West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University football team looks to build off the momentum of their first win of the season as they welcome Glenville State to the hilltop for a Saturday afternoon MEC match-up. The Hilltoppers and Pioneers are set for a 1 p.m. kickoff at West Family Stadium for WLU's annual Hall of Fame Game.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (West Family Stadium)
• Kickoff: 1 P.M.
• Hall of Fame: The West Liberty University Athletics Department will celebrate the 42^nd annual hall of fame induction on Saturday, honoring eight individuals and one team. Being recognized are Ed Dugas, Guy Fuscardo, Shane Maynard, Corey McDuffie, Matt Morrison, Christy Peabody, Jeff Stone, Frank Zebrasky, and the 1964 Baseball Team.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Saturday's game with a 1-4 (1-3 MEC) record on the season following a 23-21 win on the road at Concord last weekend. The Hilltoppers are currently ninth place in the Mountain East Conference standings.
• West Liberty is averaging 19.8 points per game with 319.2 passing and 49.4 rushing yards per game, accumulating an average of 368.6 yards of total offense through five games. The Hilltopper offense has scored 11 touchdowns through the air and two on the ground during the season.
• The West Liberty offense ranks sixth in NCAA Division II in Time of Possession Per Game (34:00), seventh in passing yards per game (319.2), 15^th in Total First downs (118), and 22^nd in 3^rd Down Conversion Percentage (48.0%).
• The Black & Gold have one of the top passing attacks in the country as Rudy Garcia leads the MEC completions per game (29.6), total passing yards (1,535) and passing yards per game (307.0) while also ranking third, fifth and sixth in DII respectively.
• Rashawn Harvey has been one of the top wide receivers in the country during the first half of the season, leading the conference in receiving touchdowns (7), receptions per game (8.4), total receiving yards (523), and ranks second in receiving yards per game (104.6). He also ranks third nationally in both receiving touchdowns and receptions per game, eighth in receiving yards, and 11^th in receiving yards per game.
• Chris Charles has also been a threat at wide out this season as he ranks seventh nationally in receptions per game (7.8), 18^th in receiving yards (450), and 21^st in receiving yards per game (90.0). He has added three receiving touchdowns on the year.
• The WLU rushing attack posted their first 100+ yard rushing game last weekend with 102 yards on the ground against the Mountain Lions. Khadeem Richards has totaled a team-best 144 yards on the year, averaging 28.8 yards per game with one touchdown.
• On the defensive side of the ball WLU has accumulated 262.0 tackles with 34.0 tackles-for-loss and 8.0 sacks. The Hilltopper defense has forced four turnovers on the year, with a pair of interceptions and fumble recoveries. The WLU defense ranks 27^th in NCAA Division II in Opponent 3^rd Down Conversion Percentage (30.6%).
• Trent Crawford leads the defensive unit with 35.0 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.0 sack. Crawford has posted a pair of double digit tackle performances this season with ten tackles against Walsh and Frostburg State. Cam Rice is second on the team with 21.0 tackles while leading the team in both tackles for loss (9.5) and sacks (4.0).
• Crawford ranks eighth in the conference with 7.0 tackles per game, while Rice is second in the conference with 1.90 tackles-for-loss per game and third with 0.80 sacks per game. Rice also ranks 12^th and 30^th respectively in DII in those categories.
• Rice was named the MEC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday afternoon after his performance at Concord. Totaling seven tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, 3.0 sacks, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble. His 3.0 sacks in the game were the most by a player in the MEC this season and tied for fifth most in DII, while his 4.5 tackles-for-loss are the second most in the MEC and tied for fourth nationally in a game this season.
• John Brown has made one interception and one fumble recovery for the WLU defense while Brennan Bailey has one interception and Taison Fa'Asuamanu has one fumble recovery.
• Joshuah Clark is the top return man in the WLU special teams' unit, returning 12 kickoffs for 272 yards while averaging 22.7 yards per return. Against UNCP he tallied a season-long return of 61 yards in the third quarter.
• West Liberty has converted 47-of-98 (48.0%) third down attempts compared to 19-of-62 (30.7%) for their opponents. The Black & Gold are 5-of-10 (50.0%) on fourth down attempts while their opponents are 1-of-3 (33.3%). In the red zone the Hilltoppers are 10-of-17 on the season with eight touchdowns and two field goals while their opponents are 15-of-19 with 13 touchdowns and two field goals.
• Roger Waialae is in his 19^th season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 93-104 with the Hilltoppers. Waialae is currently the longest tenured coach in the MEC and holds the second most wins all-time in WLU football history.

GLENVILLE STATE STORYLINES

• Glenville State enters Saturday's game with a 2-2 (1-2 MEC) record on the season following a 52-17 loss at home to Charleston last weekend. The Pioneers are currently eighth place in the Mountain East Conference standings.
• Glenville State is averaging 26.5 points per game with 210.5 passing and 110.5 rushing yards per game, accumulating an average 321.0 yards of total offense through four games. The Pioneers' offense has scored seven touchdowns through the air and three on the ground during the season.
• Anthony Garrett has completed 62-of-128 pass attempts for 717 yards and six touchdowns through the air this season.
• Orion Bonner and Zion Barnette are the top two wide receivers for Glenville State, hauling in 237 and 144 receiving yards respectively with a pair of touchdowns for each.
• Alfred Menjor has carried the ball for 229 yards on the ground and is averaging 57.3 yards per game, while Saeed Galloway has totaled 119 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground.
• On the defensive side of the ball GSU has accumulated 246.0 tackles with 29.0 tackles-for-loss and 7.0 sacks. The Pioneers' defense has forced 12 turnovers on the year, intercepting seven passes and recovering five fumbles.
• The Pioneers' four defensive touchdowns are tied for the most in NCAA Division II, with two interception returns and two fumble returns for touchdowns. Grant Tank and Jonathan Brown each have one pick six and one fumble return.
• Seth Arnold leads the defensive unit with 35.0 tackles, 4.0 tackles-for loss, and 1.5 sacks this season. He has also forced a pair of fumbles. Arnold ranks 25^th in DII with an average of 8.8 tackles per game.
• Seven different players have intercepted a pass this year for GSU: Shaun Sterling Jr., Hayden Moore, Jonathan Brown, De Vante Roberson, Tank Grant, Evan Jackson, and Terry Noel. Only Joshua Carr has made multiple fumble recoveries with two, while Brown and Tank have each recovered one.
• Barnette has been the top return man for Glenville, returning seven kickoffs for 115 yards, averaging 16.4 yards per return. He has a long of 23 yards against Charleston.
• Glenville State has converted 21-of-60 (35.0%) third down attempts compared to 18-of-52 (34.6%) for their opponents. The Pioneers are 6-of-13 (46.2%) on fourth down attempts while their opponents are 3-of-7 (42.9%) in four games. In the red zone GSU is 10-of-13 on the season with seven touchdowns and three field goals, while their opponents are 11-of-15 with seven touchdowns and four field goals.
• Mike Kellar is in his fifth season as the head coach at Glenville State with a record of 19-21 during his time with the Pioneers. Overall, Kellar is in his 13^th season as a head football coach with a career record of 70-56 with stops at Concord, California (PA), and Lenoir-Rhyne prior to arriving in Glenville.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty leads the all-time series 46-33-4 and has won 12 of the past 23 meetings in the series.
• The Pioneers snapped a 3-game losing streak in the series last season with a 35-14 win on October 1, 2022 in Glenville, West Virginia.