MEC Football Week 11
- The curtain comes down on the 2024 Mountain East Conference football season with Rivalry Saturday!
- Unbeaten Charleston hosts West Virginia State at noon with three games – Glenville State at W.Va. Wesleyan, Fairmont State at Frostburg State and UNC Pembroke at Concord – set for 1 p.m. kickoffs. The final regular season game of the season finds West Liberty traveling to Wheeling for a 6 p.m. start.
WEEK 11 SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 16
W.Va. State (6-4, 5-3) at Charleston (10-0, 8-0) | Noon | Charleston, W.Va.
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Last Meeting: November 11, 2023, Institute, W.Va. (Charleston d. W.Va. State, 52-20)
Notes: Charleston has won 11 of the last 13 matchups in this Kanawha County rivalry but the teams have traded road wins each of the last two years. …The unbeaten Golden Eagles breezed to a 69-21 win at W.Va. Wesleyan on Saturday. …QB Ean Hamric completed 13-of-15 passes for 204 yards and 4 TDs while RB Chavon Wright ran for 117 yards and 2 more scores. …WR Marquan Herron had 4 catches for 71 yards and 3 TDs. …W.Va. State had just 228 yards of total offense in a 40-14 setback at Glenville State. …RB Joel Felder ran for 93 yards on 16 carries while teammate Justin Pessoa ran for 57 more yards and both Yellowjacket touchdowns on 13 attempts.
Glenville State (6-4, 6-2) at W.Va. Wesleyan (0-10, 0-8) | 1 p.m. | Buckhannon, W.Va.
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Last Meeting: November 11, 2023, Glenville, W.Va. (Glenville State d. W.Va. Wesleyan, 41-3)
Notes: The Pioneers have won 5 straight and 9 of the last 11 in this long-time series. …Glenville State won its fourth straight on Saturday with a 40-14 victory over W.Va. State. …The Pioneers scored 23 unanswered points to break up a close contest. …QB Anthony Garrett threw for 215 yards and 2 TDs while running for 69 yards and another score. …WR Amari Colon-Brown had 4 catches for 103 yards and 2 TDs while RB Markquan Rucker rushed for 94 yards and a TD on 20 carries. …The Bobcats are still seeking their first win after dropping a 69-21 decision to unbeaten Charleston. …QB Nate Payne completed 8-of-17 passes for 145 yards and 2 TDs.
Fairmont State (6-4, 5-3) at Frostburg State (6-4, 4-4) | 1 p.m. | Frostburg, Md.
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Last Meeting: November 11, 2023, Fairmont, W.Va. (Frostburg State d. Fairmont State, 50-20)
Notes: This is the 5th meeting between the Falcons and Bobcats with Frostburg State having won the first four encounters. …Fairmont State overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to pull out a 36-35 win against West Liberty on Saturday. …QB Nino Marzullo completed 14-of-29 passes for 283 yards and 2 TDs – both to WR Jermaine Bradford, who finished with 8 catches for 179 yards. …RB Leonard Farrow rushed for 184 yards and 1 TD on 27 attempts. …Frostburg State lost its fourth straight on Saturday, falling by a 58-17 tally at UNC Pembroke. …The Bobcats were held to just 125 yards of total offense. …WR/KR Jordan Marcucci had a 92-yard kick return TD – his third in as many weeks!
UNC Pembroke (5-5, 5-3) at Concord (1-9, 1-6) | 1 p.m. | Athens, W.Va.
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Last Meeting: November 11, 2023, Pembroke, N.C. (UNC Pembroke d. Concord, 68-21)
Notes: This is the 11th meeting between UNC Pembroke and Concord since the series kicked off in 2007. …The teams have split the first 10 matchups. …The Braves rolled up 541 yards of total offense and were 7-for-7 in red zone opportunities in Saturday’s 58-17 win over Frostburg State. …QB Colin Johnson threw for 288 yards and 4 TDs while running for 64 more yards and another score. …WR Josiah Hayes caught 7 passes for 157 yards and 2 TDs. …The Mountain Lions are coming off a 50-30 loss to Wheeling. …QBs Blayne Ferguson and Kam Howard combined to complete 18-of-31 passes for 272 yards and 4 TDs. …RB JQ Brown caught 3 passes for 57 yards and a TD while adding 64 more yards on the ground
West Liberty (2-8, 2-6) at Wheeling (5-5, 4-4) | 6 p.m. | Wheeling, W.Va.
