West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University football team will kick-off the 2023 season under the lights of Larry Staudt Field in North Canton, Ohio on Thursday night against Walsh University. The Hilltoppers look to win back-to-back season openers for the first time since 2006 and 2007, following last season's 2-0 start for the first time since the '07 season.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: North Canton, Ohio (Larry Staudt Field)
• Kick-Off: 7 P.M.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty posted a 4-7 (3-7 MEC) record in 2022, finishing in a tie for ninth place in the Mountain East Conference with Fairmont State.
• The Hilltoppers were picked tenth in the 2023 MEC Football Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Following the 2022 season six Hilltoppers earned a spot on the All-MEC teams: Shon Stephens (DB – First Team All-MEC), Cam Rice (DL – Second Team All-MEC), Quincy Wimbish Jr. (RB – Second Team All-MEC), Zach Dixon (LB – Second Team All-MEC), David Gilcreast (DL – Second Team All-MEC), and Francisco Pedrozo (OL – Second Team All-MEC). Other postseason accolades garnered by the WLU standouts included Rice earning MEC Defensive Freshman of the Year and Stephens earned First Team All-Super Region I, First Team D2CCA All-America, First Team D2Football.com Elite 100, and First Team Don Hansen All-America.
• Rice is the only returning All-MEC player for WLU from a year ago, playing in ten games and recording 31.0 total tackles, 13.5 tackles-for-loss, and 5.5 sacks to go along with two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He tied for the league lead in tackles for loss and was seventh in the conference in sacks.
• The West Liberty offense averaged 21.7 points, 130.3 rushing yards, and 201.3 passing yards per game in 2022. The Hilltopper offense scored 28 touchdowns on the season with 15 by way of the ground game and 13 through the air.
• Starting quarterback Rudy Garcia returns for his senior season on the hilltop, playing in all 11 games last season and completing 168-of-296 passing attempts for 1,801 yards and 12 touchdowns. Garcia is also the team's top returning rusher from a year ago, rushing the ball 103 times for 278 yards and seven touchdowns.
• Dylan Asbury will be the top running back to watch for WLU. In 2022 he played in five games and rushed the ball 26 times for 28 yards.
• West Liberty returns their top two leading receivers from last season in Rashawn Harvey and Chris Charles. Harvey played in all 11 games and hauled in 51 receptions for 696 yards and three touchdowns, while Charles played in nine contests and made 29 receptions for 324 yards and two touchdowns.
• On the defensive side of the ball WLU accumulated 78.0 tackles-for-loss, 22.0 sacks, and 21 takeaways (12 interceptions and 9 fumble recoveries). The Hilltopper defense returned two interceptions and one fumble recovery for touchdowns.
• Joining Rice as a key returner on the defensive side of the ball is Chris Wilson as the leading returning tackler from 2022, having made 37.0 total tackles and 1.0 tackle-for-loss.
• John Brown returns on the defensive line having made 34.0 total tackles, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, and 1.0 sack last season.
• Roger Waialae enters his 19^th season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 92-100 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.

WALSH STORYLINES

• Walsh posted a 1-9 (1-7 GMAC) record in 2022, finishing in a tie for eighth place in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference with Kentucky Wesleyan.
• The Cavaliers were picked ninth in the 2023 GMAC Football Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Following the 2022 season seven Cavaliers earned a spot on the All-GMAC teams: Stephen Baugh (LB - First Team All-GMAC), Garrett Kashner (P – Second Team All-GMAC), Dylan Wilson (OL – Third Team All-GMAC), Mark Primer (TE – Third Team All-GMAC), Marcus Shellenbarger (DL – Third Team All-GMAC), Rian Anderson (DB – Third Team All-GMAC), and Diego Bremer (DB – Third Team All-GMAC).
• Kashner is the only returning All-GMAC player for WU from a year ago, playing nine games and punting the ball 50 times for an average of 39.4 yards per punt. He pinned 16 punts inside the 20 yard line and notched five punts of 50 or more yards, including a career-long of 68 yards against Ashland.
• The Walsh offense averaged 11.1 points, 103.5 rushing yards, and 165.7 passing yards per game in 2022. The Cavalier offense scored 12 touchdowns on the season with eight by way of the ground game and four through the air.
• CeeJay Yarboro is the only returner with experience at quarterback for WU, playing in five games last season and completing 49-of-83 passing attempts for 442 yards and four touchdowns.
• Dom Jennings is the Cavaliers top returning running back, he played in six games in 2022, running the ball 50 times for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
• Garrett Waite is the leading returner at wide receiver for Walsh, hauling in 25 receptions in nine games for 183 yards last season.
• On the defensive side of the ball WU accumulated 54.0 tackles-for-loss, 16.0 sacks, and nine takeaways (8 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery). The Cavalier defense returned one interception for a touchdown.
• Cam Hollobaugh is the top returning tackler for Walsh, making 46.0 tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, and 1.0 sack. The linebacker added a pair of interceptions and three pass break-ups.
• John Fankhauser enters his sixth season as the head coach at Walsh with a career record of 11-36 with the Cavaliers.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty and Walsh have met a total of 14 times on the gridiron, with each team winning seven times in the all-time series.
• The last meeting between the Hilltoppers and Cavaliers came in the 2021 season opener on September 2, 2021, when WU picked up a 27-6 road victory at West Family Stadium.
• The last time the two teams met in North Canton, WLU came out victorious in a 41-38 contest that went to overtime at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on October 19, 2019.
• West Liberty has won four of the last five meetings in the series, and two consecutive games at Walsh.