WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – A pair of teams on the rebound will bang heads at West Family Stadium Thursday night when West Liberty hosts Urbana in the Mountain East Conference Game of the Week. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Coach Roger Waialae's Hilltoppers (1-2, 1-1) are coming off a frustrating 36-30 loss at Fairmont State last week while the Blue Knights (1-2, 1-2) put up a good fight before dropping a 23-7 verdict to nationally-ranked Concord.

West Liberty had more rushing and passing yards than the Falcons a week ago but seven turnovers left the door open for Fairmont to drive nearly the length of the field and score the winning touchdown with just 36 seconds left.

With starting QB Dakota Conwell unavailable due to injury, the Hilltoppers alternated senior vet Dylan LaGarde and redshirt freshman Brenton Colabella at quarterback. They combined to complete 13-of-23 passes for 206 yards and 3 TDs but also threw 5 interceptions and lost a fumble. One of the interceptions was returned for a touchdown and the fumble also led directly to a Falcon score. 

"That was one of the most disappointing losses we've had," Waialae said. "Give Fairmont State's defense credit for creating 7 turnovers. We still were almost able to overcome it but you just can't keep shooting yourself in the foot and expect to win."

Almost lost in the frustration was an outstanding performance by sophomore TB Jeremiah Ortiz. The returning starter carried 28 times for a career-high 217 yards, highlighted by a 63-yard scoring sprint near the end of the third quarter.

Waialae said Conwell has been participating in practice but the coach won't decide until Thursday whether to put his starter back on the field or hold off for another week.

"If Dakota keeps progressing to the point where he can run without limping, he'll play," Waialae said, "but I won't put a guy out there who can't protect himself. If Dakota can't go, we'll probably start Colabella and run LaGarde out there every third series to see if somebody gets a hot hand.

"What I'm looking for is someone to step up like Ortiz did at running back last week. We've been running several guys in and out at running back but Ortiz stepped up and wound up getting the majority of carries. The only time he came out of the game was when he got tired. That's what I want to see from our quarterbacks."

Turnovers have been a problem for West Liberty since Conwell was injured late in the season-opening win against nationally-ranked Concord. The Hilltoppers were plus-1 in turnovers against the Mountain Lions but have turned the ball over 11 times in their last two losses while forcing only one turnover from their opponents. The minus-9 net turnovers for the season ranks No. 168 out of 169 NCAA Division II teams in the nation.

Nevertheless, Waialae isn't about to go into an offensive shell.

"You can't be one-dimensional. You have to be able to run the ball and you have to be able to throw it," Waialae said. "We've thrown 8 interceptions the last two weeks and every one of them has been more a mental mistake than a physical one. Let's say each quarterback made four big-time mental mistakes. If we cut that to two each, we give ourselves a much better chance to win. You have to stay away from the bad plays while still being aggressive enough to take advantage of your opportunities."

The Hilltoppers are 4-1 against Urbana all-time, including a 44-14 romp last year. Despite Urbana's 1-2 record, Waialae has been impressed by what he's seen of the Blue Knights in action under first-year coach Tyler Haines.

"They probably have as much speed on defense as anyone we've seen," Waialae said. "They run the odd stack and they're not afraid to man you up on the perimeter. With guys like (D'Gary) Wallace, (Kevin) Chapple and (Bo) Keener, they have some of the best linebackers in the region. They have a lot of depth and athleticism on that side of the ball. That's how they held Concord to two field goals in the second half last week."

Urbana's struggles have largely been confined to the offensive side of the ball as the Blue Knights have had difficulty establishing a running game and QB Cale Burdyshaw has been inconsistent in his first season as a starter. 

The Blue Knights have two of the MEC's top producers in terms of all-purpose yardage. Sophomore H-Back Trevon Saunders is No. 2 in the MEC, averaging more than 100 receiving yards a game with 5 catches of 30 yards or more. Junior WR/KR Kelly Carter leads the league in kick return yards and ranks No. 3 in all-purpose yards.

"They have some big fast wide receivers and the quarterback's been there as a backup the last couple of years so he's pretty familiar with what they want to do," Waialae said. "(West Virginia) State is much improved this year but he played well that day and they beat State at State.

"We have to take away the run and make them one-dimensional. Teams have been able to run the ball against us the last couple of games and that's something we can't let happen."