Many football coaches like to say that their teams' biggest improvements come between the seasons' first and second games. Both West Virginia State's John Pennington and Charleston's Pat Kirkland believe that should be the case for their respective teams this week.
Coming off of State's 51-28 victory over the Golden Eagles, both teams have worked on a short week with UC will be hosting a Thursday night showcase against Concord at UC Stadium while State hits the road Thursday to face UVa-Wise. Both games are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. Thursday.
"We played with a lot of passion and we played hard with a lot of focus, but we still need to improve with our execution and we have some corrections to make," Pennington said. "The good thing about where we're at is that we have a great mindset right now and if our guys can understand that they have to prepare for this game in a short week like their lives depend on it and get ready for a 12-round fight, then we're going to have a good chance."
The Cavaliers (1-0, 1-0 Mountain East) have emerged under coach Dane Damron as one of the Mountain East Conference's better programs after struggling in its first handful of years at NCAA Division II. After four years without winning more than three games, Wise was the surprise of the league last season, finishing 6-5.
This year the Cavs are trying to take steps in the right direction with their explosive offense led by sophomore quarterback Brycen Lee and a handful of talented weapons at the skill positions. Last week, they started on the right foot with a 41-29 win against Glenville State.
As West Virginia State (1-0, 1-0 MEC) prepares to make the trip to Wise, Pennington knows it will be a great test, his team needing to make the quick turnaround after a big win.
"They're a really fast team, especially on defense, and they have a talented offense. They definitely look like one of the best teams in the conference this season," Pennington said. "You have to give their staff a lot of credit for what they've done in continuing to improve as a program. It's a tough place to play and we'll be playing on turf for the first time this season which will be a good challenge as well. It should be a great, tough game."
As for UC (0-1, 0-1 MEC), the Golden Eagles are hoping to avoid a second consecutive 0-2 start and are doing so against a Concord (0-1, 0-1 MEC) team that also struggled in its opener - losing 23-18 to West Virginia Wesleyan last Thursday.
The Mountain Lions gave up 292 rushing yards against the Bobcats. That could be a good sign for a Charleston team that was able to succeed at times on the ground in last week's loss to West Virginia State. The Golden Eagles averaged more than six yards per carry against WVSU and with dual-threat quarterbacks Mason Olszewski and Jermaine Kelly joining backs like Tevion Cappe and Vernard Roberts, UC has several people it can turn to for success.
Kirkland saw some positive things in the way both quarterbacks handled the offense when they were on the field last week after returning from injuries that sidelined them in 2016.
"Both of our guys that are playing now were pretty much out for the year," Kirkland said during Tuesday's MEC teleconference. "They both have a better understanding of the offense and what we're asking them to do. It's definitely encouraging when you have guys like that who can create opportunities with their feet. It opens up the playbook a lot more."
Even though they lost the opener, Kirkland and his team know they shouldn't panic because of one negative result. With plenty of time left on the schedule and more challenging MEC foes on the horizon beginning Thursday night, there's no time to dwell on early stumbles.
"This week we've really just tried to get good at what we're doing. Obviously, Concord presents some problems with their scheme on both sides of the ball, but we also know a lot of it is about putting ourselves in position to make plays," Kirkland said. "It's challenging early in the year because it's a tough Mountain East schedule and it puts a big emphasis on what you do during camp and how you can come out healthy."