Sept. 14, 2002
Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky suffered its first shutout in nearly six years at the hands of a stingy Western Illinois defense at L.T. Smith Stadium this afternoon in the Gateway Football Conference opener for both teams.
The Hilltoppers struggled offensively in the first half while the Leathernecks built a 14-0 advantage that stood up through a scoreless second half as WKU fell to 1-2 on the year (0-1 in league play) while WIU improved to 2-0 (1-0 in the conference).
"I thought Western Illinois played very good football and their coaching staff came in with a great gameplan," Hilltopper Head Coach Jack Harbaugh said. "You have to give the credit to Western Illinois. They just outplayed us.
"But, what lost the game for us was the way their defense handled our offensive line," he added. "And, the fumbles I saw were caused by carelessness. They weren't the kind of hits that should have caused fumbles. And, when you fumble the ball, you lose field position and you lose momentum. We just were not ready to play."
The Leathernecks took over after a short punt late in the opening period and covered 52 yards in just four plays to go on top 7-0 when Travis Glasford slipped into the endzone from four yards out on a first-and-goal situation with 3:08 on the clock.
On the first play of the second stanza, WIU cornerback Victor Campbell forced a Western Kentucky fumble that Leatherneck tackle Pat Ryan recovered at the WIU-45 to set up what proved to be the final score of the game. WIU then went 55 yards in six plays to go up 14-0 when quarterback Russ Michna hit wideout Terence Hall with a 10-yard scoring strike at the 12:10 mark in the half.
In the waning minutes of the third quarter, Hilltopper Antonio Veals returned a WIU punt 25 yards to set the Toppers up at the WKU-43. Western Kentucky then marched to the WIU-15 where the Hilltoppers were first and 10. On that first down play, running back Maurice Bradley went off left tackle and barreled his way to the WIU-7 where he was hit by defensive back Travis Washington, jarring the ball loose. WIU lineman Jon Warren recovered for the Leathernecks at the seven, ending the Topper scoring threat.
The WIU defense rallied again late in the final period to deny the Hilltoppers the endzone. Another long punt return by Veals (this one for 38 yards) got the Toppers going and WKU moved to a second-and-six situation at the WIU-15. But, a six-yard loss, followed by a five-yard delay-of-game penalty shoved WKU into a fourth and 17 at the WIU-26. Quarterback Jason Michael hit fullback Jeremi Johnson over the middle for 16 yards. But, the Hilltoppers came up a half-yard shy of the necessary first down and turned the ball over with just 2:53 to go.
"I feel good about the win," commented Leatherneck Head Coach Don Patterson. "We generally gave them a long field to play and, when you do that and have a defense like ours, you feel good about your chances. The fumbles (Western Kentucky's six -- three lost) were huge and we did a good job with ball security."
Western Kentucky had a big 259-126 deficit in total offense at the intermission, but rallied to outgain the Leathernecks 199-124 in the final 30 minutes. But, it was not enough to reach the endzone.
WIU running back Travis Glasford led all rushers with 126 yards on 27 carries. Michna completed 14 of 22 passes for 214 yards, five of those to flanker Stacy Coleman, who accounted for 59 yards in catches. And, WIU punter Mike Scifres had a banner afternoon, booting the ball seven times for a 50.3 average, including a 62-yarder. Linebacker Cornell Middlebrook was credited with 14 tackles (eight of those unassisted).
For the Hilltoppers, Michael was the leading rusher with 18 carries for 71 yards. He also completed 15 of 23 throws for 171 yards. Johnson (37 yards) and wide receiver Shannon Hayes (35 yards) each had four catches for WKU. Veals returned four punts for 82 yards (20.5 ypr). He also took game-high tackle honors with 15 stops (10 unassisted) from his free safety position.
Western Kentucky, promising to throw the ball more this season, has now completed 30 of 46 passes in three games to date. That's already seven more pass completions than WKU ran up in all 12 games last fall.
This marked Western Illinois first-ever victory in Bowling Green. The Hilltoppers posted victories in both previous home encounters with the Leathernecks.
And, Western Kentucky suffered only its second shutout in Smith Stadium since the facility opened in 1968. The Toppers' other shutout at home in that span of time was a 3-0 setback suffered at the hands of Morehead State back in 1979.
The Hilltoppers face another rugged challenge next weekend when Gateway foe Youngstown State comes to Smith Stadium for a 5:30 p.m. (CDT) date with Western. WIU continues on the road next weekend, traveling to Northern Illinois for a Saturday evening contest.
