Coming off a tough loss last week, the University of Charleston wants to bounce back. Yet with a solid Fairmont State team visiting UC Stadium at 7 p.m. Thursday, Golden Eagles interim head coach Paul Johnson knows his team will have to be at its best.
"Fairmont is a very talented team and they have great players all over the field," Johnson said. "They're as talented as anyone in the league and I love what they do on offense. It's going to be a game of two very similar teams. We always play tough against each other because there are a bunch of great players on the field."
Defensively, UC has been playing as well as it has in a long time. The Golden Eagles (1-2, 1-2 Mountain East) have allowed just nine points in their last two games - including a shutout against Concord on Sept. 7.
A big reason for that, Johnson said, is the Charleston defensive line setting the tone for the rest of the unit. Defensive linemen Khazin Daniels, John Cominsky and James King have led the group - all making several key plays in the season's first three games.
So far Charleston is allowing just 93.3 rushing yards per game, tying the Golden Eagles for No. 1 in the MEC and No. 18 in NCAA Division II. Fairmont State (2-1, 2-0 MEC) has struggled to run the ball at times this season, averaging almost 93 yards per game. But the Falcons have the talent to thrive both on the ground as well as through the air.
"I'm very excited about our defense and the way those guys just fly around to the football," said Johnson, who fills in for head coach Pat Kirkland again this week as Kirkland remains on medical leave. "We're just so strong up front. We've got some older guys who get after the quarterback, shut down the run game and just play physical all game."
And while the defense has been consistently strong as well, Fairmont State knows it will also have its hands full against a Charleston offense that, despite having a tough week against West Liberty, will enter its third consecutive Thursday night game knowing it has plenty of weapons to use. The Golden Eagles are still the top rushing team in the MEC, led by quarterback Mason Olszewski and running back Tevion Cappe, and FSU coach Jason Woodman knows that his team has to be prepared for anything that UC will be throwing at it.
"We've got to slow down the quarterback, especially a guy as athletic as he is," Woodman said. "That's always an issue. We think they're very skilled everywhere and they play hard, so it's going to be important for us to find consistency on both sides of the ball."
Charleston has won four of its last five meetings against the Falcons, with Fairmont State winning last year's contest between the two schools. Each of the last two years the game was decided by less than 10 points.