MEC Football Action Starts Thursday

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The 2023 football season gets underway on Thursday night as seven Mountain East Conference teams take on non-conference opponents.

Due to weather related to Hurricane Idalia, UNC Pembroke will host Fayetteville State on Friday at 3 p.m. (the game was originally scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m.). The week one football schedule will commence on Saturday with three more games.Thursday’s slate gets underway with Glenville State at Northwood at 2 p.m. The 6 p.m. time slot includes Frostburg State at New Haven and West Virginia State at Morehead State. Four more games will kick off at 7 p.m., including Seton Hill at Wheeling, West Liberty at Walsh, Gannon at Charleston, and Bloomsburg at Fairmont State.

On Saturday, preseason favorite Notre Dame will host Ohio Dominican at noon, while Emory & Henry at Concord and Johnson C. Smith at West Virginia Wesleyan are slated for 1 p.m. kickoffs.

Week 1 Matchups
Thursday, Aug. 31

Glenville State (0-0) at Northwood (0-0) | 2 p.m. | Midland, Mich.
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Notes: The 2023 MEC football season will get underway on Thursday at 2 p.m. as Glenville State travels to Michigan for a showdown with Northwood … The Pioneers are coming off a 7-4 campaign in 2022, which included a three-game winning streak to end the season … head coach Mike Kellar is entering his fifth season at the helm of the program and returns starting quarterback Anthony Garrett in 2023 … Garrett started six games a season ago (113-205, 1,415 yards, 11 TDs) … All-MEC running back Alfred Menjor also returns this season for the Pioneers after racking up 766 yards and five TDs a season ago. All-American Ian Pomeroy will lead the Pioneers on the offensive line.

Frostburg State (0-0) at New Haven (0-0) | 6 p.m. | West Haven, Conn.
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Notes: Under second-year head coach Eric Wagoner, Frostburg State was voted to finish second in the MEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll … Frostburg State is coming off an 8-3 campaign in 2022 … On offense, Frostburg State returns junior quarterback Graham Walker after throwing for 1,395 yards and 11 TDs a season … Sophomore running back Sean Aaron (917 yards in 2022) also returns to the backfield in 2023 … First team All-MEC safety Wylan Harich returns on the Bobcats defense (49 tackles, 4 INTs in 2022) … The game will be played at DellaCamera Stadium, on the Charger’s “Blue and Gold” turf field.

West Virginia State (0-0) at Morehead State (0-0) | 6 p.m. | Morehead, Ky.
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Notes: West Virginia State opens the season against Division I (FCS) Morehead State on Thursday night … Morehead State went 2-9 a season ago as a member of the Pioneer Football League … Under seventh-year head coach John Pennington, West Virginia State returns five All-MEC standouts in 2023 … Second team All-MEC quarterback Donovan Riddick returns to guide the WVSU offense … he ranked in the Top 3 in the MEC in both passing yards (2,326) and passing touchdowns (20) a season ago … Running back Joel Felder will return in the backfield after gaining 859 yards to go with eight TDs a season ago … Felder had four 100-yard rushing performances a season ago.

Seton Hill (0-0) at Wheeling (0-0) | 7 p.m. | Wheeling, W.Va.
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Notes: Wheeling opened the 2022 season with a 25-11 home victory over Seton Hill … Under head coach Zac Bruney, Wheeling turned in its best finish in program history with a 7-4 record a season ago … Wheeling will return quarterback Javon Davis in 2023 after passing for 2,263 yards and 18 TDs a season ago … Following the graduation of Sy Alli IV, Elijah Young will be the focus in the Wheeling backfield this season … Young split carries with Alli last season and ended the year with 878 yards and five scores.

West Liberty (0-0) at Walsh (0-0) | 7 p.m. | New Canton, Ohio
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Notes: In year 19 under head coach Roger Waialae, West Liberty returns 10 starters to the hilltop in 2023, including four on offense, four on defense and two on specials teams … The WLU offense will be led by quarterback Rudy Garcia … a season ago, Garcia accumulated over 2,000 yards of total offense with 1,801 through the air and 278 on the ground … Garcia scored 19 total touchdowns last season (12 passing, 7 rushing) … The Hilltopper defense will be anchored by the 2022 MEC Defensive Freshman of the Year, Cameron Rice (DL). Rice and fellow returning defensive lineman Josh Brown combined for 65 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks a season ago.

