WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Limestone (S.C.) scored touchdowns on its first five possessions and racked up 350 yards of offense before halftime here Thursday night in cruising to a 48-13 victory over West Liberty at West Family Stadium. The Saints, fresh off back-to-back NCAA Division II playoff appearances, showcased a balanced attack with 178 rushing yards and 298 yards through the air on the night. The host Hilltoppers (0-2) finished with 309 yards of total offense, 248 coming via the pass, but were victimized by three interceptions as they closed out their non-conference slate.
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: Limestone (S.C.) 48, West Liberty 13
Team Records: Limestone (S.C.) 1-0, West Liberty 0-2
Attendance: 1,784
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Hilltoppers took the opening kickoff and drove into Limestone territory before the Saints dug in to force a punt. QB Dustin Noller wasted little time putting the Saints on the board. The reigning SAC Offensive Player of the Year found WR Jalen Jones in stride down the left sideline for a 52-yard touchdown to cap a 5-play, 80-yard scoring drive
- After the Limestone defense forced a 3-and-out, Noller went right back to work. A 9-play, 60-yard scoring drive ended when Noller speared WR Tre Williams with a quick out at the WLU 15. Williams shook off would-be tackler and weaved through traffic to make it 14-0 at 4:15 of the opening quarter
- West Liberty tried to answer but Saints DB Jeremiah Lomax picked off a Trevor Lagarde pass at the Limestone 12 to short-circuit the Black and Gold threat
- The visitors chewed more than 5 ½ minutes off the game clock with a 13-play, 88-yard TD drive off the Lomax pick. TB Kevin Lalin spun into the end zone from 2 yards out for a 21-0 lead with 9:53 left in the half
- A 52-yard bomb from Lagarde to WR Marquez Hurst set up a 39-yard Tyler Waddell field goal to put WLU on the board with 7:27 on the second-quarter clock. The Hilltoppers recovered a surprise onside kick and got another Waddell 3-pointer, this one from 30 yards out, to pull within 21-6 with 4:55 remaining in the half
- After Noller pushed the count to 28-6 with a 32-yard strike to D.J. Black at 3:26 to wrap up a quick 4-play, 57-yard scoring drive, West Liberty drove into Limestone territory only to turn the ball over on downs at the Saints' 35 with under a minute to play
- That proved to be more than enough time for Noller and the potent Limestone offense. The veteran QB hit Black with a 49-yard bomb to Black on the very first snap, giving the visitors a first down at the WLU 21. Three snaps later Lalin darted into the end zone from 7 yards out to give the Saints a 35-6 halftime lead
- Defense dominated much of the third quarter but the Hilltoppers found the end zone with 1:40 to go in the frame when Hurst leaped high to pull in a toss from Lagarde on 4th-and-6 from the Limestone 10
- That cut the deficit to 35-16 but it didn't last long as the Saints' Nick Cunningham bobbled the ensuing kickoff, scooped it up at his own 12 and sprinted 88 yards to the end zone for a 41-16 Limestone lead
- The Hilltoppers had two fourth-quarter possessions come to an end on interceptions deep in Saints territory. Noller wrapped up the scoring with a 10-yard TD pass to Williams early in the frame
WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Trevor Lagarde: 25-of-53 passing, 248 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 3 INT
Marquez Hurst: 7 receptions, 106 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
Hunter Patterson: 12 rushing attempts, 50 rushing yards
Chris Harm: 9 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 QB sacks
Tyler Waddell: 2-2 FGs (30, 39); PAT
UP NEXT
The Hilltoppers return to West Family Stadium on Sept. 14 to host Frostburg State in a mutual Mountain East Conference opener. Kickoff for the annual Hall of Fame Game is set for 1 p.m. Limestone will be back on the road that night with a 6 p.m. (CDT) kickoff at West Alabama.
