Post by Sly Fox on Aug 27, 2005 9:57:55 GMT -5
As we approach the season opener, I thought it might be interesting to learn a little about our opponent.
Concord University
Athens, West Virginia
Division II - West Virginia Intecollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC)
www.concordmountainlions.com/page.cfm
2005 Schedule:
8/25 @ Tusculum (Lose 21-0)
9/3 @ LIBERTY
9/10 @ Fairmont State
9/17 @ West Liberty State
9/24 vs. West Virginia Wesleyan
10/1 @ University of Charleston
10/8 vs. West Virginia State (Homecoming)
10/15 vs. Shepherd University
10/22 @ Glenville State College
10/29 vs. WVU-Tech
11/5 vs. North Greeneville
* Concord went 5-6 in 2004
* Mountain Lions haven't won conference title since 1990
Greg Quick - Head Coach
The Mountain Lions had two players selected to the Division II Preseason All-America Checklist:
TE Ron Buskey
Terrance Lee
They have gotten a transfer from Marshall to create a 1-2 punch in their backfield that they are trying to promote as TnT. The local fishwrap there in West Virginia did a nice article on the two:
www.bdtonline.com/articles/2005/08/14/sports/04sunconcord.txt
The Mountain Lions lost their season opener at Tusculum this past Thursday:
CONCORD UNIVERSITY 0 0 0 0 - 0
TUSCULUM COLLEGE 14 0 7 0 - 21
--FINAL STATS
Ben Thornton - 12 RUSHES / 32 YARDS
Ryan Pimentel- 13 ATT. / 22 COMP. 91 YARDS, 3 INT
LeBryan Patterson- 5 REC. 30 YRDS.
FIRST DOWNS- 8
RUSH YDS.- 27
PASS YDS.- 102
Concord University
Athens, West Virginia
Division II - West Virginia Intecollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC)
www.concordmountainlions.com/page.cfm
2005 Schedule:
8/25 @ Tusculum (Lose 21-0)
9/3 @ LIBERTY
9/10 @ Fairmont State
9/17 @ West Liberty State
9/24 vs. West Virginia Wesleyan
10/1 @ University of Charleston
10/8 vs. West Virginia State (Homecoming)
10/15 vs. Shepherd University
10/22 @ Glenville State College
10/29 vs. WVU-Tech
11/5 vs. North Greeneville
* Concord went 5-6 in 2004
* Mountain Lions haven't won conference title since 1990
Greg Quick - Head Coach
The Mountain Lions had two players selected to the Division II Preseason All-America Checklist:
TE Ron Buskey
Terrance Lee
Buskey is one of two returning all-region players at Concord. The junior tight end (6-6, 230, Thonotossasa, FL) caught 43 passes last season to pace all WVIAC players at his position. On his 43 receptions, Buskey earned 554 total yards for an average of 12.9 yards per catch. Six of those 43 grabs went for touchdowns. His 554 yards was good enough for third-best all-purpose yards for the Mountain Lions in 2004.
Buskey is joined by Lee, who led the conference with a dozen quarterback sacks last season. Lee was also able to use his pressure to break-up three pass attempts from his end position. Nineteen of his stops were for loss for a total of 76 yards opponents lost from scrimmage. Coming into 2005, Lee has added even more strength and size while keeping his blazing speed off the corner in-tact.
Buskey is joined by Lee, who led the conference with a dozen quarterback sacks last season. Lee was also able to use his pressure to break-up three pass attempts from his end position. Nineteen of his stops were for loss for a total of 76 yards opponents lost from scrimmage. Coming into 2005, Lee has added even more strength and size while keeping his blazing speed off the corner in-tact.
They have gotten a transfer from Marshall to create a 1-2 punch in their backfield that they are trying to promote as TnT. The local fishwrap there in West Virginia did a nice article on the two:
Tunstalle and Thornton
These two backs are sure to keep defensive coordinators up late for the next four months.
By: Tom Bone,
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Athens, WVa.- The Concord University offensive playbook has found a set of bookends.
James "Tank" Tunstalle, still wearing green outfits from his tenure at Marshall University, has arrived on campus to join workhorse Ben Thornton in the backfield for the Mountain Lions.
The two combine for a potentially punishing running attack.
Thornton, a valuable part of powerful James Monroe High School teams, averaged 4.1 yards per rush at Concord last season and scored 11 touchdowns in 10 games. He missed one game and half of another with an injury, but came back with no ill effects.
Tunstalle was a heavily-recruited athlete at Wyoming East High School. He saw little game action while at Marshall. He said that in Athens he's already "got my step back."
