Football | 9/11/2019 8:00:00 AM

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University football team faces a tough test in Thursday night's home opener when No. 4-ranked Notre Dame (Ohio) invades the hilltop. Kickoff for the Mountain East Conference's Thursday Night Game of the Week is set for 7:10 p.m. on the newly-installed artificial surface at West Family Stadium.
    Both teams are coming off big offensive performances in season-opening wins on Saturday. Coach Roger Waialae's Hilltoppers rolled up more than 500 yards of total offense in a 33-30 win at Wheeling while Coach Mike Jacobs' Falcons had three touchdown plays covering 30 yards or more in a 33-10 thrashing of visiting Concord.
    Notre Dame, which returns nearly its entire starting lineup from last year's NCAA Division II national semifinal squad, features a multitude of weapons on both sides of the football.
    Sophomore TB Jaleel McLaughlin set an NCAA Division II freshman record with 2,421 rushing yards last fall. His 340 yards in the Falcons' come-from-behind win against West Liberty is the most ever by a Hilltopper opponent. Junior WR Marvelle Ross is another returning All-American who had more than 1,200 receiving yards a year ago and has six kick and punt return touchdowns in his career.
    There are two returning All-Americans on the offensive line while All-America defensive end Sha'haun Williams is back after leading the nation with 20 quarterback sacks a year ago.
    "They have multiple guys who can go the distance at any time from any place on the field," Waialae said. "The first touchdown (McLaughlin) scored against Concord last week was an outside zone run to the left. There was nothing there so he just stuck his foot in the ground, cut to his right and went 30-some yards untouched. When you're playing a team that can score off broken plays, that's a huge challenge."
    The Hilltoppers flashed some big-play ability of their own at Wheeling on Saturday, picking up 510 yards of total offense on 79 snaps.
    West Liberty had 17 plays of 10 or more yards with 13 of them coming through the air. The Black and Gold had 8 completions for 20 or more yards and 4 passes of 40-plus yards, highlighted by TE Thomas Cole's 84-yard TD catch from QB Zach Phillips.
    A transfer from Wake Forest, the 6-5, 240-pound Cole had an impressive debut with 9 catches for 184 yards and three TDs.
    "I thought our deep passing game was really good last week," Waialae said. "By my count, we took 10 deep shots and connected on seven of them. We felt like we could get some mismatches with Cole and did a good job taking advantage of those. It's no secret that we're a vertical passing team. We will throw the ball down the field."
    Cole wasn't the only WLU receiver to put up big numbers. Junior WR Isaiah Robinson had 4 catches for 79 yards – including a leaping 44-yard TD grab – while senior WR Christian Rita caught 3 balls for 81 yards. Phillips completed 17-of-27 passes for 335 yards and 3 TDs with no interceptions. Junior TB Quincy Wimbish led all rushers with 91 yards on 21 carries.
    "By no means did we even come close to playing a perfect game but still managed to make enough plays to escape with a win," Waialae said. "We ran the ball effectively at times but I'd like to see more consistency. Defensively, we need to get more pressure up front and make the quarterback uncomfortable in the pocket but it all comes down to making plays."
    Waialae knows the Hilltoppers will have to be at the top of their game to pull the upset this week but there's a definite plan in place.
    "Our first priority is to eliminate big plays on special teams," Waialae said. "Ross and McLaughlin are two of the best return guys in Division II so we have to limit their touches. Defensively, we have to try to force turnovers and create short fields for our offense. Offensively, we have to take advantage of our opportunities and keep rising to the challenge."