To Read The Game Notes in Their Entirety Please Click Here

WISE--  UVa-Wise and West Virginia Wesleyan enter Saturday's game coming off season opening losses.  The Bobcats lost 49-7 on the road to Elon while the Cavaliers fell 56-21 at Campbell.  UVa-Wise will also be playing a team coached by a first year coach for the second consecutive week as Weseleyan is under the direction of George Shehl. Shehl comes to Wesleyan after serving as an assitant coach at fellow MEC institution Charleston.  At Charleston, Shehl served as the defensive coordinator and special teams coach.  As defensive coordinator his unit ranked third nationally in total defense (264.5 yds/gm), eighth in pass defense (163.8 yds/gm), sixth in sacks (35), and 15th  versus the run (100.7 yds/gm).

Each school will face a vastly different opponent than it did in its opener.  Both schools played NCAA FCS schools on the road and suffered a defeat in the process.  UVa-Wise struggled to stop the run in its contest as Campbell rushed for 521 yards while holding the Cavaliers to just 36 yards rushing.  Meanwhile, Wesleyan averaged just 3.1 yards per carry in its loss at Elon.  The Bobcats also allowed 231 rushing yards on 45 carries.  The two schools also each lost the turnover battle by a combined total of 6-1.

A week ago, the Cavs played all three quarterbacks.  Cullen LaVoi completed eight of 23 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Jeremy Eubank three of six passes for 33 yards and a touchdown, and Ty Ryans hit three of four attempts for 32 yards.  Wesleyan starter Jeremy Musselman completed 19 of 38 attempts for 204 yards and a touchdown while backup David Zeh hit one of his two attempts for zero yards.

James Long was the leading receiver yardage wise for UVa-Wise in week one as he hauled in four passes for 116 yards.  Sophomore Terrance Younger added eight receptions for 63 yards and two touchdowns.  The Bobcats top receiver was Lavaughn Hughes who caught six passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.  Connor Arlia also caught six passes in the loss as he finished with 60 yards, including a long of 41 yards.

On the ground, neither school had a player reach the 50 yard rushing plateau in week one and that could be pivotal in Saturday's game.  Each side will look to improve on defense after playing a larger oppopnent in the opener.  Wesleyan allowed 538 yards and 49 points while UVa-Wise allowed 659 yards and 56 points.  The team that manages to slow the opposition's offense may control the clock and the game.  The Cavs held the ball for just over 21 of the 60 minutes of play in its game as the Camels mounted long sustaining drives to drain the clock.

The game will be a historic one not only for the two schools but also for the league.  UVa-Wise and West Virginia Wesleyan will join Notre Dame College and Urbana as the four schools that will play in the first ever Mountain East Conference Football contest.  Each game is slated to kickoff at noon.  Other games taking place around the MEC are listed below:

Shepherd University  at     Fairmont State       1 pm
Glenville State            at      West Liberty           1 pm
West Virginia State    at     Concord                  1 pm
Charleston                  at     Southern Illinois    2 pm