It would be tough for the University of Charleston football team to imagine a more difficult scenario in which it will host West Virginia Wesleyan at 7 p.m. tonight - or a more beneficial scenario for the Bobcats to visit UC Stadium.
Wesleyan finally gained some momentum this season off its first win, Oct. 17 over Urbana. The Bobcats have been off since then, and will have had 12 days to prepare for the 23rd-ranked Golden Eagles when they take the field tonight. UC, on the other hand, will enter this game with just four days of preparation - and healing time - having won at Urbana this past Saturday.
As challenging as it will be for the Golden Eagles, there are plenty of reasons to remain motivated for tonight's contest, among them the desire to keep or improve upon their No. 3 ranking in the NCAA's Super Region One.
"They understand the sense of urgency," UC coach Pat Kirkland said. "They've done it before. The one thing I've reminded them of is, I think we're a talented team, but we're not that much more talented than the guys we play. The reason we're having success is the work ethic and preparation we put in every week."
That work ethic has served Charleston (7-1, 7-1 Mountain East) in short weeks already this season. The Golden Eagles had four days to prepare for then-No. 21 Concord in Week 5 and pulled off a 29-21 win. UC has won six straight games entering tonight.
The stakes are high for UC tonight. The top seven teams in each of the four super regions earn berths in the Division II playoffs. The Golden Eagles want to keep their spot and know that one loss can dash those hopes.
Senior corner Torie Wagner said the key to getting through tonight's game is to stay focused on tonight's game.
"It's a little bit of pressure, but at the same time, we have to make sure to take it one game at a time," Wagner said, "not get ahead of ourselves or look too far ahead into the future. We have to play who lines up in front of us."
What lines up in front of UC tonight is a Bobcats (1-6, 1-6 MEC) team that knows how to score. After a season-opening shutout loss to now-No. 6 Shepherd, Wesleyan has averaged 31.3 points per game. The Bobcats beat Urbana, 34-7, the first time they held any opponent this season to fewer than 31 points.
"Offensively, Wesleyan is as good as anyone in the conference by far," Kirkland said.
It hasn't really mattered who Wesleyan has put under center, but its latest quarterback has provided a spark. Luke Casey played the first four games of the season, throwing for 708 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions. He went down with an injury, which put Ryan Deal in the starting spot, and Deal has responded with 1,093 yards, 13 touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Golden Eagles also are keeping an eye on running back Michael Anderson, who has rushed for 509 yards and four scores this season.
"They have a great scheme, and, along with a great scheme, they have great players," Wagner said. "The route combinations ... they're a balanced offense. They can throw the ball but also have a great running attack. Them being balanced, not knowing what to expect, gives them that advantage."
Kirkland and UC would have loved an extra couple of days to watch film and heal the bumps and bruises that come after the eighth game of the season. Those days aren't coming, so Kirkland said the Golden Eagles must shrug off the difficulties and ignore the Bobcats' record.
"That's the thing I have to remind them about, that daily grind to prepare," he said, "so come Thursday, we're giving ourselves a chance. We can't just show up on Thursday and expect that we're going to win. What we've got to do is suck it up and grind it out and get to Thursday."