West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University football team will look to end the 2023 season on a high note as they welcome Ohio County rival, Wheeling, to West Family Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Hilltoppers and Cardinals are set for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Senior Day.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (West Family Stadium)
• Kickoff: 1 P.M.
• Senior Day: Prior to kickoff the West Liberty football team will recognize 17 graduating members of their program, including AJ Barmer, Rashawn Harvey, John Brown, Chris Charles, DaJuan Jones, Rudy Garcia, Christion Banks, Jaleel Powell, Spencer Hutchison, Justin Kaplan, Matt Curry, Jesse Collins, Marshall Whipkey, Gage Fiore, Ryan Creech, and Cody Vokes.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Saturday's game with a 3-6 (3-5 MEC) record on the season following a 42-17 loss on the road to regionally ranked Charleston last week. The Hilltoppers are currently ninth place in the Mountain East Conference standings.
• West Liberty is averaging 24.8 points per game with 283.2 passing and 61.8 rushing yards per game, accumulating an average of 345.0 yards of total offense through nine games. The Hilltopper offense has scored 19 touchdowns through the air and seven on the ground during the season.
• West Liberty ranks within the top-25 of NCAA Division II in four statistical categories, ranking sixth in 4^th down conversion percentage defense (22.2%), seventh in blocked kicks (7), and tenth in blocked punts (3) and passing offense (283.2).
• The Black & Gold's passing attack is led by Rudy Garcia who leads the MEC completions per game (24.56) and passing yards per game (260.9) while ranking fourth and 11^th in DII respectively. He has thrown for 2,348 yards and 17 touchdowns this season which ranks second and third in the MEC and is 23^rd and 33^rd nationally.
• Rashawn Harvey has been one of the top wide receivers in the country this season, leading the conference in receiving yards per game (100.9) and tying for the conference lead in receiving touchdowns (8). He ranks seventh and 18^th nationally in two categories respectively. He also ranks second in the MEC in receptions per game (7.3) and total receiving yards, ranking eighth and 13^th nationally.
• Chris Charles has also been a threat at wide out this season as he is tied for the lead in the MEC in receiving touchdowns (8) and ranks 18^th in DII. He is also third in the conference in receptions per game (6.7) and total receiving yards (711) and is fourth in receiving yards per game (79.0). Nationally he ranks 12^th, 35^th, and 29^th respectively.
• The WLU rushing attack has come to life during the midway point of the season, averaging 91.8 yards per game across five games and posted back-to-back 100 yard rushing games against Concord (102) and Glenville State (120). Khadeem Richards has been the go to running back, rushing for 332 yards and four touchdowns this season, while Garcia has also added three rushing touchdowns of his own.
• On the defensive side of the ball WLU has accumulated 514.0 tackles with 58.0 tackles-for-loss and 14.0 sacks. The Hilltopper defense has forced 11 turnovers this year, with seven interceptions and four fumble recoveries.
• Trent Crawford and Cam Rice lead the team lead with 53.0 and 49.0 tackles respectively in 2023, while Rice has tallied a team leading 19.0 tackles-for loss and 6.5 sacks.
• Rice has earned a pair of MEC Defensive Player of the Week honors with 12.0 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, and 1.5 sacks at WVWC, and 7.0 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, and 3.0 sacks at Concord. His 12.0 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, and 3.0 sacks are all career-high marks. He ranks third in the country and first in the conference with 2.1 tackle-for-loss per game, while also ranking 37^th nationally and third in the league with 0.72 sacks per game.
• Brennen Bailey and Chris Wilson lead the defense with three and two interceptions respectively, while also notching seven and four pass break-ups. Wilson returned one interception for a touchdown in the win at WVWC.
• Justin Kaplan has made six consecutive field goals entering the week. He is 5-of-6 from 30 yards or more and has hit a long of 42 yards this season, occurring in a win over Glenville State.
• West Liberty has converted 68-of-156 (43.6%) third down attempts compared to 42-of-121 (34.7%) for their opponents. The Black & Gold are 9-of-16 (56.3%) on fourth down attempts while their opponents are 2-of-9 (22.2%). In the red zone the Hilltoppers are 21-of-29 on the season with 15 touchdowns and six field goals while their opponents are 29-of-39 with 23 touchdowns and six field goals.
• Roger Waialae is in his 19^th season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 95-106 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.

WHEELING STORYLINES

• Wheeling enters Saturday's game with a 5-4 (4-4 MEC) record on the season following a 29-22 home win over West Virginia State last weekend. The Cardinals are currently tied for sixth place in the Mountain East Conference standings.
• WU is averaging 31.4 points per game with 209.9 passing and 160.4 rushing yards per game, accumulating an average 370.3 yards of total offense through nine games. The Cardinal offense has scored 19 touchdowns on the ground and 14 through the air during the season.
• Landon Lutz has completed 100-of-204 passing attempts for 1,221 yards and nine touchdowns.
• Two running backs have made an impact on the ground game for WU as Elijah Young has rushed for 370 yards and 6 touchdowns while Tre'Ron Fullerton has rushed for 301 yards and two touchdowns.
• Quron Winder is the top wide receiver for Wheeling, hauling in 22 receptions for 439 yards and three touchdowns, while Jermaine Early has caught 25 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns.
• On the defensive side of the ball WU has accumulated 568.0 tackles with 54.0 tackles-for-loss and 17.0 sacks. The Cardinal defense has forced 21 turnovers on the year, intercepting 13 passes and recovering eight fumbles.
• Dalton Hoover has totaled a team-high 49.0 tackles this season while adding 4.5 tackles-for-loss, and 1.0 sack.
• Caleb Grant has made his presence felt in the opponent's backfield this season as he has notched a team-best 9.0 tackles-for-loss and 4.5 sacks.
• Aaron Davis is the leader in the defensive secondary, breaking up 17 passes while intercepting four.
• Joao Lima is 11-of-16 on field goal attempts this season and has only made three of his last six attempts. He has a season-long of 48 yards against Frostburg State.
• Wheeling has converted 49-of-128 (38.3%) third down attempts compared to 49-of-127 (38.6%) for their opponents. The Cardinals are 9-of-18 (50.0%) on fourth down attempts while their opponents are 10-of-21 (47.6%) in nine games. In the red zone WU is 29-of-40 on the season with 20 touchdowns and nine field goals, while their opponents are 17-of-28 with 15 touchdowns and two field goals.
• Zac Bruney is in his fifth season as the head coach at Wheeling with a record of 20-26 during his time with the Cardinals.

SERIES HISTORY

• Wheeling leads the all-time series 3-1 and has won the last three meetings.
• The Cardinals defeated the Hilltoppers 42-21 at West Family Stadium on October 22, 2022, last season.