Game Preview - Concord

The #15 Golden Rams (11-1) continue their journey through the NCAA Division II playoffs when they travel to Athens, WV to battle the #10 Concord Mountain Lions (11-0) on Saturday. Kickoff in Callaghan Stadium is scheduled for noon. West Chester is coming off a convincing 46-20 win over Slippery Rock in the first round while, as the top seed in Super Region I, Concord received a first-round bye.

Series History:
This will be the first meeting of these two schools on the football field.

Concord is under the leadership of fourth-year head coach Garin Justice. In 2011, his first season at the helm, he guided the Mountain Lions to a WVIAC title and Concord's only appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs. As the sixth seed, they lost in a first-round game at Kutztown by a 17-14 score. Concord since finished 7-4 and 8-3 prior to this season's current 11-0 record.

West Chester head coach Bill Zwaan is in his 12th season and owns a 9-6 record in the NCAA Division II playoffs, including 2-2 in the second round. He is 3-0 against teams currently in the Mountain East Conference with his most recent game being a 28-7 win at Shepherd in last year's Super Region I final.

Scouting the Opponent:

Much like West Chester, Concord is best known for their high octane offense led by their marquee quarterback. Sophomore Brian Novak (174-286, 2,938 yards, 30 TD's, 10 int) is the Mountain East Conference Offensive Player of the Year and is a Harlon Hill nominee. Although 15 different Mountain Lions have caught passes, Novak's favorite target is MEC Offensive Freshman of the Year TJ Smith (46 catches, 987 yards, 12 TD's). Concord's other top receivers are Davon McGill (24 catches, 331 yards, 2 TD's) and Ryan Stewart (21 catches, 502 yards, 10 TD's), although Stewart did not register a catch at Shepherd and did not play the previous three games. The Mountain Lions' running attack is similar in that it has a main feature, but a large supporting cast. Calvinaugh Jones (195 carries, 1,370 yards, 9 TD's) certainly gets a bulk of the carries and Ben Nester (37 carries, 188 yards, 5 TD's) has accumulated all of his numbers in the final six games of the regular season. Angus Harper (54 carries, 193 yards, 7 TD's) and redshirt freshman Jamal Petty (107 carries, 571 yards, 5 TD's) give them further options. The entire offensive line was named all conference.

On special teams, Alabama St transfer Jermeil Douse handles punt returns and has accumulated 394 yards on 22 returns including a 65-yard touchdown against West Liberty. Among Tiko Henderson's 15 kickoff returns is a 92-yard touchdown at Shepherd. Redshirt freshman Garrett Lee averages 38.5 yards per punt and has landed 14 inside the opponent 20 while booming eight for 50 yards or more. Kicker Andy Ellington leads the team in scoring on 57 of 61 PAT's and 14 of 20 field goals with a long of 52. He's 6 of 8 from 40 and beyond, but has misses from 31 and 33.

The Concord defense is loaded with all-conference players. Up front are defensive tackles Will Greathouse (45 tackles, 7 TFL's, 2 blocked kicks) and DT Silas Agyemang (32 tackles, 9 TFL's), nose guard Darryl Johnson (42 tackles, 10 TFL's), and defensive ends Keith Ferguson (34 tackles, 7 TFL's, 3 forced fumbles) and Ervin Moore (38 tackles, 15 TFL's). In the middle are their top tacklers, linebackers LB Nick Ortiz (63 tackles, 18 TFL's) and Austin Dotson (50 tackles, 6 TFL's, 7 pass breakups). And the secondary is loaded with cornerback Mike Carey (37 tackles, 4 int, 8 pass breakups), redshirt freshman cornerback Jeremiah Johnson (42 tackles, 4 int, 12 pass breakups), strong safety Derrick Johnson (49 tackles, 5 TFL's, 5 int, 7 pass breakups) and Portland St transfer, free safety Mishawn Cummings (35 tackles, 5 pass breakups). Ortiz and Moore are the Concord sack leaders with six apiece. As a team, the defense has registered 30 sacks and 19 interceptions this season.

Analysis:

This season, Concord has had three games that Justice himself says could have gone the other way based on one or two plays. In week three, they defeated a Bowie St team that finished 5-5 by a score of 37-34 with the Bulldogs' fourth and two pass falling incomplete at the Concord 12 with 35 seconds left. A few weeks later, Concord needed a touchdown in the final two minutes to beat conference rival Charleston 24-20. And in the final week of the regular season, Shepherd scored a touchdown late in the game to take the contest to overtime. The Rams held Concord to a field goal in OT, but then Concord blocked Shepherd's field goal attempt to capture the MEC title. The bottom line is Concord won those three close games like good teams tend to do.

Statistically, the Mountain Lions and Golden Rams are VERY similar. Concord out scores their opponents by an average of 45-19; West Chester outscores theirs 40-18. Even breaking scoring down by half is even with both teams usually getting out to fast starts. Concord is a bit better in the running game on both sides of the ball as they outgain opponents 218-115 while West Chester outruns foes 189-141. But West Chester is better through the air 297-167 compared to Concord's 277-222. In general, both teams are fairly balanced.

In the turnover area, with their 19 interceptions Concord is +18 compared to West Chester being -1 having lost 12 fumbles. The West Chester defense outsacks their opponents 34-15 while Concord has registered 30 sacks while yielding only 16. Believe it or not, Concord has more penalties and yards (106 for 1,004 yards) than West Chester (90 for 885 yards) and West Chester has played one more game than Concord! Field goal and PAT kicking favors the Mountain Lions, but punting appears to be even. It's hard to compare kickoff coverage as the Golden Rams have resorted to popup or squib kicks after giving up a few long returns this season.

With both teams being so similar, they both also have the same fundamental keys - pressure the opposing quarterback, establish a running game, don't turn the ball over, and minimize the impact of penalties.

Notes:
The winner of this contest will face the winner of Virginia St and Bloomsburg in the Super Region I championship at noon on Saturday, December 6. Should Concord win, as the top seed in the region, they will host the regional final. As the fourth seed, West Chester played its final game at Farrell Stadium for the season when they defeated Slippery Rock on Saturday.

Game Coverage:

Live Stats   Audio   Video

Concord Athletic Site - Concord Set to Host First Ever Playoff Game Versus West Chester

Concord Athletic Site - West Chester vs. Concord Football Gameday Information

KYW Newsradio - West Chester Travels To Concord In D-II Tourney Saturday

Bluefield Daily Telegraph - Thanksgiving is a 'family' affair for Concord

Bluefield Daily Telegraph - CU football giving 'thanks' during bye week

Bluefield Daily Telegraph - Williams embraces hard work to contribute to CU football success

Bluefield Daily Telegraph - Unique opportunity

WOAY Sports - Offense Continues Blistering Pace For CU Football

WVNS-TV - Concord Prepares for First Playoff Game

Bluefield Daily Telegraph - Mountain Lions open postseason at home

D2football - PSAC Columnist - Super Region 1 Playoffs: Second Round

D2football - National Columnist - Bob Eblen - National Columnist

Note - Phone number on the above flyer is incorrect. Please contact 484-368-9882, but best to e-mail Jim Brazill.