Football | 10/28/2016 7:32:00 AM

A season full of challenges doesn't get any easier for the West Liberty University football team on Saturday when unbeaten and No. 3-ranked Shepherd rolls into West Family Stadium for a noonkickoff.
The Rams (7-0, 7-0) haven't lost since coming up short against Northwest Missouri State in the 2015 NCAA Division II national championship game and head coach Monte Cater's squad seems primed for yet another deep postseason run.
It has been a season of frustration for Coach Roger Waialae's Hilltoppers (3-5, 3-4), who have seen four of their five losses decided on the game's final possession – including one in double-overtime – and will be facing their third Top 25 opponent of the year on Saturday.
"Shepherd is Shepherd," Waialae said. "They're an experienced veteran football team with playmakers on both sides of the football. They're very solid fundamentally and extremely well-coached. It's a great challenge for us but it's also a great opportunity."
Waialae's injury-riddled squad is coming off a 30-14 loss at No. 25-ranked Notre Dame (Ohio) last week. After seeing the hosts return the opening kickoff for a touchdown, the Hilltoppers bounced back with two quick scores of their own to take a 14-7 lead into the second quarter but couldn't build on that momentum.
"It's all about consistency for us," Waialae said, "especially on the offensive side of the ball. We caught them in some favorable matchups early on and were able to take advantage of them. In the end, we just couldn't protect consistently enough but our biggest problem was not making routine plays.
"(Quarterback) Dakota Conwell had 19 completions but we also had 5 or 6 drops. That was a big factor in terms of extending drives and putting ourselves in position to score. Our defense played well against a very talented offensive team but we just didn't execute well enough."
Despite playing through nagging injuries for most of the season, Conwell continues to put his mark on the WLU record book. The senior signalcaller is now No. 2 all-time at West Liberty in total offense yards (7,320) and touchdown passes (60) and ranks among the top five in several other offensive categories. Senior WR Dan Monteroso ranks among the MEC leaders with 643 yards and 8 TDs on 39 catches.
The Hilltoppers also have some defensive stalwarts making their presence felt. Senior DE Zach Barnes leads the nation with 4 fumble recoveries while freshman DB Logan Deri leads the MEC with 5 interceptions and sophomore LB Cliff Clark leads the conference with 51 solo tackles. Both players rank among the top 10 nationally.
Shepherd's veteran-laden roster reads like an NCAA Division II all-star team. All-American WR Billy Brown leads the MEC with 841 receiving yards and 11 TDs on 50 catches – an average of 120.1 yards per game – and leads all active NCAA Division II receivers with more than 3,300 career yards through the air.
Fellow senior WR C.J. Davis – a converted defensive back – leads all college football players regardless of division with 8 career touchdown returns on defense or special teams. Senior QB Jeff Ziemba was a finalist for the NCAA Division II National Player of the Year Award a year ago and leads all active NCAA Division II quarterbacks in career QB rating (160.4) and yards per pass attempt.
"All those offensive numbers jump out at you," Waialae said, "but their defense is really good. They really focus on stopping the run and forcing you into obvious passing situations so we really have to focus on being consistent, taking what they give us and not letting them make us one-dimensional. We have to play in front of the sticks and take advantage of our opportunities."
A special feature of Saturday's halftime ceremonies will be the introduction of the newest members of the West Liberty University Hall of Fame. Zach Amedro (football), Georgia Dawson-Vannest (basketball/volleyball), Joe Sarver (track/cross country) and Derrick Stickles (football) will be inducted Saturday morning in an on-campus ceremony.
GAME NOTES
X The Hilltoppers are 3-0 this season when trailing after the first quarter but are 0-4 when they take a lead into the second quarter
X West Liberty has averaged only 40.4 rushing yards a game in the last seven meetings with the Rams but the Hilltoppers have won three of those games
X Veteran Shepherd head coach Monte Cater has collected more wins at his school (228) than the other 10 MEC coaches combined (192)
X Cater's Rams have compiled a 34-2 record in conference play since the MEC kicked off its inaugural season in 2013
X The Shepherd defense is leading the nation with an average of 10.6 tackles-for-loss per game this season