Records: This is the first game for both teams competing. Notre Dame went 13-1 (10-0 MEC) last season while Concord was 2-9 (2-8 MEC).

Coaches Corner: Mike Jacobs is in his fourth year as the head coach of the NDC football program. He has an overall record of 30-6 (26-4 MEC). In 2018, Jacobs was named MEC, Regional and National Coach of the Year. Paul Price is also in his fourth season at the helm of the Concord team. He has finished 2-9 in his previous three years for an overall record of 6-27 (6-24 MEC).

Rankings: Notre Dame was ranked No. 4 in the preseason AFCA Coaches' Poll released August 26. The Falcons were ranked No. 11 in the D2Football.com poll. Concord did not receive votes in either ranking.

Series History: Notre Dame is 4-2 against Concord since the series began in 2013. The Falcons are currently on a four-game winning streak against the Mountain Lions after losing the first two contests. Notre Dame won 47-22 in 2018 with standout performances from multiple back up players. Dylan Akers filled in for Chris Brimm while Brimm was out with an injury. Senior Nehemiah Brown led the way on the ground with 135 yards on just six carries. Jaleel McLaughlin was not far behind with 132 yards of his own and two touchdowns. The running game was the star with 440 yards as Vasean Davis also made his presence known with 87 yards and three touchdowns. Concord scored late in the second quarter to take a 22-17 lead at halftime, but the Mountain Lions were held scoreless in the second half while NDC scored 30.

Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame starts its 10th varsity season and 11th season overall in 2019 with the biggest expectations of any program in NDC history. The Falcons finished the 2018 season with a six-point loss to the eventual National Champions, Valdosta State, in the NCAA Division II Semifinals. Since then, NDC has been on everyone's radar, making appearances in the top 5 of four different polls, including No. 4 in the AFCA poll used by the NCAA. The Falcons have earned the attention with 18 returning starters from a stellar 2018 season, including five All-Americans. D2Football.com announced earlier this week that they expect three of those players to be on their All-American list at the end of the season with running back Jaleel McLaughlin, offensive lineman Jimmy Burchett, and defensive lineman Sha'haun Williams all making their preseason All-American lists. Turner Sports' Wayne Cavadi made five bold predicitions for NCAA.com and number one on his list was a call for McLaughlin to break the DII football rushing record of 2,756 yards. The record is currently held by Danny Woodhead who set the mark 13 years ago. McLaughlin will need 335 yards more than a year ago to meet that prediction.

Noting the Mountain Lions: Concord's struggles came on the defensive side last year, and that may be the weak point again for the Mountain Lions. CU ranked fifth in the MEC in scoring with 27.1 points per game, just one spot behind Notre Dame's fourth-ranked 32.4 points per game. Concord ranked last in scoring defense, giving up 43.4 points per game as one of just two teams to allow more than 35 points on average. Notre Dame ranked first in that category with 18.1 points allowed per game. Concord's offense is in a good position to repeat as offensive threats as they return quarterback Kyle Akin for his senior season. Akin was the top passer for the Mountain Lions in 2018 with 1,544 yards and 14 touchdowns in nine games. The veteran QB welcoms back his top two targets from a year ago in Tywan Pearce and Brandon Plyler. The receiving duo combined for 1,193 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2018. Rounding out the top returners on offense is running back Josh Maxwell. As a freshman, Maxwell led the Mountain Lions on the ground with 628 yards. In his rookie year he was able to average 5.1 yards per carry due to his inability to be stopped behind the line of scrimmage. Maxwell had just 34 yards lost in 2018 in 123 carries. For comparison, Jaleel McLaughlin lost 143 yards on 378 carries.

Home Field Advantage: Since taking over in 2016, head coach Mike Jacobs has a 15-2 record on Mueller Field. Last season, the Falcons went undefeated at home in seven games, bringing their home winning streak up to eight games. The last home-field loss came at the hands of West Virginia Wesleyan on October 21, 2017. Prior to that 20-13 loss, NDC had a six-game win streak at home.

Welcome Back: After sitting out the 2018 season, Notre Dame brings back two of its offensive stars from the 2017 season. Running back Ladennyan "DJ" Greene and offensive lineman Michael Kyle both return to the field for 2019. Greene only played four games in 2017 due to a season-ending injury cutting his year short. Greene was so dominant in those first four games that he was named Second Team All-MEC. He ran for 567 yards on 88 attempts and scored six touchdowns. In his first two seasons (2015 and 2016) he ran for over 1,000 yards. His 2,702 career rushing yards currently ranks second in NDC history. Kyle was also an All-MEC honoree in 2017, receiving a spot on the conference's First Team. Kyle started all 11 games in 2017 after playing in seven games in 2016. He was also an All-MEC player in his debut season (2016) as a redshirt-freshman, earning Honorable Mention honors.

BY THE NUMBERS

1: Games missed by quarterback Chris Brimm in 2018. Brimm played in every game except Notre Dame's game at Concord. This will be his first game against the Mountain Lions.

17: More turnovers gained than lost by the Falcons in 2018. Notre Dame gained 34 turnovers last season while losing just 17. The 1.21 per game turnover margin led the MEC. NDC recovered 20 fumbles while intecepting 14 passes.

50: Sacks totaled by the NDC defense in 2018. The next closest team in the MEC was Charleston with 30.

264.6: Rushing yards per game recorded by Notre Dame in 2018. The mark led the MEC by over 40 yards. NDC also led the conference with 30 touchdowns. West Virginia State was second with 26 rushing TDs.