Concord Ends Regular Season at UNC Pembroke

Concord Stats - UNC Pembroke Stats - Live Stats - Live Video - Complete Game Notes

ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University football team concludes the 2023 regular season when it travels to UNC Pembroke 4:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon in a Mountain East Conference contest.

LIVE COVERAGE
The UNC Pembroke Sports Information Department will have live in-game statistics and live streaming video of Saturday's game. 

Live Stats
Live Video

SERIES HISTORY: Concord leads 5-4

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VERSUS UNC PEMBROKE
November 12, 2022: Concord 58 - UNC Pembroke 56 (5OT) (Pembroke, N.C.)
November 13, 2021: Concord 28 - UNC Pembroke 25 (Athens, W.Va.)
October 20, 2018: UNC Pembroke 48 - Concord 34 (Pembroke N.C.)
October 21, 2017: Concord 31 - UNC Pembroke 22 (Athens, W.Va.)
November 12, 2016: UNC Pembroke 19 - Concord 18 (Pembroke, N.C.)

CONCORD AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 1-9
MEC Record: 1-8
Home Record: 1-5
Away Record: 0-4

CLOSING CALLAGHAN
In their final career game at Callaghan Stadium in Athens, sixth-year wide receiver Kris Copeland and senior quarterback Jack Mangel shined for the Concord offense. Copeland finished the afternoon with 12 catches for 153 yards—his sixth 100-yard receiving game of the season—and a touchdown. Copeland became the third player in program history to go over 200 career receptions as he now sits at 203, and he topped 2,000 career receiving, one of eight players in program history. Meanwhile, Mangel surpassed 9,000 career yards after throwing for 286 yards versus Notre Dame. The Athens, Georgia native is now at 9,216 passing yards, one of five MEC quarterbacks to go over 9,000 yards in the first decade of the conference. Former CU quarterback Brian Novak is also part of group. Mangel also joins Notre Dame's Chris Brimm (105/2018-22) and Shepherd's Jeff Ziemba (87/2013-16) to toss 80 or more career touchdowns in MEC history after throwing his 80^th and 81^st touchdowns last week.

MORE MILESTONES
Heading into his final collegiate game, Copeland can rise into the top five in program history in receiving yards. He starts Saturday with 2,120 yards which is currently eighth all-time at CU. With 130 or more receiving yards, Copeland would move into fifth. And the Summerville, South Carolina native needs just three receptions to move into second on the all-time catches list at Concord. Mangel could also join an exclusive club in MEC history with 26 completions at UNC Pembroke—the same number of passes he completed in his final home game last week. Only Brimm and West Virginia State's Matt Kinnick (2014-17) have completed 800 passes in conference history. Only four active quarterbacks in Division II have completed 800. And only three active wide receivers have both 200 receptions and 2,000 yards.

VAUNTED VONTE
In the final home game of his career, graduate defensive lineman Vonte Pannell put together perhaps his best game in the Maroon and Gray. Pannell tied his career best with nine tackles to go with a sack and a forced fumble. It was Pannell's first career forced fumble and his third sack of the season. Pannell leads all MEC defensive linemen in tackles this season with 56 and ranks 15^th in the conference overall. The Lynchburg, Virginia native is 12^th in the MEC in tackles for loss this season with nine. After not having a TFL in the first three games of the season, Pannell goes into the final game of the fall with at least one TFL in six of the last seven contests.

SAFETY HELP
The Mountain Lions were led in tackles against Notre Dame by freshman defensive back Kendall Bournes who chipped in 16 tackles (11 solo) from his strong safety spot to set a new career high. Bournes vaulted himself into seventh in the MEC in tackles with 72 for the season. The Union, New Jersey native is the second Concord player with at least 15 tackles in a game in 2023 after junior linebacker Jamari Smith rolled up 18 tackles versus West Liberty at the end of September. Overall, Bournes has five games this fall of at least eight tackles. Saturday did end a streak of three consecutive games with a TFL for Bournes.

FINAL PLAY
The last two games between Concord and UNC Pembroke has come down to the last few plays before a winner was decided. Two years ago in Athens, the Mountain Lions made a goal line stand with a strip sack with six seconds remaining as UNCP decided to go for a touchdown instead of a field goal in a 28-25 Mountain Lions' win. Last year's game needed five overtimes before Concord broke up a pass on a two-point try to hang on for a 58-56 win. The regulation score was 41-41 before the five extra sessions. The Mountain Lions won both games despite being outgained in total yards both times.

LIGHTING IT UP
With the shootout ensuing last year at UNCP's Grace P. Johnson Stadium, Mangel fired off 371 yards and four scores through the air to go with his then second career rushing touchdown which came in the first overtime. Copeland caught five passes for 58 yards and one of the four Mangel touchdowns. The Maroon and Gray racked up 516 yards of offense last season at UNCP, but the Braves totaled 553 yards in the contest. Two years ago at Concord, Mangel hit for 209 yards and two passing touchdown while sneaking in a rushing touchdown. CU put up 325 yards of offense in 2021 compared to 454 yards for UNC Pembroke.

PASS PROTECTION
The Mountain Lions close the season by facing the best pass rush it has seen this fall. UNC Pembroke leads the MEC with 35 sacks on the season and is tied for fourth nationally. CU's offensive line kept Mangel upright in the first half of last week's game versus Notre Dame before the Falcons got into the backfield three times in the second half. Playing in his final game in the Maroon and Gray is senior offensive lineman Bo Rowland who makes his 22^nd straight start at left tackle Saturday, playing over 1,400 snaps this season. UNCP's rush defense creates chaos too, as its 95 TFLs are second in Division II.

BEST ON BEST
The Braves are one of four secondaries in the MEC allowing fewer than 200 yards per game to opposing pass offenses, limiting teams to 184.8. Mangel, who will be looking to close his career strong, has had success against some of the best secondaries the conference has to offer this year. West Virginia State is only allowing 179 yards passing per game, but Mangel burned the Yellow Jackets for 278 yards in September. UNC Pembroke has held its last four opponents under 160 passing yards, and only three teams have gone for more than 250 through the air against the Braves.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
6- Quarters that Concord has scored in out of eight over the last two games against UNCP.

17- Points that has decided the last three games Concord has played at UNC Pembroke. 

42- Copeland will suit up in his 42nd career games Saturday afternoon.

UNC PEMBROKE AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 6-3
MEC Record: 5-3
Home Record: 4-1
Away Record: 2-2

SCOUTING THE BRAVES
Quarterback Colin Johnson did not see the field until the third game of the season, and all he has done in seven games this season is accounted for 28 touchdowns (19 passing, nine rushing). Johnson is coming off a game against Glenville State two weeks ago where he threw for 331 yards. Earlier this season, he threw for 336 yards and six touchdowns versus Wheeling. First-year head coach Mark Hall has remade the Braves' defense as the unit only gives up 18 points per game after allowing 29 points per contest last season. UNCP has outscored teams 187-74 at home, and over the last three games overall UNC Pembroke has surrendered a total of seven points. The defensive line is led by Jamae Blank with 10.5 sack and 17.5 TFLs.