As University of Charleston football coach Pat Kirkland watched film of West Liberty while preparing for Saturday's Mountain East Conference showdown against the Hilltoppers, he understood immediately this was a team his players shouldn't underestimate just because of its losing record.
Both teams enter the game at 2-3 overall and riding two-game win streaks. The Hilltoppers could easily be in a much better place, having lost their three games by a combined nine points.
"That's a team that, really, if they get a couple things to go their way, could be undefeated right now," Kirkland said. "They have a really talented, good football team and we are going to have to come out and execute pretty well if we want to win."
That's the type of challenge that has the Golden Eagles on their toes this week as they look to carry over the momentum they've built over the last few weeks.
UC will try to rely on its run game, even with leading rusher Tevion Cappe likely sidelined for the season after dislocating his hip last week. Marvin Elam, who had been splitting the bulk of the carries with Cappe, carried the load a week ago, running for 139 yards and three touchdowns.
The Golden Eagles have another talented back in Vernard Roberts, who is ready to take on a bigger role as they look to take down the Hilltoppers at 1 p.m. today at UC Stadium.
"They've been good against the run, their defensive line is really tough," Elam said. "We're all looking forward to that challenge.
"They remind us of ourselves a little bit, because we think we're better than our record too. We can't look at that though, we just have to get out there and play the game."
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After dropping its third game in a row, West Virginia State will hit the road to take on Notre Dame College, which has emerged as one of the most dangerous teams in the Mountain East Conference.
The Yellow Jackets (1-4) hope to slow down talented quarterback Malik Grove and the rest of the Falcon offense that averages 35.8 points and a league-best 478.2 yards per game this season.
With such an explosive team on the other sideline, West Virginia State wants to jump out and seize as much momentum as it can early to get off on the right foot.
"We're getting ready for a really tough stretch and it starts this week against these guys, and they've been great pretty much all season," West Virginia State senior wide receiver Akil Washington said. "We have to come out and not only set the tone, but also be consistent throughout the entire game. We can't afford any letdowns, we have to find that will to win."
Offensively, West Virginia State has started to find its groove in the passing game. WVSU threw for nearly 500 yards in a loss to UVa-Wise last week, but struggled to establish a running game with starting running back Juawan Etheredge out with turf toe.
Etheredge is questionable for Saturday, as is quarterback Matt Kinnick, who also missed the game against UVa-Wise.
"We threw the ball really well and you saw what kind of weapons we had in the passing game, but not having Juawan definitely had an impact," West Virginia State coach Jon Anderson said. "But we've focused in this week on the task ahead of us, not what happened in the past.
"It all comes back to practicing well, implementing our game plan and trying to improve. Our focus is getting out there and being at our best when we step on that field."
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.