Once again, there's a Thursday night game in Fairmont, West Virginia. But this time, it won't be on national television (that's saved for Colorado School of Mines at Colorado State-Pueblo, which should be a great game at a great Division II stadium). Still, it's no less important as Fairmont State tries to have its first perfect non-conference record since 2007.

Bowie State (3-2) at Fairmont State (4-1)

Here's a sobering thought: Fairmont State has not defeated a team that has won a game all season (no, I don't count West Virginia Tech's less than half of a game that counted as a win over a club team from Wright State). Between that and the work the Falcons had to do to beat a winless Charleston team last weekend, coach Mike Lopez should have some concerns.

Why did Fairmont State struggle so much last weekend? They shot themselves in the foot repeatedly in the first half with penalties, and they seemed not to be able to stop quarterback draw plays from Charleston's Maurice Leak, who ran for over 100 yards on the day. Overall, it was more of a defensive victory, though: Charleston's second touchdown was a gift that came from a horrible punt and outstanding field position as a result. The offensive line isn't doing Logan Moore any favors, so it's a good thing he's a smart quarterback who often makes good decisions and has good tuck-and-run ability. But make no mistake: the defense, not the offense, is the reason this team is 4-1 right now, and that will have to continue as the going gets tougher.

After starting the year 3-0 (defeating Assumption, Benedict, and Livingstone, none of whom impress me much (or Shania Twain, for that matter)), Bowie State has suffered back-to-back close losses on the road to Virginia Union and Virginia State. That's right: the same Virginia State that had to come from behind to beat West Virginia State beat this Bowie State team, doing so in overtime following a bad snap on a punt in the final minute of regulation that let Virginia State score the game-tying touchdown. Like most CIAA teams, the Bulldogs focus on the run, especially with a dual-threat quarterback in Clifton "Dominique" Budd. But for some reason, in the second half last week, he was replaced under center by Andre Johnson. Tariq Jones and Keith Brown are quite capable runners as well. Defensively, linebacker Bekewale Amadi is the leading tackler and the biggest threat the offensive line needs to guard against, as he has 7.5 tackles for loss this season.

I'll be honest: the CIAA is not exactly a strong football conference. Shaw was the class of the CIAA last year and would have been manhandled in the playoffs even with their normal starting quarterback. The focus for the Falcons has to be on committing fewer penalties (which they did well in the second half against Charleston) and containg Budd if he's at quarterback. Against this Fairmont State backfield, I don't expect Bowie State's passing game to be much of a threat. Don't expect a lot of points, but with the Falcons doing a better job of holding onto the football and being much better at finishing in close games, Fairmont State looks like the favorite to me.

Prediction: Fairmont State 20, Bowie State 13