When Tunstalle visited Concord, Thornton was one person he looked up. "It was kind of wild," Thornton said with a smile. "Once we started talking, we really hit it off. We stayed up until 8 in the morning talking."
Although the two once faced off in a high school playoff game, Thornton said of Tunstalle, "You can't help but like him. He's so full of energy, so full of life."
He was asked about the outcome of southern West Virginia prep stars running the ball at Callaghan Stadium. "I think it'll bring a lot more people in the stands," he said.
Putting the emphasis on the run doesn't bother Thornton at all. "With the running backs we've got, and the style of our offense, I don't see why we'd have to do anything else."
Head coach Greg Quick said he thought about all the angles. "It's a situation you worry about, because you bring in a name player. Is that going to help your team or is it going to hurt it?
"I tell you, (when) I met Tank - there's no ego. ...He's done a wonderful job of fitting in. He's unassuming."
Tunstalle said the transition to maroon and gray is "going real well. Football's football to me, no matter what. I'm doing something I love, again - something I have a passion for. ... I'm having the time of my life."
At Marshall, he said, "More things than football were going on, and I really wasn't having that much fun. And that's when I told my father it was time for me to move on. ..."
His father played baseball and wrestled at Concord years ago. As the two were talking and praying about his future, Tunstalle said, "We were thinking about schools ... and Concord popped up."
After visiting Athens, he said, "I really felt at home, a family-type atmosphere. And I felt like they were genuine. ... Then I got a chance to talk to some of the players, and I felt like, 'These guys, they're ready.' ... I liked what I was hearing. It sounded like a perfect fit for me. ...
"We've got a close-knit group of guys who have fun on the field, (but) work hard."
These two backs are sure to keep defensive coordinators up late for the next four months.
By: Tom Bone,
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Athens, WVa.- The Concord University offensive playbook has found a set of bookends.
James "Tank" Tunstalle, still wearing green outfits from his tenure at Marshall University, has arrived on campus to join workhorse Ben Thornton in the backfield for the Mountain Lions.
The two combine for a potentially punishing running attack.
Thornton, a valuable part of powerful James Monroe High School teams, averaged 4.1 yards per rush at Concord last season and scored 11 touchdowns in 10 games. He missed one game and half of another with an injury, but came back with no ill effects.
Tunstalle was a heavily-recruited athlete at Wyoming East High School. He saw little game action while at Marshall. He said that in Athens he's already "got my step back."
When Tunstalle visited Concord, Thornton was one person he looked up. "It was kind of wild," Thornton said with a smile. "Once we started talking, we really hit it off. We stayed up until 8 in the morning talking."
Although the two once faced off in a high school playoff game, Thornton said of Tunstalle, "You can't help but like him. He's so full of energy, so full of life."
He was asked about the outcome of southern West Virginia prep stars running the ball at Callaghan Stadium. "I think it'll bring a lot more people in the stands," he said.
Putting the emphasis on the run doesn't bother Thornton at all. "With the running backs we've got, and the style of our offense, I don't see why we'd have to do anything else."
Head coach Greg Quick said he thought about all the angles. "It's a situation you worry about, because you bring in a name player. Is that going to help your team or is it going to hurt it?
"I tell you, (when) I met Tank - there's no ego. ...He's done a wonderful job of fitting in. He's unassuming."
Tunstalle said the transition to maroon and gray is "going real well. Football's football to me, no matter what. I'm doing something I love, again - something I have a passion for. ... I'm having the time of my life."
At Marshall, he said, "More things than football were going on, and I really wasn't having that much fun. And that's when I told my father it was time for me to move on. ..."
His father played baseball and wrestled at Concord years ago. As the two were talking and praying about his future, Tunstalle said, "We were thinking about schools ... and Concord popped up."
After visiting Athens, he said, "I really felt at home, a family-type atmosphere. And I felt like they were genuine. ... Then I got a chance to talk to some of the players, and I felt like, 'These guys, they're ready.' ... I liked what I was hearing. It sounded like a perfect fit for me. ...
"We've got a close-knit group of guys who have fun on the field, (but) work hard."
www.bdtonline.com/articles/2005/08/14/sports/04sunconcord.txt
The Mountain Lions lost their season opener at Tusculum this past Thursday:
CONCORD UNIVERSITY 0 0 0 0 - 0
TUSCULUM COLLEGE 14 0 7 0 - 21
--FINAL STATS
Ben Thornton - 12 RUSHES / 32 YARDS
Ryan Pimentel- 13 ATT. / 22 COMP. 91 YARDS, 3 INT
LeBryan Patterson- 5 REC. 30 YRDS.
