WISE - - UVa-Wise and Glenville State will lock horns in a 2 p.m. showdown at Carl Smith Stadium Saturday for Homecoming 2016. Glenville State is in search of its fourth consecutive victory while UVa-Wise is looking to halt a two-game losing streak.
The Pioneers have used their offense to get off to a fast start. Thus far, Glenville State has registered at least 392 yards of offense in each game its played. The Pioneers have eclipsed 450 yards twice, including a 499-yard output against West Virginia Wesleyan.
Quarterback Dante Roberts found the MEC's leading receiver D.J. Williams for a touchdown with less than 30 seconds to play to upend the University of Charleston last week. So far the duo have hooked up for six touchdowns and 340 yards. Overall, Roberts is connecting on 66.4 percent of his passes and has thrown for 851 yards.
Glenville State's defense has been opportunistic in the first three games. The Pioneers have forced 11 turnovers while posting nine sacks. Five different Glenville State players have at least one interception, Shepherd University transfer Nick Lopez leads the league and is second nationally with three interceptions. Fellow defensive back Andre Dalton has already registered six pass break ups to go along with an interception. His six pass break ups lead the MEC and ranks seventh nationally.
UVa-Wise has yet to throw an interception but, the Cavaliers have lost five fumbles. Last week, UVa-Wise put the ball on the turf twice and lost both.
The last time the Cavs played at Carl Smith Stadium they had a furious second half comeback but dropped a 35-29 decision to Notre Dame College. UVa-Wise finished with over 130 rushing yards and three scores on the ground in the loss. It was the first of back-to-back 100+ rushing games for the Cavs; UVa-Wise tallied 108 yards last week at Shepherd.
When UVa-WIse has found the red zone, perfection has occurred. So far, the Cavs have visited the red zone 10 times and have came away with points on all 10 occassions. UVa-Wise has scored six touchdowns and four field goals in the red zone.
Three different Cavs have at least 20 tackles through the first three games. Senior linebacker
Zachary Blair leads the way with 25 while fellow senior linebacker
Alvin Enahoro has 24. Junior
Maurice Watkins rounds out the trio with 23 stops from his secondary position.
Last season, Glenville State built a 23-0 halftime lead over UVa-Wise en route to a 37-21 victory. Blair had a big day in the loss, the then junior established a new single-game MEC record with five tackles for loss as part of his 13-tackle performance.
Next week UVa-Wise visits West Virginia State in a 1:30 p.m. kickoff while Glenville State plays host to Notre Dame College.
