyan (0-9, 0-7) | 1 p.m. | Buckhannon, W.Va.
Last Meeting: September 23, 2023, Charleston, W.Va. (Charleston d. W.Va. Wesleyan, 76-16)
Notes: The Golden Eagles have won four straight and nine of the last 11 encounters with the Bobcats. …Charleston clinched the MEC championship on Saturday with a 38-0 shutout of West Liberty. …The Golden Eagles had four touchdown drives of 70 yards or more. …RB Chavon Wright ran for 189 yards and 3 TDs on 31 carries. …QB Ean Hamric completed 18-of-23 passes for 145 yards and another TD. …The Bobcats are coming off a 79-20 road loss at UNC Pembroke. …QBs Nate Payne and Quinton Pulley combined to complete 17-of-31 passes for 218 yards and 3 TDs with 3 INTs. …The Bobcats were held to just 4 net rushing yards on 15 attempts.
W.Va. State (6-3, 5-2) at Glenville State (5-4, 5-2) | 1 p.m. | Glenville, W.Va.
Last Meeting: September 23, 2023, Institute, W.Va. (W.Va. State d. Glenville State, 31-21)
Notes: West Virginia State has won six of the last seven matchups against the Pioneers. …The Yellowjackets snapped a 24-24 tie with two fourth-quarter TDs to stun Frostburg State, 38-24, on Saturday. …RB Joel Felder ran for 146 yards and 2 TDs on 20 carries. …QB Caleb Jantuah completed 11-of-16 passes for 135 yards and 2 more scores. …WR Amare Ary caught 6 passes for 87 yards and 2 TDs. …Glenville State held off Wheeling, 28-21, for its third straight win. …QB Anthony Garrett completed 22-of-30 passes for 186 yards and 4 TDs, including the game-winning score with just 2:43 remaining. …DB Sean Scott had 8 tackles – 7 solo – to go along with an interception and 2 pass break-ups
NOTABLE
- UNC Pembroke’s 79 points in Saturday’s 79-20 victory over W.Va. Wesleyan is the second-highest single-game total in MEC history. Notre Dame (Ohio) set the record a year ago with an 87-9 win against W.Va. Wesleyan on Sept. 9, 2023
- The 79 points are the third-highest single-game total in NCAA D2 this year. Virginia Union shut out Bluefield State, 91-0, on Saturday. Ferris State (Mich.) defeated American International, 84-7, on Sept. 28
- After rushing for 189 yards and 3 TDs on 31 carries in Saturday’s 38-0 win at West Liberty, Charleston RB Chavon Wright leads the nation in seven offensive categories – Rushing Yards (1,726), Rushing Yards/Game (191.8), Touchdowns (32), Rushing Touchdowns (31), Points Scored (196), Points/Game (21.8) and All-Purpose Yards/Game (198.4)
- Wright is rapidly closing in on multiple MEC single-season records held by current Denver Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin, who had 33 total touchdowns, 30 rushing TDs, 198 total points and 14.1 ppg. in 14 games for Notre Dame (Ohio) in 2019. McLaughlin set the MEC single-season rushing records of 2,421 rushing yards and 172.9 yards/game in 2018
- Frostburg State’s Yasir Holmes leads the MEC and ranks No. 2 nationally with 17.5 tackles-for-loss. Glenville State’s Jamair Diaz is No. 3 with 17.0 TFLs
- Six of the MEC’s 10 teams are averaging more than 30 points per game. Charleston leads the MEC and ranks No. 7 in the nation at 40.9 ppg., just ahead of No. 8 UNC Pembroke (39.7). W.Va. State is third at 37.1 ppg. followed by Frostburg State (33.9), Fairmont State (33.8), and Wheeling (30.8)
- Four MEC teams are averaging over 400 yards/game in total offense and rank among the Top 20 nationally. Fairmont State (449.8 ypg.) leads the MEC and ranks 10th in the nation, just ahead of No. 11 Charleston (447.2) and No. 12 UNC Pembroke (442.3). W.Va. State is fourth in the MEC and 19th nationally at 430.9 ypg.
- Charleston continues to lead the MEC and ranks No. 4 nationally with an average of 271.8 rushing yards/game. W.Va. State is second and No. 15 among NCAA D2 squads at 205.9 yards/game
- Fairmont State and UNC Pembroke rank among the nation’s Top 20 passing teams. The Falcons lead the MEC and rank 8th in the nation with an average of 294.1 aerial yards/game. The Braves are 15th nationally and second in the MEC at 279.7 ypg.
- Fairmont State’s Nino Marzullo leads the MEC and ranks 15th in NCAA D2 with 251.1 passing yards/
- game. UNC Pembroke’s Colin Johnson is second in the MEC and No. 17 nationally at 250.2 ypg.
- Johnson leads the MEC with 27 passing TDs, which is tied for 4th nationally. Frostburg State’s Myles Fulton leads in pass efficiency (166.0), just ahead of UC’s Ean Hamric (165.5)
- UNC Pembroke’s Josiah Hayes is second in the nation with 14 TD catches and also leads the MEC in receiving yards (748), receiving yards/game (83.1). Fairmont State’s Gage Michael tops the MEC with 50 pass receptions while West Liberty’s Ben Turner leads in yards/catch (19.5)
- Wheeling’s Jack Parry leads the MEC with 68 total tackles. Concord’s Ryker Brown is second with 64
- Glenville State’s Shaun Sterling Jr. has an MEC-best 39 solo stops. Fairmont State’s Nick Longo and West Liberty’s Trent Crawford are tied for second with 38
MEC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
The MEC Football Player of the Week awards are presented by The Health Plan.
UNC-Pembroke running back Sincere Baines was named MEC Offensive Player of the Week with UNC-Pembroke defensive back Carlo Thompson earning Defensive Player of the Week honors. Frostburg State kick returner Jordan Marcucci is the MEC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Baines, a 5-11, 180-pound sophomore from Fayetteville, N.C., was a big-play machine for UNC-Pembroke on Saturday. He rushed for a game-high 124 yards on just 6 carries, highlighted by touchdown runs of 61 and 18 yards, while adding 43 more yards and another score on catches of 11 and 32 yards.
Thompson, a 6-2, 190-pound sophomore from Richmond, Va., stuffed the stat sheet for the Braves’ defense against W.Va. State with 6 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, one QB sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. Thompson’s 24-yard interception return touchdown midway through the first quarter put the first points on the board for UNC-Pembroke.
Marcucci, a 5-11, 190-pound sophomore from Pomona, N.J., got the Bobcats off to a flying start when he returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown against Wheeling. Marcucci finished the day with 115 yards on three kick returns, added 7 yards on a punt return and caught two passes for 13 more yards.