FIRST DOWNS- 8
RUSH YDS.- 27
PASS YDS.- 102
TUSCULUM COMES OUT HUNGRIER, TAKES 21-0 WIN
By Will Prewitt
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Greeneville, Tenn. - Offensive woes, highlighted by five turnovers, doomed Concord University as the Mountain Lions were blanked 21-0 by Tusculum College in the season opener for both squads.
The heralded CU backfield duo of Ben Thornton and Tank Tunstalle could not get untracked. The quick Pioneer defense limited the Mountain Lions to 124 yards of total offense and kept Concord from crossing midfield all evening.
The Concord defense held their own most of the evening versus the highly regarded Tusculum offense, yielding only 14 first downs and 304 yards.
"The defense played well except for a couple of big plays," said Concord head coach Greg Quick. "They were in the hole all night, but played with a lot of heart."
Tusculum took a 14-0 lead into the locker room at the half after scoring a pair of first quarter touchdowns. The Pioneers got a 16-yard pass from Cody Baugh to Chris Mosley with a 11:08 left in the first quarter. Glen Black's extra point made it 7-0.
A short 22-yard drive following a turnover made it 14-0 in favor of Tusculum. Randy Williams plunged over from the one-yard line with 4:28 remaining in the opening quarter to give the Pioneers a 14-0 lead.
A holding penalty wiped out a Tusculum second quarter touchdown, but the first half was mainly dominated by defense as the teams only combined for ten first downs, including six by the Pioneers.
The Pioneers closed the scoring at the 2:56 mark of the third quarter when Phillip McGee took it in from five yards away. Black's conversion was good and Tusculum had built the lead to 21-0.
Neither squad mounted a serious scoring threat in the final quarter.
McGee was the top offensive threat in the game with 83 rush yards on 21 carries. Baugh completed 14 of 29 passes for 181 yards.
Thornton led CU with 32 yards on 12 rushes. Tunstalle was held in check in his Mountain Lion debut with minus-two yards on five carries. Ryan Pimentel completed 13 of 22 passes for 91 yards, but was picked off three times.
"Obviously, we laid an egg offensively tonight," continued Quick. "We were tight early and didn't handle their pressure well later in the game. Tusculum is a very talented team from a talented conference."
The Mountain Lions will try get on the winning track on September 3 when they travel to Lynchburg, Virginia for a date with Division I-AA Liberty.
By Will Prewitt
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Greeneville, Tenn. - Offensive woes, highlighted by five turnovers, doomed Concord University as the Mountain Lions were blanked 21-0 by Tusculum College in the season opener for both squads.
The heralded CU backfield duo of Ben Thornton and Tank Tunstalle could not get untracked. The quick Pioneer defense limited the Mountain Lions to 124 yards of total offense and kept Concord from crossing midfield all evening.
The Concord defense held their own most of the evening versus the highly regarded Tusculum offense, yielding only 14 first downs and 304 yards.
"The defense played well except for a couple of big plays," said Concord head coach Greg Quick. "They were in the hole all night, but played with a lot of heart."
Tusculum took a 14-0 lead into the locker room at the half after scoring a pair of first quarter touchdowns. The Pioneers got a 16-yard pass from Cody Baugh to Chris Mosley with a 11:08 left in the first quarter. Glen Black's extra point made it 7-0.
A short 22-yard drive following a turnover made it 14-0 in favor of Tusculum. Randy Williams plunged over from the one-yard line with 4:28 remaining in the opening quarter to give the Pioneers a 14-0 lead.
A holding penalty wiped out a Tusculum second quarter touchdown, but the first half was mainly dominated by defense as the teams only combined for ten first downs, including six by the Pioneers.
The Pioneers closed the scoring at the 2:56 mark of the third quarter when Phillip McGee took it in from five yards away. Black's conversion was good and Tusculum had built the lead to 21-0.
Neither squad mounted a serious scoring threat in the final quarter.
McGee was the top offensive threat in the game with 83 rush yards on 21 carries. Baugh completed 14 of 29 passes for 181 yards.
Thornton led CU with 32 yards on 12 rushes. Tunstalle was held in check in his Mountain Lion debut with minus-two yards on five carries. Ryan Pimentel completed 13 of 22 passes for 91 yards, but was picked off three times.
"Obviously, we laid an egg offensively tonight," continued Quick. "We were tight early and didn't handle their pressure well later in the game. Tusculum is a very talented team from a talented conference."
The Mountain Lions will try get on the winning track on September 3 when they travel to Lynchburg, Virginia for a date with Division I-AA Liberty.
