WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University football team will try to put its best foot forward when Charleston rolls into West Family Stadium for Saturday afternoon's Homecoming game.

Unfortunately for Coach Roger Waialae and his Hilltoppers, that foot might have a cast on it this week.

West Liberty (3-2, 3-1) carries a two-game winning streak into the crucial MEC test against the Golden Eagles (4-1, 4-1) but the Black and Gold has not emerged unscathed from those hard-earned wins.

The Hilltoppers' two-deep lineup for Saturday is dotted with red question marks while a handful of familiar names are nowhere to be seen, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

"I've been around this game long enough to know that injuries come with the territory by the time you get to this point in the season," Waialae said. "What you don't expect is when they keep hitting the same position, which is what we're running into with our secondary.

"Nobody's going to feel sorry for us. The way I see it, this is a great opportunity for the guys we have available and I know they're going to go out there and give us everything they've got. As a coach, you can't ask for anything more than that."

The spotlight in Saturday's game will shine on two of the region's top dual-threat quarterbacks with Charleston senior Jeremy Johnson and West Liberty junior Dakota Conwell each coming off impressive performances in victories a week ago.

Conwell, who began his college career at the University of Arizona, set a WLU quarterback rushing record with 177 yards and 3 touchdowns while passing for nearly 200 yards and another score in a 38-31 win at West Virginia Wesleyan. His three TD runs covered 57, 33 and 12 yards.

"Dakota was really special," Waialae said, "but I spent the whole afternoon yelling from the sidelines that somebody needed to help him out. We had too many missed opportunities with dropped footballs and running backs missing holes. Our skill kids need to do a better job of making plays. We can't just sit back and wait for Dakota to do it all."

Johnson originally signed with WVU in 2010 as a 4-star recruit out of Silsbee, Texas but found himself blocked by Geno Smith. He made several other stops before landing in Charleston for his final collegiate season. Johnson ran for 184 yards and three TDs while passing for 109 yards and another score in last week's 29-21 victory against No. 21 Concord. His three TD runs went for 75, 12 and 10 yards.

"Johnson's probably one of the top five athletes I've seen in the MEC and the old WVIAC," Waialae said. "The athletic ability is off the charts. It's not just that he's such a dangerous runner with that speed and size. He throws it pretty well, too. You don't go to places like WVU, Houston and Lamar without being pretty good."

While Johnson presents quite a challenge for the injury-riddled WLU defense, Waialae said the biggest problem with defending the Golden Eagles is the number of weapons they can bring to bear.

"Their first-team All-MEC running back (Marvin Elam) is just now starting to get significant carries after battling injuries all year but the guy they brought in behind him (Tavion Cappe) is averaging almost 100 rushing yards a game," Waialae said. "They have a really good offensive line and three or four really dangerous receivers.

"In the games we've struggled this year, it has been the quarterback beating us by running the ball. That's obviously a concern with Johnson but it puts even more pressure on your defense when they have four or five guys who can go the distance if you make one mistake. We're going to have to play great team defense as a unit in order to neutralize Charleston's individual talent."

GAME NOTES

X The Hilltoppers have scored in 18 of 20 quarters through their first five games this season

X Conwell shattered Tom Thomas' previous quarterback rushing mark of 128 yards in a 35-21 loss to West Virginia Wesleyan on Nov. 6, 1982 

X Conwell's 368 yards of total offense on Saturday were the most by a Hilltopper since Zach Amedro's 525 yards in an 82-36 rout of Seton Hill on Nov. 6, 2010

X Senior TE Daree Goodwin is tied for 7th nationally with 7 touchdown catches on the season

X Sophomore CB Terrance Baldwin leads the MEC and ranks 19th in the nation with an average of 6.4 solo tackles per game