Football Opens 2014 vs. Glenville State

Complete Concord Game Notes – Glenville State Game Notes – Live Stats – Video – Audio
 
ATHENS, W. Va. - The Concord University football team will look to start its 2014 season on a high-note with a win vs. Glenville State College Sept. 6, 2014 at Callaghan Stadium. Kickoff is slated for noon.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
The Concord University Sports Information Department provides live in-game statistics and video for all Mountain Lion home games. Additionally, home games can be heard on Willie 97.3 and online at kissplaysthehits.com. Jason "Moose" Reed and Steve Cox will have the call. Links to all live coverage options as well as complete game notes can be found at the top of the page.
 
MOUNTAIN LION NOTES
• The Mountain Lions have won two out of its last three games against the Pioneers with a 14-9 triumph in 2012 and a 49-14 victory in 2010. Glenville State bested CU 14-3 in 2011.
 
• Concord has won four out of its last five season-openers as well as four out of five home-openers.
 
• The Maroon and Gray were picked to finish second in the Mountain East Conference preseason coaches' poll. CU received three first-place votes and a total of 91 points, trailing only preseason favorite Shepherd (95 points / seven first-place votes).
 
• The Mountain Lions are 30-14 dating back to the 2010 season, the second best record among all MEC teams over the time frame; only Shepherd at 40-8 has registered a better record.
 
• In all, Concord has produced five consecutive winning-seasons including a pair of eight-win campaigns in 2010 and 2013. A winning-season in 2014 would mark the second longest streak of consecutive winning campaigns in school history. Previously, CU tallied nine straight winning-seasons from 1974-82 and six from 1987-92.
 
• CU was led to victory in the Concord-Glenville State 2012 meeting by a rushing attack that saw Ben Nester score a pair of touchdowns and Calvinaugh Jones run for 186 yards.
 
• Other top performances in the Mountain Lions' 2012 victory against Glenville State included defensive standouts Jake Lilly (14 tackles) and current Concord assistant coach Kevin Elliott (one interception).
 
• Concord placed five players on the USA Football preseason All-America team with senior center Rustin Mayorga earning first team honors, Jones, senior defensive lineman Keith Ferguson and junior kicker Andy Ellington garnering third team accolades and senior tackle Cody Parker receiving an honorable mention All-America designation.
 
• Entering his fourth season as Concord's head coach, Garin Justice has already amassed a 22-11 record with one conference championship and one NCAA Division II playoff berth.
 
• Justice, the eighth winningest coach in Concord history, holds winning records against conference foes Fairmont State (3-0), West Liberty (3-0), West Virginia State (3-0), West Virginia Wesleyan (3-0), Notre Dame College (1-0), UVa.-Wise (1-0) and Charleston (2-1).
 
• The 2014 edition of the Mountain Lions will be a veteran squad featuring 39 upperclassmen which includes 16 seniors.
 
• Additionally, Concord returns all 11 starters on offense and seven starters on defense.
 
• Sophomore quarterback Brian Novak started 10 games as a redshirt freshman a year ago, throwing for 1,561 yards and eight touchdowns in his first collegiate season.
 
• CU's first depth chart features an eight-man wide receiving unit led by junior Tiko Henderson, junior D.J. Holmes, sophomore Davon McGill, junior Kevin Robertson, junior Albert Rose, freshman T.J. Smith, junior Ryan Stewart and senior Darrick Williams.
 
• Leading the running back corps will be Jones, a three-year starter who is coming off of a season in which he rushed for 1,036 yards and eight touchdowns on 249 attempts.
 
• With 1,780 career rushing yards to his name, Jones comes into the year with the third most career rushing yards of any running back in the MEC behind Glenville State's Rahmann Lee (2,764) and Fairmont State's Daniel Monroe (2,050).
 
• Other runners making up what figures to be one of the deepest backfields in the MEC include Nester, sophomore Sam Wright and junior Angus Harper.
 
• Nester, who split time between quarterback and running back a year ago, scored six touchdowns while running for 377 yards in 2013.
 
• Wright picked up 207 yards and four touchdowns of his own last year.
 
• Harper most recently rushed for 262 yards and five touchdowns at Old Dominion in 2012.
 
• Providing protection up front is an offensive line that returns all five starters from 2013 in Mayorga, Parker, junior tackle Tyler Billings, junior guard Josh Cottle, and sophomore guard Coleman Osborne.
 
• The offensive line gave up the fewest sacks (12) of any offensive line in the MEC in 2013 while also blocking for the league's fourth ranked rushing attack.
 
• The Concord defense once again hopes to be among the nation's best in 2014 after ranking third in the country in points allowed (14.2) and third in yards allowed (268.1) last season.
 
• Arguably the strongest part of CU's defense will be a line that brings back all of its core rotation.
 
• Junior Ervin Moore has racked up nine sacks and 22 TFL since arriving at Concord and the tandem Ferguson, senior Greathouse and sophomore Darryl Johnson combined for 26 TFL a year ago.
 
• An addition to the Concord line will be returning senior Silas Agyemang, who missed all of 2013 due to injury. Agyemang brings with him eight career sacks and 24.5 TFL.
 
• Other returners from 2013 on defense which will be counted on to lead the Mountain Lions include junior linebacker Austin Dotson (61 tackles / one sack), senior linebacker Gary Saylor (42 tackles) and senior cornerback Mike Carey (four interceptions).
 
• Glenville State was tabbed to finish fourth in the MEC preseason poll.
 
• The Pioneers are led by Lee, a first team all-league selection who ran for 1,407 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore.
 
A CONCORD WIN WOULD…
• A Concord win would be its third consecutive season-opening victory.
 
• A Concord win would be its third in the last five meetings with Glenville St.
 
• A Concord win would give CU a 12-4 record at home under Garin Justice.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
376 - Yards needed by Calvinaugh Jones to become the ninth leading rusher in Concord history.
 
.750 - The Mountain Lions' winning percentage at home under Garin Justice.
 
Five - Tackles for loss needed by Ervin Moore to pass Ricky Leung-Wai for 10th all-time in Concord history.

UP NEXT
Concord travels to Institute, West Virginia for a week two contest at West Virginia State.