MEC Football Week Six
• A full slate of Mountain East Conference football is on tap this weekend with five MEC contests slated for Saturday afternoon kickoffs.
• Action gets under way at noon Saturday when Charleston welcomes Wheeling to UC Stadium. A trio of 1 p.m. starts follows with Fairmont State traveling to W.Va. Wesleyan, UNC-Pembroke hosting West Liberty in North Carolina and Concord visiting W.Va. State. The weekend concludes with a 1:30 p.m. game between Glenville State and Frostburg State in Glenville.
WEEK 5 SCHEDULE
Saturday, Oct. 12
Wheeling (2-3, 1-2) at Charleston (5-0, 3-0) | 12 p.m. | Charleston, W.Va.
Watch Live | Live Stats
Last Meeting: November 15, 2022, Wheeling, W.Va. (Charleston d. Wheeling, 22-19)
Notes: This is the fourth meeting between the teams with UC having won the first three matchups. …The nationally-ranked Golden Eagles racked up a whopping 383 rushing yards and went 9-for-14 on third-down conversions in a 29-17 win over Glenville State. …TB Chavon Wright ran for 262 yards, 3 TDs and a 2-point PAT to lead the Charleston attack. …The Cardinals are coming off a tough 35-32 home loss to UNC-Pembroke on Saturday. …Wheeling held a 21-7 halftime lead but the Braves scored three TDs in a 6-minute span of the third quarter to take the lead for good. …Cardinal QB Javon Davis completed 25-of-37 passes for 271 yards and a TD while WR Tre Holloway had 9 catches for 110 yards
Fairmont State (2-3, 1-2) at W.Va. Wesleyan (0-5, 0-3) | 1 p.m. | Buckhannon, W.Va.
Last Meeting: November 4, 2023, Buckhannon, W.Va. (Fairmont State d. W.Va. Wesleyan, 55-20)
Notes: This is the 71st meeting between the Falcons and Bobcats. …Fairmont State has won the last 6 to expand its 47-22-1 series lead. …The Falcons look to bounce back from Saturday’s 45-34 home loss to W.Va. State, which used a 35-point fourth-quarter explosion to pull out the win. …FSU QB Nino Marzullo threw for 409 yards and 4 TDs while RB Dereik Crosby caught 5 passes for 181 yards and 3 TDs while rushing for 62 yards on 17 carries. …W.Va. Wesleyan dropped a 49-16 decision at unbeaten Frostburg State on Saturday. …Wesleyan QB Nate Payne had a 26-yard TD pass to WR Immanuel Scott in the first half and added a fourth-quarter rushing score in a losing cause
West Liberty (1-4, 1-2) at UNC-Pembroke (1-4, 1-2) | 1 p.m. | Pembroke, N.C.
Last Meeting: September 23, 2023, West Liberty, W.Va. (UNC-Pembroke d. West Liberty, 37-19)
Notes: This is the 6th matchup between UNC-Pembroke and the Hilltoppers. …The Braves have won the last 3 to take a 4-1 series lead …West Liberty bolted out to a quick 21-0 lead on its way to a 31-10 win over Concord on Saturday. …QB Levi Gullion threw for 137 yards and a TD while adding 50 more yards and another score on the ground. …DB Trent Crawford had 9 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1 QB sack, 2 forced fumbles and a QB hurry. …The Braves rallied past Wheeling, 35-32, for their first win. … QB Colin Johnson passed for 324 yards and 4 TDs. …WR Isaiah Hayes had 8 catches for 183 yards and 3 TDs while fellow WR Jaquan Albright finished with 99 yards and a TD on 7 receptions
Concord (0-5, 0-3) at W.Va. State (4-1, 3-0) | 1 p.m. | Institute, W.Va.
Last Meeting: September 16, 2023, Athens, W.Va. (W.Va. State d. Concord, 47-27)
Notes: This is the 52nd meeting between Concord and W.Va. State. …The Mountain Lions hold a 29-22-0 series lead but WVSU has won the last 7 matchups to narrow the gap. …Concord is coming off a 31-10 road loss at West Liberty on Saturday. …A trio of Mountain Lion QBs combined to complete 18-of-31 passes for 167 yards and 1 TD. …LB Ryker Brown had a game-high 11 tackles and 1.0 TFL. …The Yellow Jackets scored 35 fourth-quarter points to erase a 31-10 deficit and shock Fairmont State, 45-34. …QB Isaiah Bess threw for 396 yards and 2 TDs. ..RBs Justin Pessoa and Joel Felder combined for 199 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 33 carries. …WR Adrien Mosley had 5 catches for 107 yards and a score
Frostburg State (5-0, 3-0) at Glenville State (2-3, 2-1) | 1:30 p.m. | Glenville, W.Va.
