West Liberty, W.Va. — The Mountain East Conference schedule begins this weekend for West Liberty University, as the Hilltoppers travel to Bobcat Stadium to face Frostburg State on Saturday at 1 p.m.
West Liberty (0-3) is still searching for its first win of the season after falling at Robert Morris last week, 28-14. Despite the loss, head coach Roger Waialae saw encouraging signs.
"The thing that sticks out in my mind is the two opportunities to score in the first half and coming away with nothing, maybe even three missed opportunities if you count the field goals," Waialae said. "But I thought our kids were resilient. They played harder this week. Hopefully now they understand the effort it takes just to give yourself a chance to win a game. But effort alone isn't enough — you still have to make plays, block, and tackle to be successful."
The Hilltopper offense has leaned heavily on quarterback Kohl Meisman, who has thrown for 697 yards and three touchdowns through three games. His top target has been Trey Singleton, who is averaging 111 receiving yards per contest and had a 65-yard touchdown earlier this season. On the ground, Hunter Patterson (94 rushing yards, 1 TD) and Rashid Sesay (81 yards, 5.8 avg.) pace a running game that is averaging just over 76 yards per game.
Defensively, Grant Thompson has been a force with three sacks and five tackles for loss, while Nolan Shimp leads the team with 22 total tackles. The Hilltoppers are allowing 341 yards per game but have shown steady improvement week to week.
Now the challenge ramps up with Frostburg State (2-0), which enters conference play with momentum after back-to-back wins. The Bobcats are averaging more than 40 points per game behind quarterback Myles Fulton, who has completed 26 of 39 passes for 345 yards, seven touchdowns, and no interceptions. Frostburg's offense is balanced, rushing for 172 yards per game while also boasting a dangerous receiving corps led by Cruiz Paul-Umstead (123 yards, 2 TDs) and Jevonn Gilyard (105 yards, 2 TDs).
"They're really, really good," Waialae said of Frostburg. "They play very hard defensively, run a lot of different stunts, and try to create confusion for the quarterback. Offensively, the quarterback is a very good decision-maker and takes care of the football. Last year they were undefeated until he got hurt, and you can see how important he is to what they do."
The Bobcats have had the upper hand in recent years. Frostburg has won seven straight in the all-time series, which the Hilltoppers trail 3-7-1. West Liberty's last win came back in 1983, a 27-17 victory. In the most recent five meetings, Frostburg has outscored WLU by a combined margin of 215-56, including last year's 57-23 contest at West Family Stadium.
Limiting explosive plays will be critical for West Liberty's defense. Last year, Frostburg scored multiple quick-strike touchdowns against the Hilltoppers.
"We've got to keep it simple, not give up the big play, and play one snap at a time," Waialae said. "Last week, I thought we saw our biggest improvement in effort, and with effort comes better assignment football. That has to carry over into this week."
On offense, West Liberty will need to sustain drives against a Frostburg defense that has forced four interceptions and recorded six sacks in just two games.
"They run all those stunts to create confusion, so our quarterbacks have to recognize what's coming and make good decisions," Waialae said.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Bobcat Stadium.
