WISE - - A win on Saturday would give UVa-Wise five wins for the first time since the 2011 season. Prior to 2016, the Cavaliers had won just five games over the previous three seasons combined. Saturday's game will pit two teams that both have won three straight Mountain East Conference contests.

The Cavs opponent, West Liberty has defeated Urbana, West Virginia Wesleyan and Charleston in consecutive weeks. Meanwhile,
UVa-Wise scored 14 unanswered points over the final 9:59 of last week's game to defeat Concord 30-19.

Senior Jeremy Eubank stepped in for injured redshirt freshman quarterback Brycen Lee to lead UVa-Wise to the victory. Eubank's 7-yard touchdown pass to James Cousins with 9:59 to go in the game put UVa-Wise up for good. Junior running back Carlton Griffith added to his big game with a 37 yard scamper on fourth down to seal the deal with 3:36 to play. Griffith finished with 97 yards on the ground while racking up 128 all-purpose yards.

Saturday's game whill pit two of the league's best rushing defenses. UVa-Wise is allowing just 97.3 yards on the ground per contest, second best in the MEC and 20th best in all of Division II football. The Hilltoppers are allowing just 112.7 yards per game on the ground to rank fourth in the conference.

Offensively, West liberty is led by senior quarterback Dakota Conwell. The University of Arizona transfer has passed for 1,195 yards and 10 touchdowns through the 'Toppers first six games. Conwell, a dual threat signal caller, also leads West Liberty in rushing with 355 yards on 119 carries.

On defense, Cliff Clark leads the Hilltoppers. The Cambridge, Ohio native has 54 total tackles enough to be tied with UVa-Wise linebacker Zachary Blair for 5th best in the MEC.

This will be the eight all time meeting between the two schools. The Hilltoppers own a 4-3 advantage all-time in the series. The Cavaliers are 1-2 against West Liberty since joining the MEC.

A season ago, the 'Toppers limited UVa-Wise to just 14 yards on 24 rushing attempts in route to a 30-6 win at Carl Smith stadium. The Cavaliers were able to throw for 322 yards in the loss.

A win would give UVa-Wise a four-game winning streak, its longest since the 2008 season. It would also be the Cavs third win away from Carl Smith Stadium. The last time UVa-Wise posted at least three road wins in a single season was also in 2008 when the Cavs claimed four road victories en route to an 8-3 overall record.

Next week, UVa-Wise host Fairmont State. The Fighting Falcons are receiving votes in the latest AFCA coaches' poll. Kickoff from Carl Smith stadium is set for 1 p.m.