Last Meeting: November 4, 2023, Frostburg, Md. (Glenville State d. Frostburg State, 13-10)
Notes: This is only the third meeting between the Bobcats and Pioneers with Glenville State having swept the first two encounters. …Frostburg State remained unbeaten on Saturday, rolling up more than 500 yards of total offense in a 49-16 home win over W.Va. Wesleyan. …QB Myles Fulton completed 15-of-23 passes for 249 yards and 3 TDs while TB Owen Doyle ran for 120 yards and 2 TDs on just 9 carries. …The Pioneers battled nationally-ranked Charleston to the wire in a 29-17 loss. …QB Anthony Garrett passed for 205 yards and 2 TDs, highlighted by a 77-yard scoring toss to WR Tariq Miller. …Miller finished the day with a game-high 6 catches for 162 yards and the touchdown
NOTABLE
• Three MEC offensive standouts are ranked among the Top 10
nationally in All-Purpose Yardage through the first five games. Charleston TB Chavon Wright is No. 3 in the nation at 189.0 ypg, just ahead of No. 4 Tre Holloway of Wheeling (188.8 ypg.). W.Va. State RB Joel Felder is 8th in the nation at 165.0 ypg.
• Fairmont State freshman QB Nino Marzullo topped the 400-yard mark in passing and total offense for the second straight week on Saturday. Marzullo has compiled 844 passing yards and 908 yards of total offense in his last two games
• MEC home teams went 3-2 last Saturday but there hasn’t been much of a home field advantage for conference squads this season. Heading into Week 6, MEC home teams are 11-14 overall and 8-7 in league play. MEC road teams are also 11-14 overall and 7-8 against conference foes.
• Half 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 41.6 ppg., just ahead of No. 7 W.Va. State (40.4 ppg.). Charleston (38.0) is 3rd in the MEC and 16th among NCAA D2 teams with Wheeling (34.4) and Fairmont State (32.6) rounding out the MEC Top Five
• Four MEC teams are averaging over 400 yards/game in total
offense. W.Va. State leads the MEC and is 10th nationally at 459.4 yards/game. Frostburg State is second in the MEC at 443.6 ypg. followed by Fairmont State (438.2) and Charleston (425.6).
• In an offensive-minded conference, Frostburg State leads the MEC in Total Defense, yielding an average of just 256.8 yards/game to rank 16th among NCAA D2 teams. Charleston (308.6) is second in the league
• Coming off an MEC season-high 383 rushing yards against
Glenville State on Saturday, Charleston leads the MEC in rushing (255.2 ypg.) and rushing TDs (17). Frostburg State is second with an average of 207.8 ypg. and 12 TDs
• Fairmont State leads the MEC and ranks No. 9 nationally with an average of 301.0 passing yards/game. Frostburg State’s 14 TD passes are tops in the MEC, just ahead of Fairmont State and W.Va. State with 13 each
• After rushing for an MEC season-high 262 yards and 3 TDs in Saturday’s win against Glenville State, Charleston’s Chavon Wright now leads the nation with 904 rushing yards and 14 rushing TDs
• Wheeling’s Tre Holloway leads the MEC with 393 receiving yards, just ahead of West Liberty’s Ben Turner (385) and Fairmont State’s Gage Michael (383)
• FSU’s Michael leads the MEC with 28 pass receptions while UNC-Pembroke’s Josiah Hayes ranks No. 1 in the conference with 6 touchdown catches
• W.Va. State’s Isaiah Bess has taken over the MEC lead with an average of 249.0 passing yards/game. Wheeling’s Javon Davis is second at 233.0 ypg. with Frostburg State’s Myles Fulton a close third (231.8)
• Fulton continues to lead the MEC in passing TDs (14) and pass efficiency (173.84), where he ranks No. 9 nationally this week
• Concord LB Ryker Brown leads the MEC with 42 total tackles. Glenville State’s Shaun Sterling Jr. is tops in the conference with 26 solo stops
MEC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
The MEC Football Player of the Week awards are presented by
The Health Plan.
Charleston running back Chavon Wright and West Virginia State quarterback Isaiah Bess were named co-Offensive Players of the Week. Defensive Player of the Week honors went to West Virginia State defensive back Nick Blake with West Liberty defensive lineman Delano Marcelus earning Special Teams Player of the Week laurels.
Wright, a 5-10, 200-pound junior from Opa Locka, Fla., set the Golden Eagles’ career rushing record and now leads the nation in rushing after running for an MEC season-high 262 yards and 3 TDs in Charleston’s 29-17 victory against Glenville State.
Bess, a 6-5, 230-pound junior from Shelby, N.C., completed 26- of-38 passes for 396 yards and 2 TDs in the Yellow Jackets’ thrilling 45-34 comeback win at Fairmont State.
Blake, a 5-10, 170-pound junior from New York, N.Y., clinched West Virginia State’s comeback win over Fairmont State with an interception return TD in the final minute. Blake also had three tackles and a tackle-for-loss.
Marcelus, a 6-2, 225-pound junior from Colts Neck, N.J., blocked a Concord punt to set up one Hilltopper touchdown and finished with three tackles, one tackle-for-loss, a QB sack, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry in West Liberty’s 31- 10 win.
