Mountain Lions to Host No. 8 Winston-Salem

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A victory over the Rams would be a key regional victory and almost assuredly vault the Mountain Lions into the top-25 of the American Football Coaches Association poll. CU was the first team receiving votes in this week's AFCA poll.

Concord is in the middle of a three-game home stand to start the season. Next week, CU will host Charleston to open WVIAC play.

Concord and Winston-Salem both come into this week's contest with 1-0 records. Concord beat Lenoir-Rhyne in week one, while WSSU defeated UNC-Pembroke 28-23. CU made a comeback victory while Winston-Salem protected an early lead for the win

MOUNTAIN LION FACTS
-After last week's win, Concord is now 7-4 in games decided by one possession since 2009.
-A win over Winston-Salem would give Concord its third 2-0 start to a season in the last four years.
-The Mountain Lions are 6-4 in non-conference games since 2009.

RECAPPING WEEK ONE
Concord battled back from an early three-touchdown deficit to defeat the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears, 24-21, at Callaghan Stadium.

The victory was highlighted by a stellar game from defensive back Davon Marion. Marion led a defensive unit that shutout LRU in the second half. For the game, Marion recorded 10 tackles, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble, one interception and a touchdown. Linebacker Jake Lilly, who picked off a pair of passes while also finishing with nine total tackles.

Offensively, Concord was paced by senior quarterback Zack Grossi, who completed 24-of-41 passes for 242 yards, one touchdown passing and another rushing.

Senior wide receivers, Randall Hawkins and Ansel Ponder were Grossi's primary targets on the night. Hawkins caught 10 passes for 104 yards and Ponder pulled in seven receptions for 69 yards and a game-tying touchdown in the third quarter.

Freshman kicker Andy Ellington made the go-ahead field goal, a 41-yarder, in the fourth quarter.

TRIO HONORED
Three players earned honors this week for their play in the Lenoir-Rhyne game. Davon Marion and Andy Ellington were named the WVIAC's Defensive Player of the Week and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively. Jake Lilly was one of two linebackers in Division II to earn Defensive Player of the Week honors by the Beyond Sports Network.

FOOTBALL MAGNET
Senior wide receiver Randall Hawkins is without a doubt one of the top possession receivers in the WVIAC. Hawkins' 10-catch game in week one marked the fifth time in his last 11 games that Hawkins has came away with at least seven receptions in a game.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Senior wide receiver Ansel Ponder, who played his first three seasons of college football at Western Michigan, wasted little time endearing himself to Concord fans as the Bluefield, W. Va. native hauled in seven passes for 69 yards and the game-tying TD vs. Lenoir-Rhyne.

IMMEDATE IMPACT X 2
Ansel Ponder isn't the only newcomer that knows how to make an entrance Andy Ellington's game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter was the third-longest field goal by a Concord kicker going all the way back to 2003.

TACKLES IN BUNCHES
Including his nine-tackle game vs. Lenoir-Rhyne last week, Jake Lilly has now registered at least nine tackles in a game in 10 out of 11 contests dating back to the start of last season.

WVIAC RECORD WATCH
Zack Grossi moved into 13th place all-time in career passing yards and into a tie with former Concord quarterback Mike Lazo  for 12th place all-time in career touchdown passes after week one's effort. Grossi needs five more touchdown places to crack the career top-10 list for TD throws. He needs just 68 yards passing to move into 12th for career passing yards.

FIVE TO WATCH ON DEFENSE
Davon Marion had a game for the ages vs. Lenoir-Rhyne, but there's no reason to think Marion will not continue to be a playmaker for this defense. Before missing last season, Marion was one of the top players in the conference in 2010, finishing the year with 61 tackles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.

Spenser Jordan had his best game as a Mountain lion last week, finishing with 11 tackles, 3.5 TFL's and one sack. Jordan is poised to have a breakout senior year.

Jake Lilly is always around the football, as evidenced by his astounding tackle numbers and three career interceptions.

The Concord defensive line of Jordan, Josh Miller, and Silas Agyemang will be facing a Winston-Salem State offensive line that has an average weight of 321 pounds and an average height of 6'4. Games are won and lost in the trenches and this one will be no different.

FIVE TO WATCH ON OFFENSE
Despite dealing with weather conditions that were less than ideal to throw a ball in, Zack Grossi still managed to throw for 241 yards and one touchdown, in addition to running for another score, in week one's win vs. Lenoir-Rhyne.

As mentioned earlier, Randall Hawkins has a knack for catching the ball in volume. A reliable target is a quarterback's best friend.

Ansel Ponder lived up to the hype in week one and should only get better when not playing in a downpour. His 69 yards and one touchdown could be just a hint of things to come.

Wide receiver Darrick Williams matched a career-best with four catches vs. Lenoir-Rhyne while setting a new personal-best of 54 receiving yards.

Junior RB Chris Rodriguez ran for 88 yards on just 10 rushes (8.8 yards per carry) vs. LRU. He had a key 32-yard run in the fourth quarter when CU was pinned deep in its own territory.

A RARE FEAT
If Concord wins six more games in 2012, it will be just the third time in CU history that it has won at least seven games in a season for three consecutive years. Concord has previously accomplished this task from 1976-78 and 1987-89.

SCOUTING WINSTON-SALEM
The No. 8 Winston-Salem State is the top team in the CIAA and one of the best teams in the region. The Rams return 14 starters and 43 letterwinners from a team that finished the 2011 season ranked third in the country (AFCA), 13-1 overall and 7-0 in the CIAA. In week one, Winston-Salem defeated UNC-Pembroke 28-23 behind a solid all-around effort one would expect from a team of its caliber.

As a team in week one, the Rams rushed for 188 yards while passing for 190. WSSU also won the
time of possession battle vs. UNC-Pembroke 30:35-29:25 while forcing three turnovers.

Winston-Salem is coached by Connell Maynor, who is in his third season in charge of the Rams. Counting last week's victory, Maynor is 22-3 in his tenure at Winston-Salem.

FIVE TO WATCH ON DEFENSE
Defensive back Larry Hearne had a pair of interceptions last week that helped the Rams thwart any plans of a UNC-Pembroke upset.

Linebacker Carlos Fields had a team-high nine tackles in week one.

Linebacker Daniel Mungin got to the quarterback one time with a sack to go with his six tackles.

Defensive Lineman Justin Wilkerson finished Saturday's game with one sack and five total tackles.

Defensive back Shayqua Manning had 1.5 tackles for a loss, four total tackles and one pass break-up against UNC-Pembroke.

FIVE TO WATCH ON OFFENSE
Running back Maurice Lewis, was named the CIAA Offensive Back of the Week after WSSU's 28-23 season opening win over UNC-Pembroke. Lewis rushed for 134 yards and scored two touchdowns on 27 rushing attempts.

Quarterback Kameron Smith, a Boxtorow Preseason All-American team honoree, went 15-for-22 for 190 yards and one touchdown in week one. Smith also rushed for 44 yards and another score.

Wide receiver Jamal Williams caught five passes for 103 yards, including a long catch of 63 yards vs. UNC-Pembroke.

Fellow wide receiver Tehvyn Brantley made three grabs for 34 yards including, Winston Salem's only touchdown catch of the day last week.

Offensive lineman Markus Lawrence joined Kameron Smith on the Boxtorow Preseason All-American team