Concord Hits Road for Contest at Wheeling

Concord Stats - Wheeling Stats - Live Stats - Live Video - Complete Game Notes

ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University football team embarks on a road trip to Wheeling 12:00 p.m. Saturday in a Mountain East Conference contest at Bishop Schmitt Field.

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

Live Stats
Live Video

SERIES HISTORY: Wheeling leads 2-1

ALL-TIME MEETINGS AGAINST WHEELING
October 22, 2022: Concord 62 - Wheeling 31 (Athens, W.Va.)
October 30, 2021: Wheeling 15 - Concord 14 (Wheeling, W.Va.)
November 16, 2019: Wheeling 27 - Concord 20 (Athens, W.Va.)

NEW NUMBER ONE
After a Second Team All-Mountain East Conference season in 2022, sixth-year wide receiver Kris Copeland has established himself as not only Concord's number one target in the passing game, but he has risen to one of the best pass catchers in the conference. Last season, Copeland hauled in 52 receptions for 606 yards and seven touchdowns. After catching a career-high 12 passes for a single-game best 170 yards and two touchdowns versus West Virginia State, Copeland already has reeled in 27 receptions for 333 yards and three scores this fall. The Summerville, South Carolina native needs six receptions to become the fifth player in program history with 150 catches. Furthermore, Copeland enters the weekend third in Division II in receptions and ninth in yards.

NEW ROLES
Against West Virginia State, junior tight end Jordyn Bentley, a converted defensive back and then linebacker, made his offensive debut in the Maroon and Gray. The Chester, Virginia native came up with five receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. It was the most productive day for a Concord tight end since Dalton Brindo also had five catches for 62 yards and a score versus Notre Dame in November 2014. On the defensive side, junior defensive back Mekhi Williams made the most of his second career start by becoming the first CU player with a double-digit tackle contest this fall as he notched 11 tackles and a 1.5 tackles for loss. Williams, a transfer from Bowie State, had just 30 career tackles in 17 games with the Bulldogs.

ON THE CUSP
By passing for three touchdowns against West Virginia State, senior quarterback Jack Mangel moved within four touchdowns of breaking the all-time career mark at Concord of 71 held by Brian Novak (2013-16). Mangel recorded his 12^th career game with at least three passing touchdowns—nearly half his career starts of 25 at CU. Mangel also threw for 278 yards versus the Yellow Jackets to move him within 237 yards of second place on the all-time passing yards list at Concord. Mangel starts Saturday with 7,593 yards while CU Hall of Famer Mike Lazo collected 7,830 yards from 1995-98. Novak is the all-time passing yards leader at Concord with 9,820.

SECONDARY RULES
A week after giving up five passing touchdowns at Charleston, the Concord secondary bounced by back by holding West Virginia State to 198 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Last season, CU held four different teams under 200 yards passing. Additionally, three of the top five tacklers in the WVSU game for Concord were defensive backs in Williams, freshman Kendall Bournes (nine tackles) and junior Trevis Dampier (six tackles, two tackles for loss). On the other side, CU faces one of the best secondaries in the MEC in Wheeling which is holding teams to 161.3 yards passing, second fewest in the conference, and has recorded four interceptions in three games. Last season, Concord allowed 267 passing yards to WU, but intercepted two passes.

TAKE IT TO THE HOUSE
One of those interceptions for the Mountain Lions turned into a touchdown as junior defensive back Kevin Howard ran back an 81-yard interception for a score in the opening minutes of the second half. It turned into a breakout game and strong finish to the 2022 season for Howard as he picked off a pass the following week versus Alderson Broaddus. Additionally, the Alpharetta, Georgia native collected one of two defensive scores for Concord last fall. CU did give up 476 yards to Wheeling last season at home, but came up with a second interception, had six tackles for loss and three sacks in the 62-31 victory.

CAUTION: EXPLOSIVES
Mangel and the offense racked up 495 total yards in last season's win. Mangel was particularly efficient in the game as he threw a single-game program record seven touchdowns, needing just 25 attempts to do so. The Athens, Georgia native completed 17 passes for 361 yards and did not throw an interception in the contest. Three of the touchdowns went to Copeland who netted a career high in receiving touchdowns while also rushing for a 15-yard score in the second half. Overall, Copeland finished the afternoon with 168 all-purpose yards (60 receiving, 10 rushing, 98 return) on 11 touches. On the ground, senior running back Thurlow Wilkins missed a 100-yard rushing day by a yard as he finished with 99 yards on 13 carries.

WINNING AT WHEELING
The Mountain Lions came up a point short in their only previous trip to Wheeling, 15-14, in 2021. That particular game also featured a defensive touchdown from the Cardinals. Wheeling didn't score an offensive touchdown in the contest as it used the defensive score, a safety and two field goals to edge CU. Mangel threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns, but also two interceptions. Copeland, then a running back, carried the ball for 44 yards on 14 rushes. On the defensive side, just one Concord player suited up in the contest that remains on the two deep entering Saturday, graduate defensive lineman Vonte Pannell.

SPECIALIZING IN YOUR ROLE
Two of the best special team players in the MEC will be showcased Saturday in Concord's graduate kicker/punter Josh Hutley and Wheeling kicker Joao Lima. Hutley boomed five punts for an average of 45.4 yards against WVSU to take over the MEC lead in punting average at 43.7. Hutley (three) and NDC's Dominic Buttazzoni (two) are the only two punters in the MEC with multiple punts to fly over 50 yards this season. Meanwhile, Wheeling's Lima is the reigning MEC Special Teams Player of the Week after hitting all three field goal tries in a 43-37 overtime win at Fairmont State. Lima is 6-for-7 on field goals this season, and has hit at least one 40-yard field goal in each of the last two weeks, including a season-long 48 yarder against Frostburg State.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
18- Minutes that Concord had the ball for in last year's win over Wheeling. The Cardinals owned a 41:09-18:51 time of possession advantage.

49- Combined first downs in last year's game between Concord and Wheeling.

57- Length of Concord's longest play of the season—a passing touchdown from Mangel to Copeland versus West Virginia State.

WHEELING AT A GLANCE   
Overall Record: 2-1
MEC Record: 1-1
Home Record: 1-1
Away Record: 1-0

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Wheeling erased a 23-3 deficit at Fairmont State before winning in overtime. The Cardinals used a touchdown pass of six yards from backup quarterback Landon Lutz to Stevie Mitchell to win at FSU. Running back Eli Young is sixth in the MEC in rushing with 188 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Javon Davis is WU's second-leading rusher with 110 yards on 18 carries. Davis' top target in the passing game is Quron Winder who has collected 201 yards on just seven catches. Linebacker Dalton Hoover is tied for fourth in the conference in tackles with 25. And in the secondary, Aaron Davis is tied for first in pass break-ups with six, having knocked two passes in each of the three games this season.