WISE - - In search of back-to-back winning seasons in nearly a decade, UVa-Wise will visit Notre Dame College Saturday. The Cavaliers are coming off a 65-0 thumping of Virginia - Lynchburg while the Falcons most recently upended Charleston 17-12. While a win would give UVa-Wise consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the 2007 and 2008 seasons, Notre Dame is looking to stay alive in the playoff hunt. The Falcons are currently ranked eighth in the latest NCAA Super Region I rankings.

Saturday's game will pit two players who earned Mountain East Conference Player of the Week accolades last week. UVa-Wise's Marquis Hamilton took home the special teams award after he averaged 47 yards per return. The Washington, D.C. native added a 70-yard kickoff return touchdown in his team's victory. Notre Dame's Claudy Mathieu registered 11 solo tackles as part of a 14-tackle day. The senior added five tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles in the Falcons road win.

Defense continues to be the story for UVa-Wise. Entering play this weekend, Shap Boyd's unit ranks ninth nationally in total defense at 278.6 yards allowed per game. The key to the defense's success has been the ability to stop the pass. UVa-Wise leads the MEC and ranks seventh nationally in pass defense as opponents are posting just 155.2 passing yards per game. The unit's front seven leads the league and ranks fifth nationally in sacks at 3.67 per contest while the team ranks 12th nationally in passes intercepted with 14.

Notre Dame will present one of the tougher challenges of the year for UVa-Wise. The Falcons have turned the ball over just seven times in nine games. Quarterback Malik Grove has passed for 1,435 yards and 17 touchdowns while completing 61.5 percent of his pass attempts. The signal caller has added 713 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground while averaging 4.6 yards a carry. Grove has not thrown an interception in the last four games. He'll enter Saturday interception free over his last 108 pass attempts.

Freshman receiver Chris Thaxton continues to impress for UVa-Wise. The Richmond, Va. product caught a season-high 10 passes for 88 yards last week. Quarterback Brycen Lee also had his strongest game of the season as he completed 22-of-26 passes for 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Overall, 10 different receivers caught at least one pass in the win, including freshman Muntsier Sharfi who scored his first collegiate touchdown with a 43-yard grab.

UVa-Wise is 0-4 all-time against Notre Dame College. Last year, the Falcons built a 29-7 halftime lead before holding a furious rally to claim a 35-29 win in Wise. Javonte Latney rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown while Carlton Griffith added 53 rushing yards and two scores as part of a Cavalier offense that posted 137 rushing yards in the contest.

Grove passed for 356 yards and four touchdowns while adding 90 rushing yards in the win. The two teams combined for 959 yards of total offense without committing a turnover in last year's meeting.