MEC Football Week Eight
· There’s a busy Saturday in store for Mountain East Conference football teams as the calendar turns to November in Week 9 of the MEC season.
· Action gets under way with a pair of noon kickoffs as Frostburg State travels to West Virginia State and Fairmont State hosts Concord. West Virginia Wesleyan makes the long trek south to UNC-Pembroke for a 1 p.m. start and Glenville State is at Wheeling in another 1 p.m. game. The final game of the day finds league-leading Charleston at West Liberty in a 2 p.m. kickoff.
WEEK 9 SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 2
Frostburg State (6-2, 4-2) at W.Va. State (5-3, 3-2) | Noon | Institute, W.Va.
Last Meeting: October 19, 2023, Frostburg, Md. (Frostburg State d. W.Va. State, 28-14)
Notes: This is the fifth time the Bobcats and Yellowjackets have met on the football field with Frostburg State having won 3 of the previous 4 matchups …Frostburg State is coming off a 26-25 home loss to Wheeling on Thursday. …QB Jordan Brooks completed 19-of-29 passes for 206 yards and a TD while RBs Andre Smith and Owen Doyle combined for 88 rushing yards on 25 carries. …DK Yasir Holmes had 10 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and 1.5 QB sacks in a losing cause. …W.Va. State gave up nearly 600 yards of total offense in a 62-17 loss at UNC-Pembroke on Saturday. …RB Joel Felder ran for 94 yards and a TD while QBs Caleb Jantuah and Isaiah Bess were a combined 15-of-19 for 121 yards and a score through the air
Concord (1-7, 1-5) at Fairmont State (4-4, 3-3) | Noon | Fairmont, W.Va.
Last Meeting: October 5, 2023, Fairmont, W.Va. (Fairmont State d. Concord, 42-9)
Notes: This is the 76th meeting between Concord and Fairmont State with the Falcons having opened up a 41-33-1 series lead …The Mountain Lions used a late safety to pull out a 33-31 win at W.Va. Wesleyan on Saturday night. …QB Kameron Howard threw for 366 yards and 3 TDs while TB JQ Brown added 118 yards and a TD on the ground. …WR Jake Roberts caught 6 passes for 159 yards and 2 TDs. …FSU came out on the short end of a 50-30 score at Charleston on Friday. …QB Nino Marzullo completed 26-of-42 passes to 9 different receivers for 360 yards and 4 TDs. …DB Nick Longo had 13 tackles – 12 solo – with 2.5 TFLs and a QB sack to pace the Fairmont State defense
W.Va. Wesleyan (0-8, 0-6) at UNC-Pembroke (3-5, 3-3)m | 1 p.m. | Pembroke, N.C.
Last Meeting: October 21, 2023, Buckhannon W.Va. (UNC-Pembroke d. W.Va. Wesleyan, 56-0)
Notes: This is the 6th meeting between W.Va. Wesleyan and UNC-Pembroke. …The Braves have won the last 4 encounters to take a 4-1 series lead. …The Bobcats just missed their first win of the season on Saturday when Concord came from behind to steal a 33-31 victory. …QB Quinton Pulley threw for 208 yards and 3 TDs and added 40 more rushing yards. …DL Jaden Swiger and LB Riley Slaughter each posted 10 tackles for Wesleyan. …UNC-Pembroke blasted W.Va. State, 62-17, on Saturday. …QB Colin Johnson completed 15-of-23 throws for 309 yards and 4 TDs while RB Sincere Baines ran for 124 yards and 2 more scores. …WR Josiah Hayes led all receivers with 139 yards and 3 TDs on 5 receptions
Glenville State (4-4, 4-2) at Wheeling (4-4, 3-3) | 1 p.m. | Wheeling, W.Va.
Last Meeting: October 14, 2023, Glenville, W.Va. (Glenville State d. Wheeling, 27-13)
Notes: This is only the 5th meeting between the Pioneers and Cardinals. …The teams have split the first 4 encounters. …Glenville State forced 5 turnovers to key Saturday’s 37-14 win over West Liberty. …QB Anthony Garrett completed 12-of-22 passes for 208 yards and 2 TDs. …RBs Zavione Wood and Markquan Rucker combined for 104 rushing yards and 2 more scores. …Wheeling scored two TDs in the final 5:06 on Saturday to stun Frostburg State, 26-25. …QB Landon Lutz threw for 210 yards and 3 TDs while WR Tre Holloway had 7 catches for 116 yards and 2 TDs. …LB Jack Parry paced the WU defense with a game-high 14 tackles
Charleston (8-0, 6-0) at West Liberty (2-6, 2-4) | 2 p.m. | West Liberty, W.Va.
