This Week: Notre Dame College football takes Mueller Field at noon on Saturday, ready to battle West Virginia State University on Homecoming Weekend.

Records: Notre Dame will enter week six with a record of 3-2 (2-2 MEC) after an important win over Frostburg State. The Falcons got revenge for the road loss in Frostburg from 2022 and snapped a two-game losing streak. West Virginia State is currently one of two undefeated teams in conference play, sitting at 4-1, overall, with a 4-0 MEC record. Last week, the Yellow Jackets defeated W.Va. Wesleyan, 51-16.

Coaches Corner: Garrett Mack enters his second season at the helm of the NDC football program. He has a record of 12-5 (11-3 MEC). John Pennington is in year seven at West Virginia State. He holds a record of 38-26 (35-23 MEC).

Rankings: Neither team is in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II top 25 poll.

Series History: Notre Dame has had plenty of success against West Virginia State, since the Mountain East Conference formed in 2013. In all eight of Notre Dame's wins in this matchup, the Falcons have scored at least 31 points. In five of the wins, they have put up more than 40 points. West Virginia State's only win came back in 2015 (32-29). NDC snuck past the Yellow Jackets in 2018, when a last minute Jaleel McLaughlin rushing touchdown gave the Falcons a 33-31 win. Since then, Notre Dame has won the last three games by an average of 25.3 points. In 2022, the Falcons put up a season-high 349 passing yards in a 48-13 win.

Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame went back to Maryland last week to face Frostburg State, the only conference team to beat NDC in 2022. The Falcons scored early and often in the first half of the game, taking their first lead (21-14) with 4:22 to go in the second quarter after Napoleon Harris caught his second touchdown of the game. NDC and Frostburg went into the halftime break, tied at 21. The defense picked up in the second half and only three points were scored by either team in the final 30 minutes. An 11-play, 71-yard drive resulted in a Cameron Shirkey 36-yard field goal to take a 24-21 lead, early in the fourth, and that would be the final score. Four of Frostburg State's six second half drives resulted in a punt, while kicker Dayne Koontz missed a field goal and quarterback Graham Walker was picked off by Abe Nyang on the final drive. NDC's Deshawn Evans ended the game with 257 passing yards and three TDs. James Faulkner caught five passes for 107 yards.

NDC ranks in the top four in the MEC in pass yards (1,302), total yards (2,091), touchdowns (20) and yards per game (418.2). NDC's defense ranks fourth in the conference in rush yards allowed (585), fifth in pass yards allowed (968) and fourth in yards allowed per game (310.6). Notre Dame's Deshawn Evans is climbing up the MEC rankings with 870 passing yards and eight touchdowns in just a couple starts and some relief duty. NDC's kicker Cameron Shirkey is tied for sixth in the conference with 41 kicker points scored.

The Falcons rank in the top 20 of Division II with three blocked punts (1st), a 17.5-percent third down conversion defense (3rd), nine interceptions (6th), and a 14.3-percent fourth down conversion defense (7th). Notre Dame's Isaiah Stephens ranks eighth with 10 total tackles for loss. Cameron Shirkey ranks 14th in field goals made per game (1.4) and Deshawn Evans is 20th in passing yards per completion (15).

Noting the Yellow Jackets: West Virginia State's only loss this season came in week one, when Morehead State snuck by, 37-35. Last week, WV State defeated West Virginia Wesleyan, 51-16. Surprisingly, the WVWC Bobcats scored first with 4:51 on the first quarter clock and led, 7-0, as the teams went to the second quarter. The Bobcats and Yellow Jackets went back and forth throughout the first half, and WV Wesleyan led, 13-10, with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter. WV State scored on a 41-yard pass play to take a halftime lead. In the second half, the Yellow Jackets outscored the Bobcats, 34-0. Donovan Riddick threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns as four different WVSU receivers tallied over 40 yards. Joel Felder ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Jalen Jones led the defense with nine tackles.

West Virginia State's offense is one of the best in the conference, ranking third in rush yards (1,039), fourth in pass yards (1,301), first in total yards (2,340), second in touchdowns (25) and first in yards per game (468). On the defensive side, they are fifth in rush yards allowed (623), fourth in pass yards allowed (922) and third in yards allowed per game (309). On offense, WVSU's Joel Felder leads the MEC with 668 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns and 133.8 yards per game. He also leads the conference in scoring, with 60 points. WVSU's Donovan Riddick is third with 1,237 passing yards and 247.4 passing yards per game.

West Virginia State has not lost a fumble yet this year and have a plus-nine turnover margin, which is tied for fourth. They have gained 12 turnovers, which is 17th-best and WVSU allows just 13.8 yards per kick return, ranking sixth. Joel Felder is third in D2 with 137 rushing yards per game and sixth with 548 total rushing yards. He is eighth in all-purpose yards per game (161.75). Donovan Riddick ranks fourth with a .730 average completion percentage.