On paper, the West Virginia State football team's opponent this afternoon, the University of Virginia College at Wise, doesn't seem too formidable. The Cavaliers don't score. They don't stop opponents from scoring. They're one of two winless teams remaining in the Mountain East Conference.
Yet the Yellow Jackets aren't preparing for the Cavaliers any less fervently. Regardless of opponent, there are too many milestones at stake for State entering today's 3 p.m. game.
A win would allow the Yellow Jackets (2-2, 2-2 MEC) to match their largest season win total since 2009, when they went 3-7 in former coach Earl Monroe's fourth year. It also would keep State in the top half of the conference standings. And, considering the upsets that already have occurred this season, staying within reach of the MEC's top spot could mean standing in that spot at season's end.
"Every week you've got to treat the same," State quarterback Matt Kinnick said. "Every week is a must-win. You've got to go 1-0 every week because, with this conference, anything can happen in any week. You've seen the way things have happened so far, so you can't treat any week any different than any other."
This is the second bounce-back week for the Yellow Jackets this season. After an opening-week win at Fairmont State, State dropped its home opener to Urbana. Then, after rebounding with a win at West Virginia Wesleyan, the Yellow Jackets were shut out in the second half of last week's loss to the University of Charleston.
The good news for State is that it's 2-0 on the road and averaging 55.5 points in the process.
The Cavaliers (0-4, 0-3) are 10th in the 11-team conference in scoring at 14.8 points per game. They're in the same spot in scoring defense, allowing 41.8 points per game. They have, however, started to wake from their offensive slumber. After getting shut out by Notre Dame (Ohio) in Week 2, Virginia-Wise mustered 10 points in a loss to Shepherd the next week and 21 points in a loss to Glenville State last week.
The Cavs definitely have a focal point to their offense - receiver Terrence Younger, a senior who leads the MEC with 416 receiving yards. The team's next-closest pass-catcher is Cedrick Watkins with just 93 receiving yards.
Wise uses a pair of quarterbacks, Jeremy Eubank and Daniel Lewis. It seems that the Cavs alternate which quarterback will take the lion's share of the snaps. One game, that job falls to Eubank and Lewis will take over the next week, leading to nearly identical attempt totals, 95 for Eubank and 85 for Lewis.
No matter who's under center, State coach Jon Anderson knows both quarterbacks will seek out Younger first.
"Whichever quarterback it is, that's who he's throwing it to," Anderson said.
As prolific as Younger is for the Cavaliers, State junior linebacker Mitch Rowell doesn't expect to take the field in some new, exotic defensive package to try and stop them. Yet that doesn't mean the Yellow Jackets will treat Younger like any other player.
"I don't think we'll change up what we do or make anything special for that one guy," Rowell said. "But we'll show more emphasis as to where he's lined up."
Anderson agreed that Younger will get plenty of attention, no matter where the Cavaliers station him in the offense.
"We're going to recognize where he's at in every formation they're running and find our keys that way," Anderson said.
Could that much focus on Younger allow another, less-heralded receiver to surprise the Yellow Jackets defense? It hasn't happened yet this season, but Anderson will make sure both needs - stopping Younger and keeping enough focus on the rest of the receiving corps - are met.
"You've got to guard against that, but at the end of the day, you want to take away their top option," Anderson said. "And when you're top option is taken away, you're forced to do something you're not comfortable with."