As University of Charleston head football coach Pat Kirkland looked back at the film of both games in his Golden Eagles' 0-2 start, he felt a number of emotions. Not many of them were good.
"Surprised, disappointed, frustrated," Kirkland said. "All of the above."
Among the biggest sources of that surprise and frustration is the number of mistakes UC had committed in those two contests. Some of those gaffes took the Golden Eagles out of striking distance against very good competition.
Charleston will try to earn its first notch in the win column this season at 1 p.m. Saturday, returning to the road to face Glenville State (2-0 overall, 2-0 Mountain East Conference). The team hopes that win can come with a renewed focus on eliminating errors.
Two things can short-circuit any attempt at winning - penalties and turnovers. The Golden Eagles suffered through more than they wanted of both in their first two games. UC has committed six turnovers, four in a 44-17 loss to Notre Dame College and two in a 38-22 loss to No. 4 Shepherd. The Golden Eagles also averaged 94.5 yards in penalties in those two games, including 108 yards worth of flags against the Rams.
Charleston's chance to score an upset over the 2015 Division II national runner-up came to an end in the fourth quarter last Thursday, with a turnover and a penalty as the culprits. With less than 8 minutes to go in the fourth, Charleston trailed 29-22 and had driven to its 36. Running back Tevion Cappe fumbled the ball away to Shepherd's Octavius Thomas at the UC 38. The Golden Eagles defense stood firm, but Shepherd punter Ruan Venter was able to pin UC inside its 1.
Two plays later, with less than 6 minutes left in the game, Charleston was called for a chop block in the end zone. Shepherd was awarded a safety, took a nine-point lead and got the ball back, ending Charleston's comeback hopes.
Charleston is 10th out of 11 MEC teams with a minus-2 turnover margin and eighth out of 11 in penalty yards per game.
"That's the frustrating thing when you look at errors," Kirkland said. "We're not physically getting beat or have a misalignment in scheme. It's the mental busts at times that cost us, things I didn't expect at this point in time, and I never do. But you just have to continue to address them and make sure the players put a big emphasis on it."
Charleston has plenty of veteran players who can ensure it's a point of focus. Fifteen of UC's 22 offensive and defensive starters against Shepherd were at least juniors. That may add to the surprise over the mental errors, but does give the Golden Eagles a large group of elder statesmen to guide the others.
"We're just practicing like it's a game," senior running back Marvin Elam said. "If we do everything right out here, the game will come easy. We have to put all the hard work into practice first before we play the game."
Even with two losses in two games, the Golden Eagles still hope to climb back into playoff contention. Yet UC can't afford any more losses. No 2015 playoff team out of Super Region One qualified with more than two losses. Senior linebacker Rhakeem Stallings said rebounding will take as much mistake-free football as possible.
"Every game can't be perfect," Stallings said. "But we have to try to play perfect if we want to put ourselves in a position to be a playoff contender."
Contact Derek Redd at 304-348-1712 or derek.redd@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @derekredd.