This Week: Notre Dame College football is on the road for the second week in a row, battling West Liberty University, on Oct. 21, with a 5 p.m. start time.

Records: Notre Dame enters the week with a record of 4-3 (3-3 MEC), following a tough 52-27 loss to Charleston last week. Notre Dame took an early 7-0 lead, but the Golden Eagles' offense started rolling and took a 14-7 lead by the end of the first quarter and did not give the lead back the rest of the game. West Liberty enters week eight at 3-4 (3-3 MEC), riding a three-game winning streak. Last week, the Hilltoppers defeated West Virginia Wesleyan by a score of 24-7.

Coaches Corner: Garrett Mack is in his second season at the helm of the NDC football program. He has a record of 13-6 (12-4 MEC). Roger Waialae is now in his 19th season leading West Liberty, holding a record of 95-104.

Rankings: Neither team is receiving votes in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II top 25 poll.

Series History: Notre Dame is 10-0 all-time versus West Liberty. NDC is averaging 42.9 points per game in this series, which includes a 70-point performance on March 13, 2021, which was a program and conference record, at the time. The Falcons have won seven of the 10 games by double digits and NDC has won the last five matchups by at least 17 points.

Noting the Falcons: Last week, Notre Dame allowed over 50 points (52-27) for the first time since 2019. Despite the Falcons rushing for 255 yards and three touchdowns, including a career-high 184 rush yards from Idris Lawrence, Charleston countered with 370 rush yards of its own and four rushing touchdowns. The Golden Eagles also threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns. NDC and Charleston were never separated by more than 11 points through the first three quarters, before Charleston scored 21 in the fourth. Nathan Rosario-Santos and Isaiah Stephens each had nine tackles to lead the team. Kicker Cameron Shirkey was named MEC Special Teams Player of the Week after going 3-for-3 on extra points, 2-for-2 on field goals and averaging 56.7 yards per kickoff. The most impressive kick of the day came in the third quarter, when Shirkey was successful on a field goal from 47 yards, breaking his own program record that he set twice last season.

Notre Dame is fifth in the Mountain East Conference with 227 points scored and ranks sixth by scoring 32.4 points per game. NDC's defense has allowed 24 points per game, tied for third and the Falcons rank third in team red zone conversion (86.7), while also being tied for first in opponent red zone conversion (65). On special teams, NDC is first in the conference in net kickoff yards (40.4) and second in net punt yards (36.5). NDC's defense ranks third in interceptions (10) and leads the conference with an opponent third down percentage of 27.6. NDC's Idris Lawrence is one of just three players in the MEC to average over 100 rush yards per game (106.8). He is also in the top five of all-purpose yards at 121.3 yards per game. Isaiah Stephens is second in the MEC with 60 tackles and he is tied for third in tackles for loss, with 10.

This season, Notre Dame is eighth in NCAA Division II with three blocked punts, 13th with an opponent third down conversion percentage of 27.6-percent and 20th with 10 interceptions. Cameron Shirkey ranks fifth in the country with 1.43 field goals per game and Dominic Buttazzoni ranks 17th with an average punt of 41.9 yards. Isaiah Stephens is seventh in D2 with 5.7 solo tackles per game and Idris Lawrence is 12th with 106.8 rush yards per game.

Noting the Hilltoppers: West Liberty led 21-0 at halftime, but would add just three more points the rest of the game in a 24-7 win over W.Va. Wesleyan. The Hilltoppers began the game with the ball, but lost a fumble. West Virginia Wesleyan missed a field goal and then WLU drove 78 yards down the field for the first of two passing touchdowns on the day. Rudy Garcia would find Chris Charles in the second quarter to put WLU ahead, 14-0. On the next WVWC possession, the Hilltoppers' Chris Wilson intercepted a pass and ran it back for a touchdown. WLU totaled 100 more passing yards than Wesleyan (185-85). West Liberty's Cam Rice was named MEC Defensive Player of the Week after a career-high 13 tackles last Saturday afternoon. The defensive lineman also chipped in 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble for the Hilltoppers. WLU is on its first three-game winning streak since the 2016 season.

West Liberty ranks in the bottom four of the MEC with 171 points scored (8th) and 24.4 points per game (9th). The Hilltoppers also allow 29.7 points per game, which is ninth in the MEC. However, WLU has been very good on both sides of the ball in the pass game. West Liberty leads the league by averaging 301.1 passing yards per game and 2,108 passing yards. They rank second with 17 passing touchdowns and the Hilltoppers have 26 more passing attempts than anyone else in the MEC. The WLU defense has allowed 1,239 passing yards, which is third lowest in the conference, and they lead the conference by allowing just 177 passing yards per game. West Liberty's offense also leads the conference with a third down conversion percentage of 47.2. WLU's Rudy Garcia leads the conference in completions (179), passing yards (1,965) and passing yards per game (280.7). Rashawn Harvey leads the conference in receiving yards (719) and his teammate, Chris Charles is second (595). Harvey is also at the top of the MEC in receiving touchdowns (8) and yards per game (102.7). Cam Rice leads the MEC with 15 tackles for loss and he is second with 5.5 sacks.

West Liberty has blocked six kicks, ranking fourth in the country. The offense is seventh in Division II with 301.1 passing yards per game. Rudy Garcia is in the top ten of Division II in completions per game (25.57), passing yards (1,965) and passing yards per game (280.7). Rashawn Harvey is in the top ten in receiving TDs (8), receiving yards (719), receiving yards per game (102.7) and receptions per game (7.4). Cam Rice records 2.1 tackles for loss per game, which is fifth best in the country.