Charleston, W.Va. – The West Liberty University football team fell in their final Thursday night football contest of the season with a score of 42-17 at Charleston. While the Hilltopper defense made a pair of interceptions in key moments, the Golden Eagle offense was too tough to slow down as they averaged 7.6 yards per play in the game.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 17, Charleston 42
Team Records: West Liberty 3-6 (3-5 MEC), Charleston 8-1 (7-1 MEC)
Attendance: 567
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After trading a pair of punts on the opening drives of the game, West Liberty started their second drive inside Charleston territory. The Hilltoppers picked up one first down on a 11 yard pass from Rudy Garcia to Christion Banks but would be unable to take advantage of the field position as they turned the ball over on downs at the UC 32 yard line.
• The ensuing drive by the Golden Eagles started with a pair of incomplete passes before a short pass from Javonte Howard to Alex Brink turned into a 68 yard touchdown as Brink used his speed to find open space down the sideline. The Tim McCutchen PAT made it a 7-0 game with 8:25 remaining in the opening quarter.
• The first Hilltopper points of the game came from the defense as Howard looked to find his receiver in the right flat, but Brennen Bailey jumped the route and had nothing but open field 40 yards to the end zone for a touchdown. Tyler Waddell added the PAT to even the game at seven apiece with 5:19 remaining in the first quarter.
• UC added one final touchdown in the opening quarter as Howard faked a pitch out to the left side and found Niko Kausky down the left sideline for a 19 yard touchdown pass. McCutchen added the extra point to give UC a 14-7 lead with 26 seconds remaining.
• The Hilltopper defense made three consecutive big plays early in the second quarter as they faced a 1^st and Goal for UC at the six yard line. Cam Rice and John Brown first combined for a tackle-for-loss, followed by a sack by Rice for an eight yard loss, and then Bre'Andre Horsley picked off Howard's pass as he threw the ball into a crowd at the line of scrimmage on a screen pass.
• While the WLU offense began to move the ball following the change of possession, they stalled once they crossed midfield. Brennan Secrist's punt took a UC bounce inside the five yard line and was downed at the ten, a UC penalty on the play then moved the ball back inside the five. On the first play of the drive Howard found Tae Marrero in the left flat and then proceeded to follow his blockers for a 95 yard touchdown. The PAT by McCutchen was good to extend the advantage to 21-7 with 6:40 remaining in the second quarter.
• West Liberty cut into the deficit on the ensuing possession with a 12 play, 49 yard drive that took 5:15 off the clock. The Hilltoppers moved the ball into the red zone with an eight yard pass from Garcia to Rashawn Harvey and would be at the two yard line two plays later following a UC pass interference call. However, a holding call on WLU moved the ball back out to the 12 yard line and the Black & Gold would settle for three points as Justin Kaplan split the uprights with a 35 yard field, cutting the deficit to 21-10 with 1:18 remaining till halftime.
• Charleston scored on their first two drives of the second half as the offense recorded six plays of ten or more yards. They first scored on a four yard rush by Brink with 12:40 remaining in the third quarter and then Howard found Yves Bosmans for a 25 yard touchdown pass with 7:19 left on the clock, pushing their lead to 35-10.
• An 18 yard punt return, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty set the Golden Eagles up at the WLU 22 yard line for their final scoring drive of the game as Brink rushed 17 yards up the middle on the first play of the fourth quarter for a touchdown. McCutchen added the PAT and UC held their largest lead of the night at 42-10 with 14:53 remaining in the game.
• The West Liberty offense then responded on the next possession with a quick five play, 67 yard drive that only took 2:35 off the clock. On the first of two big plays in the sequence, Garcia found Harvey open for a 28 yard gain down the right side of the field while scrambling. Then three plays later Garcia placed the pass perfectly over the defender to Chris Charles who caught the ball in stride at the three yard line and carried it into the end zone for the touchdown. Waddell made the extra point to make the score 42-17 with 11:51 left in the game.
• Trent Crawford led the Hilltopper defense with 11 total tackles, his double digit tackle game of the season, while Rice added seven total tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, and 1.0 sack.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Rudy Garcia: 20-of-34 passing, 176 yards, 1 touchdown
Chris Charles: 5 receptions, 61 yards, 1 touchdown
Rashawn Harvey: 6 receptions, 71 yards
Trent Crawford: 11 total tackles
Cam Rice: 7 total tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.0 sack
Brennen Bailey: 2 total tackles, 1 interception
 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will play their final game of the season next Saturday, November 11, when they welcome Wheeling to West Family Stadium. The Hilltoppers and Cardinals are set for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Senior Day on the hilltop.