Published: October 09, 2008 11:23 pm            

Fairmont State hopes to limit UC’s chances

MORGANTOWN — It’s no real secret that the best defense for a good offense is to keep it on the sidelines.

That’s one of the goals for Fairmont State’s football team Saturday when it heads south to tangle with the University of Charleston and it’s high-powered triple option attack at 2 p.m. at University of Charleston Stadium.

“To tell you the truth in talking to coach (Mike Lopez) and to our entire defense earlier I don’t know if you can really stop the triple option offense,” said FSU sophomore free safety J.J. Mayer. “What you try to do is contain it the best that you can. One of the best ways for us to stop it is for us to have our offense on the field as much as we can Saturday. When you can do that it keeps their dangerous athletes off the field.

“I believe in our offense. I think we have the weapons on offense to control a game, but right now for us it’s a matter of getting our swagger back so to speak, eliminating our mental mistakes and doing it. If our offense can have a good day and if we can really limit their big plays when we’re on defense then we’re going to give ourselves a chance.”

Two years ago Fairmont’s offense controlled the football for over 33 of the game’s 60 minutes and rolled up 215 yards on the ground, 206 of which came from running back Wendell Johnson in a 27-13 victory.

Last year, though, was a different story. Charleston’s offense, led by then-freshman quarterback DaRante Hunter, dominated in the game and the result was a 35-9 Golden Eagles victory. UC rolled up 431 yards of total offense in the win, 301 of which came via the running and passing of Hunter, and jumped on the Falcons early, taking a 21-0 lead at the end of the first half.

Saturday Fairmont’s players know they cannot afford another slow start, something which has hampered the Falcons in recent weeks.

“For some reason lately we’ve been taking too long to get ready in games,” said FSU sophomore offensive tackle Matt Khouri. “At times this year we’ve been a first-half team and at times we’ve been a second-half team. What we need to do this weekend is a be a full four-quarter team. We’ve got to put a complete game together.

“The last three games we’ve gotten behind by double digits in the first half and the only one we were able to come back in was the Shepherd game. We’ve got to put that behind us and start playing from in front. We can’t keep putting ourselves in holes and then spend the rest of the game trying to get out of them.

“From the opening snap Saturday we’ve got to be ready to go. We’ve got to be able to run the ball, throw the ball, catch the ball, tackle and put points on the board. We need to be solid in every phase of the game.”

Fairmont, which has lost two in a row and three of its last four after a 2-0 start, is 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the West Virginia Conference.

Charleston, on the other hand, is 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the league. The Golden Eagles have won two in a row and four of their last five.

        

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