Football | 10/2/2019 12:00:00 PM

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University football team heads south for its first Saturday afternoon game in nearly a month this week when the Black and Gold visit West Virginia State.
    Kickoff for the Yellow Jackets' Homecoming game is set for 1 p.m. on the natural grass surface at Lakin Field.
    Coach Roger Waialae's Hilltoppers (2-2, 2-2) are coming off a 43-20 blowout of Glenville State on Thursday while West Virginia State (3-1, 3-0) remained unbeaten in MEC play on Saturday with a come-from-behind 33-23 win at Concord.
    The impressive win against Glenville was WLU's third consecutive Thursday night game but Waialae doesn't think the switch from night lights to sunlight or playing on grass for the first time since the 2017 season will have any effect on his charges.
    "We're used to playing on Saturdays," Waialae said. "It's much better going from Thursday to Saturday than the short week from Saturday to Thursday. As for the grass field, we practiced on grass the first two weeks of camp while they were finishing the turf. It could be a factor if there's rain but that's not in the forecast."
    While the 43 points West Liberty put on the board last week is one of the Hilltoppers' five highest point totals in the past eight seasons, the WLU defense also stepped into the spotlight.
    The Black and Gold didn't give up an offensive touchdown to the high-powered Pioneer attack, holding the visitors to just 148 yards of total offense while racking up six quarterback sacks and a dozen tackles-for-loss. Approaching the midway point of the season, West Liberty leads the MEC in pass defense and red zone defense while ranking No. 3 in total defense.
    "We've been talking about trusting each other, trusting the coaches and having faith in the process," Waialae said. "Outside of the third quarter lull, we played with a high level of consistency which led to quality execution on both sides of the ball. That gives us a good foundation to build on going forward."
    The Hilltoppers figure to be tested by a West Virginia State team whose only loss this season came at the hands of a Southeast Missouri State squad currently sitting at No. 23 in the national FCS rankings.
    Senior QB Austin Hensley has thrown only 2 interceptions all season while completing nearly 60 percent of his passes and averaging just under 240 yards per game. Dangerous WRs Isiah Scott and Zach Pate have more than 300 receiving yards each while a cadre of talented running backs averages nearly 4 1/2 yards per carry.
    "They have a veteran quarterback who has been playing at a very high level and a number of skill position guys who can go the distance at any time," Waialae said. "It's hard to get pressure on them. They throw a lot of (short) timing routes so the ball comes out pretty quick but they will take some deep shots.
    "Their defense is very physical up front and the linebackers are excellent. The defensive backs are good and they're playing more 'man' coverages than they have in the past. It's going to be very important to recognize the defense and get into the right play at the line of scrimmage."
    Hilltopper QB Zach Phillips is coming off a strong performance against Glenville. The senior signalcaller completed 21-of-33 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown while running for another score. He's less than 100 yards away from hitting the 5,000-yard career passing milestone.
    Junior WR Isaiah Robinson had 91 yards on 3 catches, highlighted by a scintillating 71-yard catch and run to set up a fourth quarter score. Senior WR Christian Rita continued his stellar play with 5 catches for 59 yards.
    Defensively, junior LB Clay McDonald led the way with 7 tackles, 3 tackles-for-loss and 2 quarterback sacks while also recovering a blocked punt. Pass rush specialist Jack Davis had 2 quarterback sacks, blocked a punt and forced a fumble that DT Lupeni Fonua scooped up and returned 24 yards for a touchdown.
    "I thought we stepped up and played well on offense and defense," Waialae said, "but we have to be better on special teams. We made a big play with the punt block but we gave up too many big plays, including a kick return score. That's been a big focus for us all year and it's getting plenty of attention this week."
    The Hilltoppers came out of the Glenville game in relative good health. Offensive lineman Tyler Ely left early with an ankle injury but has been practicing this week and should be good to go. Tight end Thomas Cole continues to work through some nagging injuries but also expects to answer the bell.
    Following Saturday's trip to Institute, West Liberty returns to West Family Stadium for the annual Homecoming Game against Concord on Oct. 12. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.