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Last Meeting: November 11, 2023, West Liberty, W.Va. (West Liberty d. Wheeling, 31-3)
Notes: This is the 6th time the Ohio County rivals have met on the football field with the Cardinals holding a slim 3-2 series lead. …West Liberty battled Fairmont State to the wire on Saturday only to fall short by a 36-35 count. …RB Hunter Patterson ran for 210 yards and 4 TDs on 27 carries and added 49 more yards on two pass receptions. …DL Kendarius Frazier had a 35-yard interception return TD in the third quarter. …QB Landon Lutz completed 20-of-26 passes for 247 yards and 6 TDs in Wheeling’s 50-30 win over Concord. …RB Steven Mitchell ran for a game-high 133 yards on 20 carries and WR Dasyn Hores had 5 catches for 110 yards and a score
NOTABLE
- Having already clinched its second straight MEC championship, the University of Charleston is looking to close out the MEC’s first unbeaten regular season since the 2018 Notre Dame team went 10-0 in 2018
- The MEC had unbeaten regular season champions in each of the first six years of its existence: Shepherd (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017), Concord (2014) and Notre Dame (2018)
- After rushing for 117 yards and 2 TDs on 14 carries in Saturday’s 38-0 win at West Liberty, Charleston RB Chavon Wright continues to lead the nation in a staggering seven offensive categories – Rushing Yards (1,843), Rushing Yards/Game (184.3), Touchdowns (34), Rushing Touchdowns (33), Points Scored (208), Points/Game (20.8) and All-Purpose Yards/Game (191.3)
- Wright has already broken three MEC single-season records originally set by current Denver Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin, surpassing McLaughlin’s marks in Total Touchdowns, Rushing Touchdowns and Points Scored – all set during a 14-game 2019 season
- Wright is closing in on McLaughlin’s MEC single-season rushing records of 2,421 rushing yards and 172.9 ypg., set during a 14-game 2018 season
- Six of the MEC’s 10 teams are averaging more than 30 points per game with two of them ranked among the nation’s Top 10. Charleston leads the MEC and ranks No. 5 nationally at 43.7 ppg. with UNC Pembroke (41.5) checking in at No. 8. W.Va. State is third at 34.8 ppg. followed by Fairmont State (34.0), Frostburg State (32.2), and Wheeling (30.8)
- Four MEC teams are averaging over 400 yards/game in total offense. Charleston (460.8) leads the MEC and ranks 10th in the nation, just ahead of No. 12 Fairmont State (452.40 and No. 13 UNC Pembroke (452.4). W.Va. State is 4th in the MEC at 410.6 ypg.
- Charleston continues to lead the MEC and ranks No. 4 nationally with an average of 275.0 rushing yards/game. W.Va. State is second and 17th among NCAA D2 squads at 201.4 yards/game
- Fairmont State and UNC Pembroke rank among the nation’s top passing teams. The Falcons lead the MEC and rank 8th in the nation with an average of 293.0 aerial yards/game. The Braves are 11th nationally and second in the MEC at 282.6 ypg.
- Fairmont State’s Nino Marzullo leads the MEC and ranks 14th in NCAA D2 with 254.7 passing yards/game, just ahead of UNC Pembroke’s 15th-ranked Colin Johnson at 254.0 ypg.
- Johnson leads the MEC with 31 passing TDs, which ranks No. 3 among all NCAA D2 signal-callers. Charleston’s Ean Hamric has rocketed up the charts to 3rd nationally in QB efficiency (180.8)
- UNC Pembroke’s Josiah Hayes is second in the nation with 16 TD catches and also leads the MEC in receiving yards (905), receiving yards/game (90.5) and receiving yards/catch (19.7). Fairmont State’s Gage Michael tops the MEC with 54 pass receptions
- Glenville State’s Jamair Diaz leads the nation with 10.5 QB Sacks and ranks No. 2 nationally with 20.5 tackles-for-loss. Frostburg State’s Yasir Holmes is second in the MEC and 5th in the nation with 18.5 tackles-for-loss
- Wheeling’s Jack Parry leads the MEC with 78 total tackles. Concord’s Ryker Brown is second with 76. West Liberty’s Trent Crawford and Concord’s Kendall Bournes are tied for the MEC lead in solo stops at 44
MEC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
The MEC Football Player of the Week awards are presented by The Health Plan.
Wheeling quarterback Landon Lutz was selected as the MEC Offensive Player of the Week with UNC-Pembroke defensive back Marquis Raspberry earning MEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Frostburg State kick returner Jordan Marcucci is the MEC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Lutz, a sophomore from McDonald, Pa., enjoyed a career day in leading the Cardinals to a 50-30 win against Concord. Lutz completed 77 percent (20-of-26) passes for 247 yards and set a school record with 6 touchdown passes.
Raspberry, a junior from Washington, D.C., starred on a Braves’ defensive unit that held Frostburg State to just 125 yards of total offense in a 58-17 win. Raspberry stuffed the stat sheet with 4 solo tackles, one tackle-for-loss and one quarterback sack to go along with a pass break-up and an interception.
Marcucci, a sophomore from Pomona, N.J., stepped into the national spotlight with a 92-yard kick return touchdown against UNC-Pembroke – his third kick return TD in as many weeks! He set a school single-game record with 279 return yards on 7 runbacks and also led the Bobcat receiving corps with 4 catches for 35 yards.
