CU Hits Road for Non-Conference Game at Liberty

Complete Game Notes


The Mountain Lions enter its final non-conference game of the season with an overall record of 4-3 and a WVIAC mark of 3-2. Last week, Concord erased a 13-point deficit behind two touchdown passes from Evin Dusold to defeat Seton Hill, 29-26.

Liberty, which competes in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), is 2-4 on the season. The Flames have won their last two games including a 56-7 win over Presbyterian last week.

MOUNTAIN LION FACTS
- Concord is 0-4 all-time at Liberty. The two schools last played in 2005.
- Since 2009, Concord is 6-5 in non-WVIAC games.
- After starting the season 1-2, The Mountain Lions have rebounded to win three of its last four games.
- The Concord defense has allowed just one opposing running back to rush for over 100 yards this season.
- Concord scored a season-high 29 points in last week's victory at Seton Hill.
- CU has eclipsed the 350-yard mark in total offense twice over the past three weeks.

SCOUTING CONCORD
Even after giving up 26 points and 265 yards passing to Seton Hill, the Mountain Lions still rank 35th in the nation in points allowed per game (19.9), 26th in pass yards allowed per game (181.6) and 32nd in total defense (317.7 yards per game).

Concord's rush defense has allowed just two 100-yard rushers this season (Lenoir-Rhyne quarterback Ruben Haynes and Glenville State running back Rahman Lee).

The CU offense averages 18.9 points and 315.7 yards of total offense per game. As a team, the Mountain Lions have averaged 206.0 yards passing and 109.7 yards rushing per contest.

Freshman running back Calvinaugh Jones has rushed for at least 100 yards in three of his five games played this season. On the year, Jones has rushed for 504 yards on 108 attempts.

Freshman Albert Rose and senior Evin Dusold have both shown the ability to get the job done at quarterback this season. Rose is 2-2 as a starter and Dusold responded brilliantly when thrown into action last week, passing for 265 yards and two touchdowns in CU's victory vs. Seton Hill.

No matter who has taken snaps at QB this year, senior wide receivers Ansel Ponder and Randall Hawkins have been their top targets. Ponder has caught 36 passes for 475 yards and three scores while Hawkins has hauled in 42 balls for 394 yards. Sophomore Darrick Williams also has 13 catches for 158 yards and one TD.

Safeties Kevin Elliott and Davon Marion have combined to force seven turnovers this year. 

Concord linebacker corps: junior Jake Lilly (74), senior Howard Jordan (50), freshman Ervin Moore (28) and senior Jimmy Keating (24) have accounted for 37 percent of CU's tackles this season.

Junior Silas Agyemang (12 tackles for a loss / two sacks) and senior Spenser Jordan (4.5 TFLs / 1.5 sacks) anchor the defensive line.

FIVE TO WATCH ON DEFENSE
Kevin Elliott has picked off passes in three consecutive games. He has four interceptions on the year, the fifth most INT's in a season in CU history.

Ervin Moore provided Concord with a much needed pass rush last week, coming away with two sacks. Moore also ranks fifth on the team in tackles.

Jake Lilly ranks second in the WVIAC and 22nd in NCAA Division II with 74 tackles this season. Lilly needs just five tackles to move into fifth place in CU history for tackles in a career.

Davon Marion can make a big play whenever he is around the ball. Marion has two INTs, two forced fumbles to go with 54 stops this year.

Howard Jordan has registered at least a half of sack in five games this year.

FIVE TO WATCH ON OFFENSE
QB Evin Dusold was the key to Concord's comeback-win against Seton Hill. Dusold completed 85 percent of his passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Dusold, who had not thrown a pass since 2010, engineered all four CU scoring drives vs. SHU.

Despite registering zero rushing attempts in the first two weeks of the season, RB Calvinaugh Jones has already amassed 504 yards. Jones, who averages 4.7 yards per rush and 100.8 yards per game, scored his first collegiate touchdown last week.

FB Ben Nester continues to be Concord's goal line battering ram. The sophomore fullback has rushed for four touchdowns this season and three in the last two games.

The Mountain Lions' wide receiver duo of Randall Hawkins and Ansel Ponder still find themselves among the best in the WVIAC. Hawkins ranks leads the conference and ranks 15th in the nation in receptions per game (7.0) while Ponder is fifth in the WVIAC in yards per game (67.9).

SCOUTING LIBERTY
The Flames come into its games riding a two-game winning streak to improve its record 2-4 overall and 2-0 in the Big South Conference.

After a grueling non-conference schedule to begin the season, Liberty has stormed into conference play, earning consecutive Big South victories by a combined score of 98-7.

Liberty began the season with four non-conference losses at Wake Forest (20-17), vs. Norfolk State (31-24), at Montana (34-14) and at Lehigh (28-26) before beating conference opponents Gardner-Webb and Presbyterian 42-35 and 56-7, respectively.

Head coach Turner Gill is in his first season in charge of the Liberty program. Prior to joining the Flames, Gill had served as head coach at Buffalo (2006-09) and Kansas (2010-11). In seven seasons as a head coach, Gill has a career record of 26-53.

Liberty ranks near the top of virtually every significant statistical category in the Big South.

Offensively, the Flames average 29.8 points per game and 453.5 yards of total offense (274.8 passing / 178.7 rushing). Liberty has scored at least 24 points in a game four times this season.

Defensively, Liberty has held its opponents to an average of 25.8 points and 328.5 yards of total offense (193.5 passing / 135.0 rushing) per game. The Flames held Presbyterian to just seven points in last week's victory.

FIVE TO WATCH ON DEFENSE
DB Walt Aikens has forced two fumbles, picked off one pass and 29 tackles for the Flames this year.

With 32 tackles this season, LB Scott Hyland is LU's top tackler.

Four of LB Nick Sigmon's 25 tackles this year have come from behind the line of scrimmage.

DL Bryant Lewellyn has a team-high three sacks this season.

DE Chima Uzowihe finished with three TFLs and on sack against Presbyterian.

FIVE TO WATCH ON OFFENSE
RB Aldreakis Allen had a career day for Liberty against Presbyterian, rushing for 183 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 attempts for an average of 14.1 yards per run. Allen ranks 14th in the FCS in rushing yards per game (112.2).

RB Sirchauncey Holloway was just as impressive as Allen for Liberty against Presbyterian. Holloway ran for 128 yards on 12 carries while scoring one touchdown.

QB Josh Woodrum has completed 74.8 percent of his passes (98-for-131) this season for 1,186 yards and seven touchdowns. He is fifth in the FCS in passing efficiency.

Woodrum's top targets are Pat Kelly (47 receptions / 517 yards) and Ryan Ferguson (22 receptions / 334 yards). Kelly is tied for seventh in the nation in receptions per game.

---

After playing at Liberty, Concord returns home for WVIAC games vs. Fairmont State and West Liberty before ending its season on the road at West Virginia Wesleyan.