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West Liberty Stats -
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Complete Game Notes
ATHENS, W.Va. - After losing 10-9 to Fairmont State and having a six-game winning streak snapped, the Concord University football team looks to start a new winning streak 12:00 p.m. Saturday when it visits West Liberty in a Mountain East Conference game at West Family Stadium.
LIVE COVERAGE
The West Liberty Sports Information Department will have live in-game statistics and live streaming video of Saturday's contest.Â
Live Stats
Live Video
SERIES HISTORY: West Liberty leads 35-31-3
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
October 9, 2021: Concord 20 - West Liberty 16 (Athens, W.Va.)
October 12, 2019: West Liberty 47 - Concord 6 (West Liberty, W.Va.)
October 27, 2018: Concord 46 - West Liberty 33 (Athens, W.Va.)
October 28, 2017: West Liberty 44 - Concord 14 (West Liberty, W.Va.)
September 3, 2016: Concord 32 - West Liberty 25 (Athens, W.Va.)
CONCORD AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 4-1
MEC Record: 3-1
Home Record: 1-1
Away Record: 3-0
THE TREND CONTINUES
Since the start of last season, Concord has been involved in 11 games that have been decided by one possession, including twice against Fairmont State and last year's 20-16 win over West Liberty at Callaghan Stadium. The last time CU had 10 or more games decided by one possession in a 15-game stretch was the end of the 2011 season that continued for the duration of the 2012 season. Concord is 6-5 in games decided by one possession since the start of the 2021 season. Saturday's defeat came after the Mountain Lions scored with 38 seconds left as redshirt freshman wide receiver
Solomon Butler scored on a 32-yard reception. However, the two-point play was stopped by Fairmont State.
QUIET SCOREBOARD
Through five games, Concord's defense has surrendered just 91 points—the fewest points allowed by a CU defense through five games since the 2013 Mountain Lions gave up just 49 points in the first five games. Concord's scoring defense (18.2 points per game) is second in the MEC and 36
th in Division II. The Maroon and Gray defense—led by 11 tackles from graduate linebacker
Ty Maust and a career-best eight tackles from graduate defensive back
Michael Sawyer Jr. –-held Fairmont State to 283 yards of offense Saturday and the Fighting Falcons gained just over 100 yards of offense through the air. Last season, Concord limited West Liberty to 16 points in a four-point victory at home, the second-fewest points allowed in 2021.
NO FLY ZONE
The Mountain Lion secondary led by Sawyer's eight tackles, senior defensive back
Marcellus Saint's seven tackles and graduate defensive back
Davon Williams' five tackles to go with a pass break-up allowed just seven completions and 102 passing yards by FSU. The 102 yards were a season-low allowed by the Concord defense and the fewest since holding Alderson Broaddus to 71 yards last November. Fifty-six of the 102 yards allowed by CU came on the first completion of the game. This week's matchup features a West Liberty offense that is coming off throwing seven interceptions at Glenville State. Concord has only intercepted two passes this fall—both by Saint.
TOUCHDOWN TOSSES
Senior quarterback
Jack Mangel threw a touchdown pass for the sixth consecutive game as he connected with Butler on the fourth-quarter score. It matched the longest streak of Mangel's career with a touchdown. Additionally, the Athens, Georgia native recorded his 33
rd career touchdown which moved him into sixth place on the all-time list at Concord. Next up for Mangel to leap into the top five is Josh Aliveto with 37. The last CU quarterback to throw a touchdown pass in seven consecutive games was Brian Novak who went 12 straight games with a scoring toss during the 2014 season. Last season against WLU, Mangel threw for 195 yards and a touchdown.
GOOD ON GOOD
Saturday's game will feature the MEC's best receiver, junior
Jarod Bowie, and the best defensive back in the MEC—West Liberty's Shon Stephens. Although Bowie was held to a season-low 50 yards versus Fairmont State, the Martinsburg, West Virginia native still leads the conference in receiving (625 yards) by nearly 250 yards. Meanwhile, Stephens has seven interceptions, four of which came against Alderson Broaddus earlier this season. The seven interceptions are the most in Division II this season and are more than five entire defenses in the MEC. The last time Bowie was held under 100 yards this season—versus Glenville State—he went for 206 yards on nine receptions the following week.
NO.1 VERSUS NO. 1
West Liberty's defense is perhaps the best overall defense in the conference as it ranks first in total yards (275.8), second in run defense (116.4) and first in passing defense (159.4). But the Hilltoppers are eighth in scoring defense (24.2). While WLU possess the best passing defense, Concord and Mangel have the best passing offense in the conference, averaging 260.4 yards per game. Mangel's two interceptions are the fewest in the conference this season while the 10 interceptions that the Hilltoppers have recorded trail only Glenville State's 11. Butler's touchdown catch on Saturday gives CU three receivers with multiple touchdown catches this season, joining Bowie (four) and junior wide receiver
Cayden Chambers (three).
ROAD BLOCK
More on the defensive narrative for Saturday's game is the stingy third-down defense for both teams. West Liberty is getting opponents off the field on third down nearly 80 percent of the time as it ranks sixth in Division II in opponent third-down conversion rate (22.7). Concord ranks second in the MEC, and top 35 in the nation in third-down defense (31.5). Last season, the Concord and West Liberty offenses combined to go just 8-for-25 on third down. CU is coming off a game where it allowed Fairmont State to convert 33.3 percent (5-for-15) on third down, and also stopped FSU on all three fourth down attempts.
COMEBACK TRAIL
Concord overcame an early 10-0 deficit to West Liberty last season as it held the Hilltoppers to six points in the final 41 minutes of the game. It was the first time for the Maroon and Gray overcoming a double-digit deficit since coming back from 21-0 down at West Virginia Wesleyan in 2018. CU outgained West Liberty 319-189. Senior running back
Kris Copeland rolled up 115 yards rushing and a touchdown. Graduate linebacker
Tylen Fowler notched seven tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Graduate defensive lineman
Nathan Lease has 4.5 tackles for loss in his career versus West Liberty, including 2.5 last year. Concord has already erased a double-digit deficit this year after trailing 17-7 at Emory & Henry to open the season before winning 27-20.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
4- Touchdowns scored by CU in the final two minutes of a half this season, including Saturday against Fairmont State.
7- The home team has won the last seven times between Concord and West Liberty.
14- Season-high carries for backup running back
Kevon Young-Warren versus Fairmont State.
WEST LIBERTY AT GLANCE
Overall Record: 3-2
MEC Record: 2-2
Home Record: 2-0
Away Record: 1-2
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
The West Liberty defense is led by coordinator Jeff Monteroso, who is the father of former West Liberty men's basketball standout Dan Monteroso. While Stephens anchors the back end of the WLU defense, Cameron Rice and veteran David Gilcreast have combined for 13 tackles for loss along the defensive line. Edwin Linares-Rivera has three sacks. The Hilltoppers are ninth in scoring offense in the MEC (21.0). Quarterback Rudy Garcia has thrown for 765 yards and seven touchdowns, but has 11 interceptions. Garcia is also a threat to run as he has three rushing touchdowns and 155 yards on the ground. WLU has 14 different pass catchers this season with no one having more than Rashawn Harvey's 20 receptions.
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