Football | 9/25/2019 12:01:00 PM

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University football team will be looking to check a two-game slide when the Black and Gold hosts Glenville State under the Thursday night lights.
    It's the third straight Thursday night game for Coach Roger Waialae's Hilltoppers (1-2, 1-2) while the Pioneers (2-1, 1-1) are venturing out after dark for the second time this season.
    "I think playing three Thursday nights in a row is good for us," Waialae said. "You don't have to deal with the short week after a Saturday game and it lets you get settled into a regular schedule."
    The Black and Gold hopes to rebound after seeing a fourth quarter comeback fall agonizingly short in a 27-24 loss at Frostburg State last week.
    Trailing 27-14 with under 10 minutes to play, the Hilltoppers scored on back-to-back possessions to pull within 27-24 with 5 minutes left but couldn't get the ball back as the Bobcats ran out the clock.
    Untimely penalties played a major role in the Hilltoppers' frustrations, especially on offense. West Liberty was flagged 11 times for a total of 121 yards – the most penalty yards against a WLU squad in league play in two years.
    "It seemed like most of those penalties came on first or second down, putting our offense behind the sticks all night," Waialae said. "That makes it hard to extend drives and it's something we have to clean up."
    West Liberty converted only 2-of-12 third down opportunities on the night with a closer look revealing that 10 of those 12 third down snaps came on third-and-6 or longer.
    Glenville presents an interesting challenge as first-year head coach Mike Kellar is no stranger to WLU football after serving as the Hilltoppers' offensive coordinator last fall. Kellar's Pioneers are off to a 2-1 start after a 27-20 overtime win winless Concord last week and Waialae is impressed by their personnel.
    "They have some of the best players in the league," Waialae said. "Their two wideouts (Javon Butler and Austin Ratliff) are as good as anybody. They have two or three outstanding running backs who are threats to go at any time and a defensive back (Delonte Hood) who leads the nation in interceptions. They're a talented football team."
    Despite the loss at Frostburg, there were some bright spots for the Black and Gold. D.J. Frisby broke off an 85-yard touchdown run while fellow tailback Aaron Farmer and quarterback Zach Phillips also had runs of 40 or more yards. Sophomore kicker Owen Rozanc remained perfect on the year, booting a 27-yard field goal and converting all three PATs.
    Defensively, senior safety Logan Deri hit double-figure tackles for the second straight week. Redshirt freshman linebacker Maceo Christmas had 10 tackles and a pair of tackles-for-loss in his first career start and senior safety Ty Holmes had an interception for the only takeaway of the game by either team.
    The Hilltoppers also seem to be shaking the injury bug that has created challenges at certain positions in the early part of the season. Waialae said he had every player in practice and participating on Monday – the first time that's happened since the opening day of preseason camp.
    "I'm sure we'll see a few new wrinkles from Coach Kellar," Waialae said. "He's very good at that but the main thing for us is doing what we do better and doing it more consistently. As players and coaches, it has been a frustrating couple of weeks so we're ready to get back on the field Thursday night."