This Week: Notre Dame College football hits the road to play the University of Charleston, on Oct. 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.

Records: Notre Dame will enter week six with a record of 4-2 (3-2 MEC) following a 31-24 win over West Virginia State. The Falcons have now won seven consecutive Homecoming games and improved their all-time series record against WVSU to 9-1. Charleston has started the season 5-0 for the first time since 2009, but the Golden Eagles have not started 4-0 since joining the MEC. UC had a bye last week, but two weeks ago, they beat Glenville State, 52-17.

Coaches Corner: Garrett Mack enters his second season at the helm of the NDC football program. He has a record of 13-5 (12-3 MEC). Quinn Sanders is also in his second season as the head coach at Charleston. He has a record of 11-5 (10-4 MEC).

Rankings: Charleston is receiving 18 votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II top 25 poll.

Series History: NDC and Charleston have maintained a close rivalry since both teams joined the MEC. Notre Dame leads the all-time series with a record of 6-4, winning six of the last seven games in this matchup. Charleston won every year from 2013-15. Over the last four matchups, these two teams have been featured in some high-scoring affairs. From 2019 till last year's game, these two teams have averaged a combined 85 points per game. Last season, Notre Dame defeated Charleston, on Homecoming, scoring a season-high 49 points in the 49-24 victory.

Noting the Falcons: The Falcons used the ground game to get past West Virginia State, last weekend. Idris Lawrence was named MEC Player of the Week after running 33 times for a career-high 182 yards. He scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 24 and then to take a 31-24 lead, the eventual final score. Overall, the Falcons ran for 230 yards and four touchdowns, as Krys Riley-Richardson also scored twice. Isaiah Stephens posted a career-high 13 tackles, including 10 solo stops and a forced fumble. Last week, Riley-Richardson scored the first touchdown of the game as NDC went down the field four-plays, 42-yards on their first drive. WV State would score twice to take a 14-7 lead before Riley-Richardson scored, again, early in the second quarter to tie the contest. The Yellow Jackets hit a field goal, early in the third, to go up 17-14. Cameron Shirkey tied the game, late in the third quarter, with a field goal, but WVSU responded immediately as Donovon Riddick broke through for a 59-yard run. The NDC defense, which has now allowed a combined 10 points in the second half of the last four games, held the Yellow Jackets scoreless in the fourth, using two turnovers on downs. NDC scored a touchdown to tie and Jacalyn Morrison had a huge interception to set the Falcons up on a short field.

Notre Dame is fifth in the conference with 200 points and 33.3 points per game. On defense, the Falcons are third with 116 points allowed and 19.3 points per game. The Falcons lead the conference with an 18.9 opponent third down conversion percentage and an opponent fourth down conversions of 25-percent. Individually, Idris Lawrence is third in the conference with 91.4 rush yards per game and is sixth in all-purpose yards with 105.6 per game. Cameron Shirkey is tied for fourth in the conference with 48 points, while Isaiah Stephens is fourth with 51 tackles and fourth with 10 tackles for loss. Jacalyn Morrison is tied for second in the MEC with three interceptions.

NDC is second in Division II in opponent third down conversion, sixth in blocked punts, with three, 11th with 10 interceptions, ranks 13th in red zone defense, holding teams to a 60-percent red zone percentage, and 18th in fourth down conversion defense. Isaiah Stephens is 20th in the country with 1.7 tackles for loss per game and Idris Lawrence is 25th in rushing yards per game. 

Noting the Golden Eagles: Coming off of a bye week, Charleston has a 5-0 record, overall, and a 4-0 mark in MEC play. On Sept. 30, the Golden Eagles visited Glenville State and beat the Pioneers, 52-17. After both teams went scoreless in the first quarter, UC opened up with 31 points in the second, and led 31-3 at halftime. Glenville State's first three drives resulted in two turnovers on downs and an interception, despite getting to Charleston's two-yard line on one drive and Charleston's 13 on a another drive. UC scored on all four drives of the second quarter. After Chavon Wright ran into the endzone for a touchdown on back-to-back drives, Charleston held a 52-3 lead, with 12:47 to go in the fourth quarter. Javonte Howard threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns. Wright threw a touchdown pass, to go along with 80 rushing yards and two rushing TDs. Alex Brink also ran for 74 yards. Marquan Herron caught three passes and totaled 88 yards, with a touchdown. Tae Marrero had 51 receiving yards and two touchdowns. PK Ackah-Yensu had five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Aden Miller added an interception.

Charleston is first in the MEC with 33 total touchdowns scored, 241 points scored and an average of 48.5 points per game in five games. Charleston also leads the MEC in yards per game (466.2) and ranks third in the conference with 1,276 rush yards. The Golden Eagles rank second with 302.4 yards allowed per game on defense and just 10 touchdowns allowed. UC's Chavon Wright is second with 103 rush yards per game and ranks fourth with 119.6 all-purpose yards per game. Roderick Webb is tied for second in the MEC with three interceptions and Nick Evans is also second in the MEC with five sacks.

Nationally, Charleston ranks sixth in the country with three defensive touchdowns and sixth with a 94.7-percent red zone offense. Tae Marrero is 13th in the country with 139.4 all-purpose yards per game and ninth in average punt return yards, with 15.3 yards per game. Javonte Howard ranks third in D2 with an average 182.8 passing efficiency and Nick Evans ranks 11th with one sack per game.