Football | 10/30/2019 8:58:00 AM

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University football team turns on the Thursday night lights for the final time this season on Thursday when regionally-ranked Urbana rolls into town.
    Kickoff for the Mountain East Conference Game of the Week is set for 7:10 p.m. at West Family Stadium.
    Coach Roger Waialae's Hilltoppers (4-4, 3-4) look to rebound after seeing their two-game winning streak snapped in decisive fashion at Fairmont State last week while the Blue Knights (6-2, 6-2) are coming off their third straight win, easing past winless Concord on Saturday afternoon.
    "We know we have our work cut out for us this week," Waialae said. "Urbana is huge up front, by far the biggest team we'll face all season. They're a veteran team with a lot of seniors and some graduate transfers and they're playing really well. We have to play much better in all three facets of the game on Thursday than we did at Fairmont on Saturday."
    Playing without injured starting quarterback Zach Phillips and some key offensive linemen, the Hilltoppers struggled to get anything going on offense against the Falcons on Saturday. West Liberty managed just 82 yards of total offense over the first three quarters but finally broke through on the last possession of the game.
    Sophomore QB Erick Taylor, making his first collegiate start, hit TE Ridge Durbin over the middle for a 5-yard touchdown with less than a minute to play. That took the goose egg off the Hilltoppers' side of the scoreboard, trimming the final deficit to 35-7.
    "We had some chances to make plays early in the game and give Erick a little confidence but we dropped some balls we don't normally drop and didn't take advantage of those opportunities. I thought Erick kept his head up and finished the game well. He has a really big arm and we may look to run a little more run-pass option this week. When he sees a run read on the RPO, we want him to take off and go."
    Defense and special teams have led the way for Urbana this season as the Blue Knights lead the MEC in total defense at just over 300 yards per game and rank among the Top 10 nationally with 5 blocked kicks. Urbana QB Eddie Stockett has completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,600 yards and 14 TDs with just 4 interceptions while TB W.R. Sanders has rushed for 603 yards and 10 TDs on less than 100 carries – an average of better than 6 yards per attempt.
    There's a significant contrast in turnovers between the two teams. West Liberty ranks among the Top 10 teams in the nation with 20 forced turnovers but the Hilltopper offense has also been somewhat generous with 18 turnovers. The Blue Knights have taken much better care of the football, committing only 9 turnovers all season, but the Urbana defense has just 5 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries through the first 8 games.
    "We had a very good practice under the lights Monday night," Waialae said, "and I was glad to see that. The guys are still working hard. Urbana's coming in here regionally ranked for the first time in a few years. They're playing for a playoff berth so we know we're going to get their best shot. It's up to us to step up and match that intensity."