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WEST LIBERTY -- The West Liberty University football team returns home Saturday for its final regular-season game at West Family Stadium, hosting Charleston in a key Mountain East Conference matchup on Senior Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m., with the Hilltoppers set to recognize 23 members of the program.
West Liberty enters the weekend at 7-2 overall and 5-1 in MEC play, sitting atop the conference standings with two regular-season games remaining. Charleston comes to West Liberty at 4-5 overall and 4-2 in conference play, tied for second in the standings with Wheeling.
The Hilltoppers are looking to rebound from a 34-17 setback at Fairmont State last Saturday, a loss that snapped a seven-game winning streak. Despite the result, West Liberty remains in control of its postseason pursuit and will have an opportunity to respond against one of the conference’s most established programs.
Head coach Chad Salisbury was encouraged by the team’s response throughout the week of practice following the loss.
“I thought we had a good week of practice. We learned. I thought our kids responded, and that’s really all I can ask for,” Salisbury said. “It’s really the first time we’ve had to respond to something like this, and I thought they did a good job.”
Salisbury emphasized that the loss exposed areas where the young Hilltoppers need to improve, particularly in execution on both sides of the ball. West Liberty will look to reestablish its ground game after being held to 91 rushing yards at Fairmont State. Running back Hunter Patterson was limited to 78 yards on 23 carries while battling through an injury, and Salisbury pointed to missed assignments and execution issues along the offensive line as areas that must improve.
“We need to be better up front. We need to be better with our execution,” Salisbury said. “I’m hoping our run game takes a step forward this week.”
Despite last week’s loss, West Liberty continues to rank among the MEC’s top offensive teams. The Hilltoppers are second in the conference in scoring offense at 34.0 points per game and third in total offense, averaging 407.1 yards per contest.
Defensively, West Liberty ranks third in the MEC in total yards allowed at 375.4 per game and fourth in scoring defense, allowing 27.7 points per contest.
Patterson remains one of the nation’s most productive players. The senior made history against Fairmont State, breaking West Liberty’s career rushing touchdown record with his 44th score on the ground while also setting a new single-season rushing record with 1,592 yards. Both marks previously belonged to Kevon Calhoun. Patterson needs just 22 yards to surpass Derrick Stickles’ career rushing yardage record of 3,690, set from 2002-05.
Patterson leads the MEC in nine statistical categories, including rushing yards, rushing yards per game, rushing yards per carry, rushing touchdowns, all-purpose yards, all-purpose yards per game, total touchdowns, total points and points per game.
He also leads the nation in all-purpose yards per game, averaging 216.22, while ranking second nationally in rushing yards and rushing yards per game.
Quarterback Kohl Meisman has completed 65.7% of his passes for 1,733 yards and 17 touchdowns, ranking fifth in the MEC in passing yards. Freshman receiver Dominic Diaz-Ellis has added 30 receptions for 317 yards and six touchdowns, while Aidan Grella has converted all 36 of his extra-point attempts and is 8-for-11 on field goals.
The Golden Eagles bring a balanced offensive attack, averaging 386.9 yards per game. Sophomore quarterback Matt Frye has completed 131 of 215 passes for 1,813 yards and 15 touchdowns. Running back Jamal Wallace leads Charleston with 626 rushing yards and four touchdowns, while senior wide receiver Devin Hobbs has been one of the conference’s top receiving threats, recording 51 catches for 698 yards and nine touchdowns.
Saturday’s matchup marks another important opportunity for the Hilltoppers as they enter the final two weeks of the regular season. West Liberty will look to protect its position atop the MEC standings before closing the regular season next Saturday at Wheeling.
The game also carries special meaning for Salisbury, who will experience his first Senior Day as West Liberty’s head coach. The 23 seniors being recognized have helped establish the foundation of the program during a season that has included seven victories and a place at the top of the conference standings.
“I can’t even explain the emotions that I have for this group of seniors,” Salisbury said. “For them to do that and for them to be unselfish like that, I’m forever grateful to this group for making this probably the best first year I could ever possibly have.”
The coach added that the group has helped build a strong team culture.
“I think we have some really good kids who love each other, and I’m very, very proud of that,” Salisbury said.
West Liberty and Charleston will meet for the 36th time Saturday. The Hilltoppers trail the all-time series 20-14-1 and have dropped five consecutive meetings, with their last victory coming in a 9-6 decision in 2017. Charleston won last year’s matchup, 45-28.