Gannon (0-0) at Charleston (0-0) | 7 p.m. | Charleston, W.Va.
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Notes: The two teams also played to open the 2022 season, with Gannon picking up a 47-13 home victory over the University of Charleston in Erie … Charleston was receiving votes in the AFCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll … Under then first-year head coach Quinn Sanders, Charleston went 6-5 in 2022 … Charleston won three of its final four games a season ago … Last season, Charleston was one of the top offensive teams in the nation, ranking seventh in NCAA Division II in scoring offense (39.9) along with 16th nationally in total offense (438.3). UC had six 40-point scoring performances, including three games with 60-or-more points. Running back Chavon Wright, the 2022 MEC Offensive Freshman of the Year, returns this season after rushing for 1,175 yards and 17 TDs a season ago. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry.

Bloomsburg (0-0) at Fairmont State (0-0) | 7 p.m. | Fairmont, W.Va.
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Notes: Fairmont State enters the 2023 season under 11th-year head coach Jason Woodman … the Falcons went 3-8 in 2022, with six of their eight losses being decided by single-digit point margins … Linebacker Brocton Blair returns to lead the Fairmont State defense in 2023 … the first team All-MEC linebacker recorded 116 tackles and two interceptions a season ago … Quarterback Michael Floria returns to lead the Falcon offense … He completed 81-of-148 passes for 1,227 yards and nine TDs last season … Floria’s top receiving target, Kobe Harris (37 catches, 534 yards, 5 TDs), also returns this season.

Friday, Sept. 1

Fayetteville State (0-0) at UNC Pembroke (0-0) | 3 p.m. | Pembroke, N.C.
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Notes: Fayetteville State edged UNC Pembroke 15-13 in week one of the 2022 season in the Two Rivers Classic … UNC Pembroke is under first-year head coach Mark Hall in 2023 … Hall comes to UNCP after 15 seasons at Chowan, including the last two seasons as the program’s head coach … He has a 14-7 record as a Division II head football coach … UNCP returns three All-MEC standouts this season, including two on the defensive line (Branden Spencer, Tyreke King) and one on the offensive line (Jacob Perry). Spencer, a first-team All-MEC selection, recorded 51 tackles and 7.5 sacks a season ago. King also added 31 tackles and 11.5 sacks along the defensive line.

Saturday, Sept. 2

Ohio Dominican (0-0) at Notre Dame (0-0) | Noon | South Euclid, Ohio
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Notes: Last season, the Falcons finished 9-3 (9-1 MEC) and won the MEC Football Championship for the fifth year in a row … NDC clinched a spot in the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the fourth year in a row in 2022, narrowly falling at No. 12 Ashland 20-13 in the opening round … The Falcons ranked 11th in scoring margin last season (+16.0) … Defensively, the Falcons ranked in the top 10 nationally in defensive passing efficiency (86.73), defensive touchdowns (6), interceptions (20) and passing yards allowed (157.2). The Falcon offense will be led by running back Idris Lawrence (1,069 yards, 8 TDs), while the defense returns Antoine Holloway (62 tackles, 14 pass breakups, 2 INTs). NDC is under second-year head coach Garrett Mack.

Emory & Henry (0-0) at Concord (0-0) | 1 p.m. | Athens, W.Va.
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Notes: To open the 2022 season, Concord went on the road and picked up a 27-20 victory over Emory & Henry … The Mountain Lions are under first-year head coach Brian Ferguson in 2023 … Under Ferguson’s tutelage as offensive coordinator in 2022, the Mountain Lions had one of the nation’s most explosive offenses as it finished in the top five in Division II in yards per game (487.6) while scoring 39.5 points per game last fall … The CU offense scored 60 touchdowns last season … First team All-MEC quarterback Jack Mangel returns this season after throwing for 3,667 yards and 39 touchdowns a season ago … He had three five-touchdown passing performances in 2022 … Concord hasn’t opened the season at home since 2017.

Johnson C. Smith (0-0) at West Va. Wesleyan (0-0) | 1 p.m. | Buckhannon, W.Va.
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Notes: West Virginia Wesleyan will be looking to rebound following a 1-10 overall record a season ago … Wesleyan is under third-year head coach Dwayne Martin, who has been with the program for the last eight seasons … On offense, Wesleyan will be led by quarterback Nathan Payne (153-292, 1,787 yards, 9 TDs, 12 INTs) and receiver Dariuse Cooper (26 rec, 316 yards, 1 TD). Defensive back Elyjah Ghameshlougy will lead the Bobcat defense after totaling 67 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles a season ago.