Last Meeting: November 2, 2023, Charleston, W.Va. (Charleston d. West Liberty, 42-17)
Notes: This is the 34th meeting between the two programs. …Charleston has won 8 of the last 10 to take an 18-14-1 series lead. …A strong second half propelled the unbeaten Golden Eagles to a 50-30 win over Fairmont State on Friday. …TB Chavon Wright padded his national rushing lead with 240 yards and 4 TDs on a staggering 37 carries. …QB Ean Hamric completed 12-of-17 passes for 245 yards, highlighted by a 71-yard bomb to WR Shamarr Wright. …DB Cashawn Beasley had 2 INTs. …The Hilltoppers lost at Glenville State, 37-14, on Saturday. …Four West Liberty QBs combined to complete 20-of-31 passes for 1 TD. …DB Trent Crawford’s 82-yard interception return set up an early WLU touchdown
NOTABLE
- Concord’s Ryker Brown leads the MEC with 61 total tackles. Wheeling’s Jack Parry and Fairmont State’s Nick Longo are tied for second with 59. Glenville State’s Shaun Sterling Jr. has an MEC-best 37 solo stops
- West Liberty DB Trent Crawford’s 82-yard interception return against Glenville State on Saturday was the longest in the MEC this season
- UNC-Pembroke’s Josiah Hayes leads the MEC in receiving yards (676), yards/game (84.5) and touchdown catches (13). Fairmont State’s Gage Michael tops the MEC with 46 pass receptions while West Liberty’s Ben Turner leads in yards/catch (20.3), which ranks No. 18 nationally
- Johnson leads the MEC with 23 passing TDs. Frostburg State’s Myles Fulton leads in pass efficiency (174.8), which ranks No. 6 nationally
- UNC-Pembroke’s Colin Johnson is No. 14 nationally and leads the MEC with an average of 260.8 passing yards/game. Fairmont State freshman Nino Mazzullo (245.0) is No. 2 in the MEC and No. 21 in NCAA D2
- Fairmont State and UNC Pembroke rank among the nation’s Top 20 passing teams. The Falcons lead the MEC and rank 10th in the nation nationally with an average of 294.1 aerial yards/game. The Braves are 14th nationally and second in the MEC at 287.5 ypg.
- Charleston continues to lead the MEC and ranks No. 4 nationally with an average of 274.4 rushing yards/game. W.Va. State is second and No. 18 among NCAA D2 squads at 198.9 yards/game
- Four MEC teams average over 400 yards/game in total offense. Charleston leads the MEC and ranks No. 10 nationally at 455.6 yards/game. W.Va. State (435.0) is second, just ahead of Fairmont State (434.9), followed by UNC-Pembroke (423.5)
- Six of the MEC’s 10 teams are averaging more than 30 points per game with two of them among the Top 10 nationally. Charleston leads the MEC and ranks No. 7 in the nation at 41.3 ppg. with W.Va. State (39.9 ppg.) checking in at No. 10. Frostburg State (35.1) is third in the MEC followed by UNC-Pembroke (34.8), Fairmont State (33.8), and Wheeling (32.0)
- Frostburg State DB Wylan Harich ranks No. 2 nationally with 6 blocked kicks through 8 games
- With two interceptions against UNC-Pembroke on Saturday, West Virginia State DB Nick Blake is tied for the NCAA D2 lead with Desmond Greene of Southwestern Oklahoma. Each player has picked off 6 passes in the first eight games
- Wright is 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
- After rushing for 240 yards and 4 TDs on 37 carries in Friday’s 50-30 win against Fairmont State, Charleston TB Chavon Wright leads the nation in seven offensive categories – Rushing Yards (1,537), Rushing Yards/Game (192.1), Touchdowns (29), Rushing Touchdowns (28), Points Scored (178), Points/Game (22.3) and All-Purpose Yards/Game (197.6) – through the first eight games of the season
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.
