Concord Stats -
Bluefield State Stats -
Live Stats -
Live Video -
Complete Game Notes
ATHENS, W.Va. - The Concord University football team opens the 2024 season at Callaghan Stadium when it welcomes Mercer County rival Bluefield State 1:00 p.m. Saturday in the first gridiron matchup of the two schools since 1979.
LIVE COVERAGE
The Concord Sports Information Department will have live statistics and live video of Saturday's game. Jason Reed and Steve will provide play-by-play action on the MEC Network.
Live Stats
Live Video
TICKETING INFORMATION
Tickets can be bought on Saturday at the window for $10 for adults and $5 for students. College students are admitted free with ID.
GAME PROMOTION
Saturday's game will be Concord Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day, and known as the Boggess Bowl as CU President Dr. Kendra Boggess will be recognized for her service to Concord.
SERIES HISTORY: Bluefield State leads 9-8
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
1979: Concord 48 - Bluefield State 0
1978: Concord 42 - Bluefield State 0
1977: Concord 40 - Bluefield State 0
1976: Concord 39 - Bluefield State 6
1975: Concord 14 - Bluefield State 6
CONCORD AT A GLANCE
2023 Overall Record: 1-10
MEC Record: 1-9
Home Record: 1-5
Away Record: 0-5
TOP STARS
While the Concord defense did take a hit by departures, the Mountain Lions return their top pass rushers, top tackler and top defensive back from last year. Graduate defensive lineman
Vonte Pannell returns for his sixth season of college football after having a career season in 2023. The Lynchburg, Virginia native notched 59 tackles, fourth on the team, while leading CU in tackles for loss (TFLs) with 11 and sacks (three). He finished tied for ninth in the MEC in TFLs a season ago. Graduate linebacker
Jamari Smith is the top returning tackler in the MEC after racking up 90 stops last season, despite not starting until the third game of the season. Smith was named All-MEC Honorable Mention at season's end. And sophomore defensive back
Kendall Bournes was second on the team with 78 tackles in 2023. His 78 stops were fifth in the MEC, and led all freshmen in the conference.
INSIDE THE INTERIOR
The most experience for the Concord offensive line will come at the two guard spots along with the center position. Sophomores
Jabari Edwards and
Aidan Parsons were both 11-game starters last fall as a redshirt freshman and true freshman, respectively. Edwards landed All-MEC Honorable Mention honors in 2023. Edwards started the season as CU's center before moving to right guard while Parsons manned left guard in all 11 games. Junior
DJ Shaw is expected to start at center after transferring from Limestone in South Carolina. The Cincinnati, Ohio native also has playing experience at Hocking College, a junior college in Ohio.
OLD FACES, SAME PLACES
Several new faces dot both the offensive and defensive depth charts, but some key contributors return to the Campus Beautiful for the fall. CU's leading rusher and junior running back
TJ Finney found the end zone three times in 2023. Over the final three games of the season, Finney toted the ball 41 times for 253 yards and all three of his touchdowns. The Mountain Lions' passing game will be tasked with replacing record-breaking quarterback
Jack Mangel and All-American wide receiver
Kris Copeland. After backing up Mangel for three seasons, graduate quarterback
Blayne Ferguson steps in to call the signals. Senior tight end
Jordyn Bentley is expected to start his 25
th career game Saturday afternoon between his time on both defense and offense. The former linebacker caught 25 passes for 257 yards over the final eight games last year. Sophomore wide receiver
Jake Roberts netted 21 receptions for 212 yards and a pair of scores.
NEW FACES, DIFFERENT PLACES
Junior wide receiver
Jakari Clark and sophomore wide receiver
Jamal Williams both bring immediate experience to the offense. Clark played in 16 games at the NAIA level for Reinhardt over the last two seasons. Clark reeled in 10 receptions for 311 yards with half of those going for scores in 2023. In his lone season for Division III Bethany, Williams hauled in 10 catches for 66 yards. To share the workload in the backfield, senior
JQ Browns joins the running back fold from Quincy University in Illinois. Brown averaged just under five yards per carry in 2023 as he rushed 102 times for 502 yards and found the end zone nine times.
NEW FACES PART II
The back end of the defense was bolstered by the transfer portal. Joining Smith at linebacker is
Nehemiah Scott (Virginia Union) and
Samaj Washington (Faulkner). Scott is listed as the starter at the Sam linebacker spot. In his only season at VUU, Scott appeared in seven games, making seven tackles. Washington, in his final year of eligibility, has played 23 career games for Faulkner. Over his career, he has amassed 82 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. Several new faces appear in the CU secondary, but former Chowan defensive back
Khwan Mickens is a probable starter at free safety, and
Devon Banks will get the nod at cornerback after transferring from Division I Bryant University in Rhode Island. Last season at Chowan, Mickens saw action in eight games as he forced a fumble and also recovered one. Banks played in three career games at Bryant.
FOUR DECADES IN THE MAKING
Two schools separated by just 20 miles haven't gone head-to-head on the football field since 1979 when CU captured a 48-0 win. In fact, Concord shutout the Big Blues in the final three meetings in the series before Bluefield State disbanded its football program. The series has certainly seen its streaks. After CU won three of the first five meetings from 1963-1967, BSU rattled off seven straight wins from 1968-1974. However, the Mountain Lions won the final five meetings in the 1970s by a combined score of 184-12 to draw within 9-8 in the all-time series. As of the 2024 football contest, Concord and Bluefield State currently play each in five other sports—baseball, men's and women's basketball, softball and volleyball.
PUNTING PROWESS
One of the bright spots for the Big Blues in their 34-3 loss last week versus Winston-Salem State was the punting of Graham High School graduate Danny Dales. Dales got off got off eight punts last week for an average of 42 yards, third best out of eight punters in the CIAA in week zero of the season. Dales had two punts over 50 yards and landed two inside the 20-yard line. CU's graduate punter
Josh Hutley finished just outside the top 20 in Division II in punting last season and was named All-MEC First Team after averaging 41.6 yards per punt.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
16- Tackles by Bournes in the last home game of the 2023 season versus Notre Dame.
20- Times Hutley's punts pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard line last season.
26- Career pass attempts by Ferguson
BLUEFIELD STATE AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 0-1
CIAA Record: 0-1
Home Record: 0-1
Away Record:
SCOUTING THE BIG BLUES
Bluefield State was held to 152 yards of offense in the setback versus WSSU Saturday at Mitchell Stadium. BSU's defense limited Winston-Salem State to 302 yards of offense, but the Rams took advantage of a 56-yard passing score and an interception that was run back for a score in the win. In his collegiate debut, Solino was 14-for-26 for 107 yards and an interception. Thomas Lee snagged six receptions for 89 yards. Jahman McNeil tallied 10 tackles with two for loss to pace the defense.
