After the team got off to a rocky start to the season a week ago, Charleston quarterback Mason Olszewski was excited to see his team get a chance to redeem itself a bit and bounce back on Thursday night against Concord.
And that was exactly what happened as the junior helped lead the way to a 27-0 victory against the Mountain Lions that was able to get the Golden Eagles into the win column and restore some much-needed confidence to the entire team.
"It felt good just to get our first one under our belt," Olszewski said. "We struggled the first week, we didn't really know where we were at, but we just showed up tonight and did some really good things. It's an exciting day and we're looking forward to getting to keep that going into next week and the rest of the season."
Olszewski missed all but two games last season due to injuries and had to win a competition with backup quarterback Jermaine Kelly to earn back the starting job during spring practice. He earned the job with his leadership - coming into practice every day determined to get better, knowing from past experiences that your chance to play could be taken away on any snap.
"I'm very grateful for this opportunity I've got right now," Olszewski said. "A lot of people get hurt and then they're done for their career or they never get the chance to show what they can do again. I was lucky that I've gotten the chance to come back and lead this offense again.
"I'm just taking everything game by game and making sure I enjoy it every day when I get to come out for practice or for a game."
Through the first two games of the year, Olszewski and the UC offense have shown off just how versatile they can be. In the season opener, a loss on a rainy day at a muddy Dickerson Stadium against West Virginia State, Charleston was effective running the ball at times - gaining 352 yards on the ground with Olszewski finishing with 182 rushing yards. But to start Thursday's game, the Golden Eagles took to the air early on.
Olszewski completed 16 of 21 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown, with most of that damage coming in the first half before Charleston turned to the ground game and wore Concord down for the 27-0 victory.
Overall, UC had three players - including Olszewski - who ran for at least 70 yards in the game while having nine players record at least one catch.
"We have a very diverse offense. Anyone can get the ball any play and make something happen, and I feel like we've show that at times," Olszewski said. "We have three or four really solid backs and a handful of guys at receiver that I feel extremely comfortable throwing to. It's really nice when you have that relationship with those guys, you've built that chemistry and now you can go execute on the field."
Through these first two games, Olszewski is averaging 129 rushing yards per game to go with 246 yards and two touchdowns through the air while completing 72 percent of his pass attempts.
He's grown as a player and a person through all of the things he's gone through. Now when he steps onto the field, he's comfortable running the offense and knows what it's going to take in order to help the team get a victory.
"It feels good to be back out there," Olszewski said. "Every year I feel like I am getting better and better. It's not like when I was a freshman and didn't want to stand in the pocket, just wanting to scramble all the time. Now I've gotten comfortable sitting in the pocket, I know when to take it and run with it. I've really grown and I'm excited to see what can come next."
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.