While much has been made of Glenville State running back Rahmann Lee's scorching start to this season - and after a 412-yard performance against West Virginia Wesleyan, there's good reason for that - the Pioneers offense has been just as potent through the air, thanks to the arm of quarterback Sean Steele.
Steele, a 6-foot, 190-pound junior for Lantana, Florida, entered last week's game at the University of Charleston as the Mountain East Conference's leader in passing yards per game (281.5). It took West Virginia State quarterback Matt Kinnick's gargantuan 434-yard day against Wesleyan for him to eclipse Steele on the chart.
"He's very well coached and takes the coaching," Glenville coach David Hutchinson said of his quarterback. "He puts us in the right place. He's smart with the football, gets us lined up right. And he doesn't make the mistakes that cost you games. He throws a catchable ball most of the time and we love having him as a quarterback."
The Golden Eagles were able to slow down Lee out of the backfield. After smashing through the 400-yard barrier versus the Bobcats, he gained 99 yards at UC. But Steele improved from his averages, throwing for 313 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on 20-of-38 passing.
What helps Steele is a fast release. Because the ball leaves his hands so soon, opposing defenses have little time to react to him. He has yet to throw an interception this season through 100 pass attempts.
"Pre-snap, he's eliminated half the field," Hutchinson said. "After the snap, he's reading one guy and it's either we're handing the ball off or he's doing a read and getting it out of his hands quickly."
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Glenville is one of four teams MEC teams that has yet to throw an interception. Joining the Pioneers are West Virginia State, Fairmont State and Shepherd.
Those four are among 22 teams in Division II that have yet to throw a pick, and it doesn't come from shying away from the pass. Glenville has thrown 110 passes in three games, with Shepherd and WVSU right behind with 108 attempts. Fairmont has thrown 98 times this season.
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West Liberty, on the other hand, hasn't been so fortunate when it comes to mistakes in the passing game. The Hilltoppers have thrown 11 interceptions so far this year, ranking them dead last among 169 teams in Division II.
They also rank last in overall turnovers lost. On top of those 11 interceptions, the Hilltoppers also have given away three fumbles. The majority of those errors came last week versus Fairmont, when West Liberty committed seven turnovers (five off interceptions). Dylan LaGarde threw three in nine attempts, and Brent Colabella threw two in 14 attempts.
Even with those mistakes, the Hilltoppers held a lead until the final minute, when the Falcons scored a touchdowns and hit a 2-point conversion with 36 seconds left for a 36-30 win.
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Shepherd still leads the MEC in both scoring defense (11.7 points allowed per game) and total defense (218.0 yards allowed per game), but its opponent Saturday, Notre Dame (Ohio), has the edge over the Rams in one important defensive category.
Notre Dame leads the MEC and is tied for fourth in Division II with 12 sacks. And while the Falcons tally a lot of sacks, they don't give them up. They're one of nine teams in Division II that hasn't allowed a sack yet this year.