Football | 9/13/2013 8:11:00 AM

    After coming out on the short end of a 10-9 score in a defensive struggle at Catawba (N.C.) last week, West Liberty head coach Roger Waialae paints a very different picture of Saturday's home opener against Glenville State.
    The Hilltoppers (0-1) and Pioneers (0-1) are set for a 1 p.m. kickoff on the MondoTurf at Russek Field.
    "Catawba had an NCAA Division I transfer at quarterback who pretty much did it all for them," Waialae said. "Glenville's got one of the best running backs in the nation in Rahmann Lee. He ran for 180 yards at VMI last week but their quarterback (Steffen Colon) also had a big game, throwing for more than 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns. They're really well-balanced and that makes things very tough on a defense."
    The Hilltopper defense played pretty well in North Carolina last week, holding Catawba QB Danny O'Brien – a former ACC Rookie of the Year – under 200 passing yards, yielding only a touchdown and a field goal and keeping the Indians off the scoreboard for the entire second half.
    Special teams also had a good day – especially in the kicking game. Junior punter Griffin Yocum flipped the field several times with five punts of 50 yards or more, a career-best average of 48.4 yards per kick and five boots inside the Catawba 20. Sophomore kicker Bryan Arbes also impressed in his WLU debut, banging home three field goals to account for all of the Hilltoppers' points.
    The WLU offense had a hard time extending drives, converting just 3-of-17 third-down opportunities, but still created enough scoring chances to come away with a win had fate been a little kinder.
    "It was a one-play game and we gave ourselves plenty of chances," Waialae said, "but for some reason, we didn't make that play. This team is such a tight-knit bunch that I believe all we need is for one guy to make a big play and, with all the playmakers we have on the roster, it will open the floodgates."
    One thing working in the Hilltoppers' favor this week is their level of familiarity with the opponent.
    Glenville returns the same coaching staff and much of the same personnel from last year's team. In addition, the WLU coaching staff has a full game tape – actually a downloaded DVD – of the Pioneers' 34-27 loss at VMI last week.
    West Liberty was flying blind, so to speak, at Catawba. It was the first game of the season, the Indians had replaced their entire coaching staff over the winter and had added some Division I transfers – notably O'Brien – at key positions.
    "We are more familiar with Glenville this week than we were with Catawba last week," Waialae said, "but knowing what a really talented team wants to do and being able to keep them from doing it is two different things. You can't defend everything so we have to make them one-dimensional. We have to take away what they do best – run the ball with Lee – and make them try to beat us through the air."
    Injuries forced West Liberty to play without four defensive starters for much of the season opener and Waialae says it's unlikely any of them will be back this week. The absence of veteran defensive linemen Derrick Rovira and David Huggins shortens the defensive line rotation considerably. First-team All-Conference cornerback/kick returner Justin Black will be sidelined for at least another week while junior LB Jed Fue went down on the second series of last week's game and is out indefinitely.
    "We had some guys really step up in a tough situation at Catawba," Waialae said. "(Senior NT) Nate Maleski played all but five or six snaps down there and just dominated. Between him and (redshirt freshman DT Darnell) Vickers, we had 12 tackles and 4 tackles-for-loss from our two inside guys, which is really outstanding. Glenville's a much bigger and more physical team than Catawba so we'll have our hands full."
    Waialae was pleased with what he saw from the offensive line and the running game but still seeks better consistency from his quarterback and receivers. QB Dylan Lagarde completed just 20 of a career-high 43 passes for 172 yards. While he missed some open receivers, Lagarde also was victimized by several drops in key situations. TB Dominic Cooper impressed with 74 yards on 15 carries with junior WR Dylan Potts' 7 catches for 60 yards pacing the receiving corps.
    "There were some things I liked on offense," Waialae said. "The offensive line had a good day. We averaged well over 4 yards a carry on the run and didn't give up a sack in the passing game but we have to do a better job on first and second down. We were only 3-of-17 on third down but more than half of those third downs were third-and-10 or more.
    "Once we start making plays in the passing game, it will make our run game even more effective. I didn't want to throw 43 passes but Catawba ran so many guys up in the box that we had to throw it. When it's there for us, we have to take advantage. A team makes its greatest improvement from week one to week two so I'm really looking forward to Saturday."