By Cody Shook, Sports Editor
The West Liberty University Hilltopper football team returns home for a big day on the hilltop. The Hilltoppers will be taking on the West Virginia State Yellow Jackets in a Mountain East Conference game. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. today, Oct. 20, at West Family Stadium.
Homecoming is one of the biggest days of the entire year on the hilltop and this year will be no different. Alumni of all ages will flood the ASRC parking lot before kickoff to tailgate and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
West Liberty comes into this game with a 2-5 overall record, and a 2-1 record in home games. The Yellow Jackets are 4-3 so far this season, and 1-2 in road games.
Last week, the Hilltoppers went on the road to Glenville, W. Va. and fell by a score of 33-23. It was a tight game until the fourth quarter when the Pioneers were able to put up 14 points and grow their lead. Although the Hilltoppers were able to score in all four quarters, they weren’t able to hold off the powerful Glenville offense.
On the road this year, the Hilltoppers are now 0-4, so they will be eager to get back home in front of the West Liberty fans.
Last week, the Yellow Jackets won a huge game against Concord University by a score of 52-24 and improved their home record to 3-1. West Virginia State took to the ground for 451 rushing yards on 47 attempts. The entire offense couldn’t be stopped as they were able to put together 565 yards of total offense.
West Virginia State didn’t turn the ball over a single time in their game against Concord and if they want to hold onto the ball for over half of the game again, they will have to stay out of the turnover category. The Yellow Jackets are now on a three game winning streak as they head into week eight of the season.
Leading the way on the ground this season for the Hilltoppers is Charles Westbrook with 434 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He is averaging 72.3 rushing yards per game so far this season.
Quarterback Zach Phillips has three rushing touchdowns as well this season and he has rushed for a total of 186 yards in five games.
The Hilltoppers have six receivers with touchdown catches and Isaiah Robinson is the only receiver with two touchdown catches. Robinson also leads the West Liberty offense with 244 receiving yards and an average of 61 yards per game.
With four games remaining, it is still possible for the Hilltoppers to end their season with an above .500 record, but they would need to win out in their remaining games to do so.
Photo Credit: Hilltoppersports.com
