FOOTBALL: GAME NOTES

CU BROADCASTER PREVIEWS CONCORD AT FAIRMONT STATE

Concord Sports Information Director Kyle Cooper also doubles as CU's radio play-by-play announcer.  Now in his fourth season as the Voice of the Mountain Lions, Cooper shares his notes on Saturday's football game between Concord and Fairmont State at Duvall-Rossier Field in Fairmont, WV.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 pm.
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There have been some ups and downs for the Concord Football team this season. 

There were two straight losses to start the campaign, followed by a three-game winning streak that included a signature victory over WVIAC powerhouse Shepherd.

After that came a frustrating road loss at Glenville State, which preceded a difficult victory over league back marker Seton Hill, which led into a bye week.

Despite the rises and falls, Concord goes into their stretch run in possession of what every college football team wants at this time of year – their fate in their own hands.

The Mountain Lions (4-3, 4-1) have three games left.  As long as they keep winning, they have a shot at claiming the WVIAC championship and a berth in the NCAA playoffs. 

That's the easy part.  The hard part is actually winning those games, starting with Saturday's visit to Fairmont State.

Concord's bye week was unscheduled.  CU was to have hosted Urbana University (OH) in a non-conference game on October 22, but Urbana abruptly withdrew from that contest last July.  Although the break was unexpected, Concord head coach Garin Justice is happy to have it.

“It's a definite positive,” Justice said this week.  “We were getting to a point of the season when we were starting to wear out.  That win over Shepherd was huge, but it took a lot out of us, and that showed in the Glenville State game.  Even against Seton Hill – a game we won – we really had to grind it out.
“We got some time off, and that given us a chance to heal.  We have some guys who are a little beat up, which happens at this time of year.  So the bye was a great chance to get healthy.”

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Chief among those on the mend is Brian Kennedy.  The senior RB suffered an ankle injury in the win over Shepherd, missed the loss at Glenville State and played only briefly in the victory over Seton Hill two weeks ago.
Sophomore Chris Rodriguez filled in well, rushing 27 times for 154 yards and a touchdown.
CU will need its running game to be in top form.  Fairmont State (6-2, 3-2) has the second-best rushing defense in the conference, allowing only 89.8 yards per game and 2.6 yards per carry.  The Fighting Falcons gave up a combined 154 yards in their last three games.


Yet while FSU has been tough against the run, their pass defense has shown some holes.  In the last three games, the Falcons' opponents have thrown for 957 yards with a .563 completion rate.

Concord's defense has been stout.  The Mountain Lions have allowed opposing offenses to score just six touchdowns in five conference games.  Over that same span, CU has forced 18 takeaways, including a conference-leading 12 interceptions.

Fairmont State's offense features RB Daniel Monroe, the WVIAC's top rusher.  The freshman has run for 122 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry on his way to 13 touchdowns.  Monroe has gone of the 100-yard mark in six of the Falcons' eight games, including the last four in a row.

“That's what they do when they have the ball,” Justice said.  “They want to run right at you.  Monroe is a having a great year and they really rely on him.  He's going to pose a challenge for our defense.”

Fairmont State's ability to run the ball has taken the spotlight off its passing game, which has been inconsistent.  Sophomore QB Logan Moore has thrown for more than 200 yards in a game four times, but has been held to 61 yards or less three times.  However, Justice says those numbers don't tell the whole story.

“Logan Moore is a threat.  He's a really good runner, so we have to be aware of that,” Justice said.  “The thing with him is that, even though his numbers don't seem that big, he's good in the clutch.  He's one of those players that when they need him to make a play, he makes it.  He's really good at the timely completion that gets them a first down or gets them in the end zone.”

The Falcons have produced big plays on special teams.  They've returned two punts and a blocked field goal attempt for a touchdown, and have blocked two PAT kicks and one field goal try.
That could be a concern for Concord, which has had two blocked punts returned for touchdowns this season and has missed three PAT kicks, two of them blocked.
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Fairmont State will be vying for its first victory against a team with a record over .500.  The Fighting Falcons' six wins have come against foes with a combined record of 9-39.  Their two losses have come against 4-4 Glenville State and 8-0 and 21st-ranked West Virginia Wesleyan.
Still, FSU is 13 points away from an undefeated season.  They fell to Glenville State, 36-30, in triple overtime on September 17 and 21-14 at WVWC two weeks ago.

“They've played well against winning teams and taken care of business against the teams they were supposed to beat,” said Justice.  “We know we're going to get their best effort on Saturday.”

In a game that's expected to be close, turnovers could be a factor.  Concord is an impressive +13 in turnover differential, while FSU is solid at +7.

“Working on fundamentals was one of the things we did over the bye week,” Justice said.  “That includes taking care of the football.  We've been good on that this year and we've got to stay that way.”

Saturday's game will be carried on News/Talk 620 WWNR in Beckley, which also has a limited-area 101.1 FM signal.
The broadcast begins at 1:30 pm with the “Mountain Lions Preview Show.”
The game will be webcast on www.theticket102.com. 
Fairmont State will provide streaming video and Live Stats on their "Game Center" page.



(photos by Jennifer Logan)




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