Pioneer Football Travels to Fairmont State for the Battle for the Bit

Glenville, W.Va. - Glenville State's Football team is set to travel up I-79 this Saturday to face rivals Fairmont State in the Battle for the Bit. The Pioneers are (42-51-3) all-time against the Falcons. Three of the last five matchups between these two squads have been decided by a touchdown.

A Look at Fairmont State University

Fairmont State enters Saturday's contest with a (3-6) overall record and (3-5) in the Mountain East Conference. The Falcons are coached by Jason Woodman whole enters his tenth season under the helm. Under Coach Woodman, Fairmont St. has made the NCAA DII Football playoffs and has produced four eight-win-plus seasons.

The Falcons are coming off a 30-6 loss against Notre Dame College. Fairmont State only produced 277 total yards of offense. However, 174 of those yards came from the running game. Myles Miree rushed for 116 yards averaging 4.3 yards per carry in last week's game. So far this season Miree has accounted for 916 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Miree's 916 rushing yards has been the best in the MEC.

While Notre Dame held the Falcons' passing game in check, they have averaged 226.1 passing yards per game which is fifth in the MEC. Fairmont State's receiving core has been solid this year with two receivers ranking inside the top 15 in the conference. Harris Kobe leads the Falcons in receiving yards with 384 followed by Junior Donte Cloude with 375. Naseem Pacheco has proven to be a deep threat for Fairmont State with his longest reception of the year being 81 yards.

In last week's game against Notre Dame, the Falcons' run defense only allowed 102 rushing yards. Fairmont State's defense as a whole this season has ranked third in the MEC. As a unit, they are only giving up 336 yards per game. Brocton Blair has been focal for the Falcons producing 94 tackles this season. Blair has also accounted for 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

A Look at Your Pioneers

Glenville State is coming off a 31-30 victory over the Yellow Jackets of West Virginia State. For the Pioneers it was the first win over West Virginia State since the 2016 season. Glenville's offense accumulated 495 total yards of offense. The Pioneers were able to have success with the run game and efficiently in the air.

Anthony Garrett in his fourth career start for the Pioneers threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns. Though for starts Garret has accumulated 927 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. So far during the 2022 campaign, two receivers for Glenville have accumulated over 500 receiving yards. Javian Bellamy leads the Pioneers in receiving yards with 786 and touchdowns with seven. Orion Bonner is the second Glenville receiver over 500 yards. Bonner so far during the 2022 campaign has 538 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

In last week's win over the Yellow Jackets Glenville's run game shined producing 194 yards. Alfred Menjor, Zakee Swann, and Saeed Galloway have all been key contributors to the Pioneers' rushing attack. Menjor leads Glenville in rushing yards with 681 which is tenth in the MEC. Redshirt Freshman Zakee Swann has produced 463 rushing yards this season averaging 58 yards per game. Saeed Galloway with his eight touchdowns is currently third in the conference for rushing touchdowns.

Glenville's pass defense has been a strength all season for the Pioneers. In last week's contest, they were able to hold dual-threat quarterback Donovan Riddick in check. As a unit, the Pioneers' pass defense is only giving up 202 yards per game. They have also forced a total of 14 interceptions which is sixth in the nation. Nine different Pioneers have forced an interception this season. Mark Shepherd and Sean Scott both produced key interceptions for Glenville against the Yellow Jackets.

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