WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University football team will try to cool off a red-hot Concord squad Saturday afternoon in the Hilltoppers' final home game of the 2011 season.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Russek Field.

West Liberty (1-8, 1-6) wants to send its 16 seniors off on a positive note in their last home game. The Mountain Lions (5-3, 5-1) look to keep their West Virginia Conference title hopes alive with their sixth win in the last seven games.

“Concord's a very good football team that's playing very well right now,” WLU head coach Roger Waialae said, “but I think our seniors have a lot of pride. This year has been hard but they've had a lot of success during their careers at West Liberty and I'm sure there's nothing more important to them right now than winning their last game at home.”

This year's seniors will be honored in a brief pre-game ceremony: DB Carl Hayles; WR Brandon Carver; RB Brandon Davis; RB Jimmy Burress; DB Lawrence Robinson; DB Laurence Johnson; DB P.J. Polsley; DE Isaac Omaits; LB Dustin Whittlesey; DB Scott Houghton; LB Dan Carrel; OL Dan Srch; OL Ryan Scaperotta; OL Larry Wriedt; TE Daniel McDaniel and OL Randy Lemus.

The Hilltoppers are coming off a frustrating 26-22 loss to Seton Hill a week ago while Concord took over second place in the WVIAC standings with an impressive 20-7 victory at Fairmont State.

West Liberty took a 20-13 lead over Seton Hill early in the fourth quarter only to see the visitors knot the score at 20 with a touchdown drive midway through the quarter.

A Hilltopper fumble deep in West Liberty territory set up the Griffins' go-ahead score with 3:09 remaining. The Hilltoppers marched right back down the field only to have their potential game-winning drive short-circuited by an interception at the SHU 18 with 1:29 remaining.

There were a few bright spots in the loss as West Liberty matched its season high with 388 yards of total offense and posted a season-high 25 first downs while holding Seton Hill to just 27 rushing yards on 31 carries.

Quarterback L.D. Crow completed 25-of-43 passes for 322 yards and 3 TDs – both career-highs. Sophomore WR Brandon Schroeder went over the 100-yard mark for the second consecutive week with a career-high 13 catches for a career-high 180 yards.

Big plays were the key to victory for Concord in Fairmont last week. The Mountain Lions scored on a 61-yard fumble return by DB Nate Pollard, a 60-yard touchdown pass from QB Zach Grossi to WR Darrick Williams and a 35-yard TD run by TB Brian Kennedy and the defense did the rest, holding the Falcons to a single touchdown.

Defense has been the key for Concord this season. The Mountain Lions lead the WVIAC in total defense, scoring defense and pass defense and have given up only seven touchdowns in six conference games.

Grossi has completed 148-of-266 passes for 1,923 yards and 12 TDs. WR Ryan Stewart is Concord's primary deep threat with 27 catches for 627 yards and 7 TDs while WR Randall Hawkins leads the team with 39 catches for 447 yards. Kennedy – who rushed for a career-high 234 yards in his last trip to Russek Field two years ago – has missed quite a bit of playing time due to injury this season but remains the team's leading rusher with 512 yards on 114 carries.

West Liberty closes out the regular season on the road next week with a non-conference game at UNC-Pembroke.

GAME NOTES

X The first 500 fans through the gates will receive a commemorative Roger Waialae bobblehead doll. The WLU coach is being honored for his six consecutive winning seasons (2005-10) and multiple national statistical titles

X West Liberty holds a 36-30-3 lead in the all-time series and has won the last four meetings

X The Hilltoppers and Mountain Lions have combined for nearly 200 points and 2,400 yards of total offense in their last two meetings

X Garin Justice, Concord's first-year head coach, was a second-team All-America offensive lineman on West Virginia University's 2005 Big East and Sugar Bowl championship team

X West Liberty's Justin Black leads the WVIAC and ranks No. 5 nationally in kickoff returns with an average of 31.2 yards per attempt

X The Hilltoppers' Schroeder ranks third among all WVIAC receivers with 55 catches for 728 yards