The West Liberty University football team faces its toughest road challenge of the season on Saturday when the Hilltoppers (4-4, 4-3) make the long trek east to Shepherdstown to take on unbeaten and No. 6-ranked Shepherd (7-0, 7-0). Kickoff is set for noon at Ram Stadium.

Head coach Roger Waialae said the extra days of rest since West Liberty's 59-51 Thursday night loss to Notre Dame (Ohio) on Oct. 22 helped his injury-riddled squad but there are still some personnel questions he won't have answers for until just before Saturday's opening kickoff.

"Everybody has injuries at this point in the season," Waialae said, "so any kind of break can work to your benefit in helping get guys back on the field. Right now, it looks like (QB) Dakota (Conwell) and (TE) Daree (Goodwin) will be game-time decisions. They got dinged up against Notre Dame and missed some practice time this week."

The biggest question for Waialae is how to slow down a Shepherd juggernaut that is putting up some of the biggest offensive numbers in the nation and ranks near the top of the NCAA Division II statistical charts in numerous categories.

For nearly three decades, Coach Monte Cater's Rams have parlayed a physical and productive running game along with a superior defensive unit into more than 200 wins but this year's Shepherd team is a bit different.

The outstanding defense is still there but these Rams move the ball through the air much more efficiently and effectively than on the ground.

The numbers bear that out as Shepherd averages more than 300 yards a game through the air and has scored 35 or more points in all seven games. The Rams are No. 3 nationally in pass efficiency while their 43.0 ppg. scoring average is among the top five in NCAA Division II. In fact, Shepherd ranks among the nation's top 20 in no less than 14 separate statistical categories.

Junior QB Jeff Ziemba is in the midst of a banner season, completing 134-of-218 passes for 1,975 yards and 17 TDs with just one interception. Senior WR Billy Brown leads the receiving corps with 41 catches for 691 yards but nine different players have caught at least one TD pass.

The Shepherd running game may not be putting up the huge numbers of years past but the tag-team tailback tandem of Allen Cross and Jabre Lolley is averaging a combined 119 rushing yards a game with 13 TDs. It's the same balanced story on defense where the Rams rank among the Top 20 NCAA Division II teams in the nation in scoring defense, rushing defense and pass defense efficiency.

The Hilltoppers enter Saturday's game looking to put the frustration of another close loss behind them. The Notre Dame loss was the third MEC setback of the season for the Black and Gold with all three coming by a touchdown or less. 

Last week's loss was especially galling. The Hilltoppers trailed, 38-10, after a nightmarish first half before coming all the way back to forge a 38-38 tie on the first play of the fourth quarter. A 70-yard interception return TD put the Falcons back on top and West Liberty couldn't quite get over the hump in  wild fourth quarter that saw the teams combine for 41 points.

"I'm proud of the way we fought once we had our backs to the wall," Waialae said, "but we have to play with that kind of urgency from the opening kickoff."

Conwell and Goodwin have emerged as two of the top offensive threats in the region over the past month.

After throwing for 405 yards and 4 TDs while running for 84 more yards and another couple of scores against Notre Dame, Conwell has amassed 1,491 passing yards and 374 rushing yards in the past five weeks to account for 23 touchdowns.

Goodwin leads the MEC and ranks among the top 10 receivers in the nation with 10 touchdown catches - many of the highlight-reel variety - this fall. With a team-high 47 catches for 766 yards, the senior tight end is 234 yards away from posting only the 11th 1,000-yard receiving season in school history.

Sophomore WR Anton McCallum - who began his collegiate career at Shepherd - has joined the party in recent weeks. After getting off to a slow start due to some early-season injuries, McCallum has reeled off three straight 100-yard receiving games and has 23 catches for 482 yards and 6 TDs in the last four games.

"I'm really proud of the way those guys have risen to the challenge," Waialae said, "and we've had some other guys step up, as well. When Daree got hurt last week, guys like Ian Kelly, Teddy Mayo and Max Kapron all came up big to help take up the slack. That's the kind of effort we're going to need for all four quarters on Saturday."

GAME NOTES

X With Shepherd ranked No. 6 this week, this marks the first time in WLU history that West Liberty has faced two Top 10 teams during the regular season

X West Liberty has averaged only 36.3 rushing yards a game against the Rams in the last six meetings but WLU has won three of those games

X Shepherd led the nation in rushing defense in three of the last four seasons and is currently ranked No. 11 nationally

X Rams head coach Monte Cater has collected more wins at his school (216) than the other 10 MEC coaches combined (211)

X Shepherd was No. 1 in this week's first set of NCAA Division II Atlantic Region One rankings, ahead of Bowie State (Md.). Those are the only two unbeaten teams left in the region

X Six different Rams have earned seven MEC Player of the Week awards this season. PK Ryan Earls and LB James Gupton were honored this week