2017 Concord Stats -
2017 West Virginia Wesleyan Stats -
Live Video -
Complete Game Notes
ATHENS, W.Va. - For the second straight season, the Concord University football team opens up its season against West Virginia Wesleyan when the two teams clash at WVWC's Cebe Ross Field 12:00 p.m. Saturday in Buckhannon, West Virginia.
LIVE COVERAGE
Video: The West Virginia Wesleyan College Sports Information Department will provide live streaming video for Saturday's contest.
RECORDS
Concord was 2-9 overall in 2018 and 1-9 versus Mountain East Conference opponents.
West Virginia Wesleyan finished up with a record of 5-6 overall and 5-5 in the MEC.
AMONG THE BEST
Senior linebacker
Zach Malone begins the season ranked ninth in school history in total tackles with 230.
Additionally, the Charleston, West Virginia native is slotted 17th among active Division II players in career tackles.
Over the last two seasons, Malone has registered at least 10 tackles in 12 games including the last four of the 2017 season.
Last season, CU's middle linebacker had 11 stops versus West Virginia Wesleyan.
Since finishing the 2016 contest at WVWC with four tackles, Malone has double-digit tackles in 12 of his last 18 games.
FINDING A WAY
In last season's 23-18 loss to West Virginia Wesleyan, the Mountain Lions scored two defensive touchdowns.
Sophomore defensive back
Jonathan Roebuck ran back an interception for a score in the game's opening minutes before a fumble return for a touchdown by former Concord standout
Jeremiah Johnson in the third quarter.
For Roebuck, it was one of two defensive touchdowns he would score last season as the Leesburg, Virginia native also had an interception for a touchdown against UNC-Pembroke.
Roebuck is just one of two players to have two interceptions for touchdowns in the same season joining Travis Preston during the 2000 campaign.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
The last two contests betwen Concord and West Virginia Wesleyan haven't been decided until the game's final minutes.
After the Bobcats jumped out to a 20-6 halftime lead last season, Concord got to within 23-18 with seven minutes in the fourth quarter, but a late CU drive stalled out with under 90 seconds to go as the Mountain Lions dropped a five-point decision.
Two seasons ago at Wesleyan, record-setting Concord quarterback
Brian Novak led a late Mountain Lion drive that covered 90 yards over 10 plays to propel Concord to a 20-17 win on the road.
Junior wide receiver
Brandon Plyler recorded one of his two career multi-touchdown games with two scoring receptions.
Overall, Plyler has caught seven passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns in his career versus WVWC.
The Fort Mill, South Carolina native enters the season as Concord's active leading receiver with 665 yards on 59 receptions.
SPECIALIZING IN SPECIALIZING
Saturday's contest will feature the two leading kickoff returners in the Mountain East Conference from last season in sophomore wide receiver
Tywan Pearce of Concord and Wesleyan's Jajuan Linzy.
Linzy led the league in return average at 25.2 yards per return.
Meanwhile, Pearce averaged 22.4 yards per return on his way to being named First Team All-MEC as a returner in 2017.Â
Last season, Pearce had four kickoff returns of at least 40 yards. In a year in which Concord graduated placekicker
Zack Keaton and All-American punter
Garrett Lee, Pearce and senior long snapper and tight end
Mark Large are the only returning specialists for the Mountain Lions.
EXPERIENCE IN THE TRENCHES
With eight freshmen listed on the two deep for the Mountain Lions in the skill areas, Concord has veteran-laden offensive and defensive lines.
Senior offensive lineman
Derek Dressler has started 22 consecutive games between guard and center while playing in 28 career games.
Meanwhile, sophomore offensive lineman
Nathan Toney started in all 11 games in 2017 and senior
Jack Skidmore started 10 contests in his first season as a full-time starter last season.
Defensively, senior
Justin Noble leads the defensive line for CU.
The Nutter Fort, West Virginia native, who will play 24 miles from where he grew up on Saturday, needs five tackles for 100 for his career.
Opposite of Noble on the defensive line is junior
Ryan Gatrell who saw spot starts in 2017 and was a pass rush specialist.
RESTARTING A STREAK
Last year's loss against WVWC snapped a string of six straight victories for Concord over the Bobcats.
The overall series record belongs to CU 19-15, but there's been a couple lengthy winning streaks for both sides.
From 2000-05, Wesleyan won six straight games.
Concord owns the longest winning streak in the series as it won eight straight games from 1976-83.
WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN AT A GLANCE
The Bobcats return a couple of their top defensive linemen from the 2017 season in Harry Lewis and Aman Speed.
The duo combined for nine sacks and 16 tackles for loss last season.
WVWC also welcomes back its leader rusher in Devin Montgomery who ran for nearly 900 yards in his first season at Wesleyan.
Montgomery rushed for 238 yards against Concord last season.
Current Wesleyan head coach Del Smith played for CU head coach
Paul Price when Price was an assistant coach at his alma mater during the early 2000s.
