West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University football team returns to the hilltop on Saturday afternoon as they welcome UNC Pembroke for homecoming weekend. The Hilltoppers look to improve to 4-1 in homecoming match-ups since 2018 as they are scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff with the Braves at West Family Stadium.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (West Family Stadium)
• Kick-Off: 1 P.M.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Saturday's game with an 0-3 (0-2 MEC) record on the season following a 37-7 loss on the road to Frostburg State last weekend.
• The West Liberty offense is averaging 19.0 points per game with 336.0 passing and 23.7 rushing yards per game, accumulating an average of 359.7 yards of total offense through three games. The Hilltopper offense has scored seven touchdowns through the air and one on the ground during the season.
• The Black & Gold have one of the top passing attacks in the country as Rudy Garcia leads the MEC and ranks fifth nationally in total passing yards (950) and sixth in passing yards per game (316.7) through three games.
• The Hilltoppers top two wideouts rank first and third in the conference in total receiving yards and receiving yards per game as Rashawn Harvey has a total of 363 yards and is averaging 121.0 yards per game, while Chris Charles has hauled in 270 receiving yards and is averaging 90.0 yards per game. Harvey ranks second nationally in total yards and eighth in yards per game, while Charles ranks 31^st and 32^nd respectively.
• Harvey has hauled in five receiving touchdowns on the season, leading the MEC and ranking second in DII.
• On the defensive side of the ball WLU has accumulated 177.0 tackles with 21.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks. The Hilltopper defense has forced two turnovers on the year, with one interception and one fumble recovery.
• Trent Crawford leads the defensive unit with 25.0 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. Bre'Andre Horsley is second on the team with 15.0 total tackles and has notched a team-high 5.0 tackles-for-loss.
• John Brown picked off the lone interception of the year while Taison Fa'Asuamanu made the lone fumble recovery.
• Joshuah Clark is the top return man in the WLU special teams' unit, returning eight kickoffs for 167 yards while averaging 20.9 yards per return.
• West Liberty has converted 26-of-56 (46.4%) third down attempts compared to 16-of-40 (40.0%) for their opponents. The Black & Gold are 4-of-6 (66.7%) on fourth down attempts while their opponents are 1-of-1 (100.0%). In the red zone the Hilltoppers are 5-of-9 on the season with five touchdowns while their opponents are 10-of-12 with nine touchdowns and one field goal.
• Roger Waialae is in his 19^th season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 92-103 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.

UNC PEMBROKE STORYLINES

• UNC Pembroke enters Saturday's game with a record of 1-2 (0-2 MEC) following last week's 37-29 loss at home to Charleston.
• UNC Pembroke is averaging 27.7 points per game with 225.7 passing and 126.3 rushing yards per game, accumulating an average 352.0 yards of total offense through three games. The Braves' offense has scored five touchdowns through the air and four on the ground during the season.
• Caleb Pierce and Colin Johnson have split time at quarterback in each of the first three games of the season. Pierce has completed 34-of-69 passes for 447 yards and three touchdowns, while Johnson has completed 18-of-33 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns.
• Trey Dixon, Malik Tobias, and E.J. Gatling are the leading wide receivers for the Braves', hauling in 237 yards, 130 yards, and 119 yards respectively. Tobias has notched a team-high two receiving touchdowns.
• On the ground UNC Pembroke's top running back is Antonio Crim who has rushed for 147 yards and one touchdown, while Johnson has rushed for 144 yards and one touchdown on the year as well.
• On the defensive side of the ball UNCP has accumulated 224.0 tackles with 29.0 tackles-for-loss and 6.0 sacks. The Braves' defense has forced five turnovers on the year, recovering four fumbles and intercepting one pass.
• Sean Hill leads the defensive unit with 36.0 tackles, 6.0 tackles-for-loss, and 0.5 sacks. Saige Ley and LaTrell Jewsome have added 24.0 and 20.0 tackles respectively.
• UNCP leads the MEC and ranks ninth in NCAA Division II with 9.7 tackles-for-loss per game, and Hill and Jamae Blank ranks second and third respectively in the league with 2.0 and 1.7 tackles-for-loss per game this season. Hill and Blank rank 16^th and 39^th nationally.
• Jewsome has collected the lone interception, while four players have each made one fumble recovery.
• UNC Pembroke has converted 11-of-39 (28.2%) third down attempts compared to 17-of-40 (42.5%) for their opponents. The Braves are 4-of-4 (100.0%) on fourth down attempts while their opponents are 1-of-3 (33.3%) in three games. In the red zone UNCP is 12-of-13 on the season with eight touchdowns and four field goals, while their opponents are 11-of-13 with four touchdowns and seven field goals.
• Joshua Ellerbe has been the top return man on the special team's unit for UNCP, returning seven kickoffs for 179 yards and an average of 25.6 yards per return.
• Mark Hall is in his first season as the head coach at UNC Pembroke with a record of 1-2 during his time with the Braves. In his third season as a collegiate head coach, Hall has posted a career record of 15-9 following two previous seasons at Chowan.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty and UNC Pembroke have met four times on the gridiron, with the Braves leading the all-time series 3-1.
• UNCP won last season's match-up 24-3 on October 29, 2022, in Pembroke, North Carolina.