With two weeks of the season in the books, both the University of Charleston and West Virginia State are seeing some things they believe they can build on, as well as plenty that still needs to be corrected.
And Saturday, both schools will be tested against a pair of hungry teams looking to continue moving in the right direction.
For Charleston (0-2), the Golden Eagles find themselves in a situation they didn't expect to be in at this point. After making a run to the playoffs a year ago, turnovers and penalties have put Charleston in the hole a bit heading into the third game of the season.
Saturday's 1 p.m. kickoff at Glenville State represents the start of a crucial make-or-break stretch that could end up showing Charleston a lot about how the 2016 season will end up looking.
"These next couple weeks will be very important," UC running back Marvin Elam said. "We have to show that the last two games we lost don't define our season. It doesn't define this team. We're a lot better than that."
While the Charleston defense sees plenty of things on film that Glenville State (2-0) is doing well, the Golden Eagles are trying to find the right balance of preparing how to stop what the Pioneers will do while also keeping their focus on the improvements they need to make within the unit in order to get into the win column and get their season back on track.
"Glenville is a good team and we're not taking anything away from them, we're worried about them and what they do. But at the same time, we have to worry about how to get better each and every practice, film session and game because we're in a hole right now," UC linebacker Rhakeem Stallings said. "You have to focus on the task at hand. The past is the past, what happened with Notre Dame is in the past but you have to learn from it. You take those mistakes as you carry on and get better.
"We just have to maintain what we're doing, because we're having a great week of practice, and try to get that first win because if you get one then you can get back into the midst of things."
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Meanwhile, West Virginia State is looking to keep its momentum rolling in the right direction after picking up its first win of the season last week against Urbana, and it will get to do so against a West Virginia Wesleyan team that is 0-2 to start the year but looks to be much improved under new coach Del Smith.
Sometimes, when a program has been struggling, all it needs is someone to come in and inject some life into the team - and it seems like that is exactly what Smith has been able to do so far with the Bobcats as they head into Saturday's 1 p.m. contest at Lakin Field.
"The biggest difference I see is that their coach has got them believing in what they're doing, believing in the program and playing extremely hard for him, which is a great starting point," West Virginia State coach Jon Anderson said.
It took a touchdown in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter to allow Glenville State to escape Buckhannon with a 31-28 win over the Bobcats a week ago.
The West Virginia State defense is expecting all it can handle from a talented and improving Wesleyan team, led by Anderson, who is averaging 120 yards per game on the ground.
But the Yellow Jackets (1-1) have been successful stopping the run this season, allowing just 113 yards per game so far.
"In the old scheme he was good, but this scheme is really playing to his advantage," WVSU linebacker Mitch Rowell said of Anderson. "Once he gets in the open field, he can be gone in a heartbeat, so trying to contain him is going to be the biggest deal for us this week."
The Bobcats are last in the Mountain East Conference in pass defense, allowing more than 316 yards per game through the air, while the Yellow Jackets are throwing for 332.5 yards per game in those two contests.
Of course, the big question there will be who will be throwing the ball for the Yellow Jackets. Matt Kinnick left last week's game with an injury and made way for redshirt sophomore Austin Hensley. The pair of signal-callers combined to have a great game against Urbana, combining to go 21 of 25 for 320 yards and two scores in the win.
Anderson said they have continued to evaluate Kinnick's injury throughout the week and will determine if he will be ready to come back into the starting lineup before the game begins.
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West Liberty quarterback Dakota Conwell is recovering from ear surgery after having one of his nearly torn off in Thursday's loss Fairmont State. According to the Wheeling Intelligencer, Conwell left the game with the injury, after his helmet came off, late in the first quarter and was taken to a local hospital. WLU coach Roger Waialae told the Intelligencer that surgeons at UPMC in Pittsburgh reattached the ear and Conwell should make a full recovery.
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.