WKU Game Notes
ULM Game Notes
Sun Belt Conference Weekly Notes
The Western Kentucky University football team heads back out on the road to vist Louisiana-Monroe Saturday at Malone Stadium. It will be the first meeting between the two schools since 1955. The game also begins a stretch of two straight road games - with a bye week in the middle - before WKU closes out the season at home against Arkansas State on Dec. 3.
- WKU and Louisiana-Monroe have met four other times in their history, but not since the 1955 season. The Hilltoppers won the first three meetings against the team previously known as Northeast Louisiana between 1952-54, but dropped the last meeting in 1955 in Monroe.
- WKU is 6-4 all-time in games played on Nov. 14. The last time WKU played on this date was a 42-14 home win over Indiana State near the end of the 1998 campaign.
- The WKU and Louisiana-Monroe programs share one common thread - a former head coach. Dave Robert guided the Hilltoppers for five seasons between 1984-88, finishing with winning records in each of his final two campaigns (7-4 in 1987 and 9-4 in 1988), getting WKU to the I-AA playoffs each year. Following the '88 campaign, he left the Hill for Monroe, where he coached ULM for the next five seasons (1989-93), making three more playoff appearances.
- This will be the first game WKU has played in the state of Louisiana since a 38-13 loss at McNeese State on Sept. 28, 2002. The Hilltoppers avenged that loss three months later when they defeated the Cowboys 34-14 in the I-AA National Championship game.
Gaebler Sets Receptions Record - With a late first-quarter catch against Troy - his second of the game - senior wide receiver Jake Gaebler ended his journey to becoming WKU's career receptions leader. The four-yard completion gave Gaebler 150 for his career, breaking the previous record of 149 held by former teammate Curtis Hamilton. He finished the game with five grabs, as the new Hilltopper record currently stands at 154 catches with three games remaining in Gaebler's career.
Offense Puts Up Big Numbers Again - For the second straight week, the Hilltopper offense racked up over 400 yards of total offense, posting 422 last week against Troy. That came on the heels of a 425-yard effort two weeks ago at North Texas. It was the first time WKU has posted over 400 yards in back-to-back games since 2006 when it followed up a 443-yard performance at Southern Illinois with a 544-yard effort against Indiana State.
Jakes Has Career Day Against Troy - Redshirt freshman quarterback Kawaun Jakes did it with both his arm and his legs en route to a career day against Troy last week. Jakes rushed 18 times for a team-high 121 yards, and also scored the game's first touchdown on a seven-yard rush. He also had a career-long 54-yard run in the second half. Through the air, he completed 19-of-34 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown, spreading those completions around to six different receivers. Jakes also got in the act catching the football, hauling in an 11-yard pass from Anthony Sheppard. He ended the day with 317 yards of total offense.
Red-Zone Reward - The Hilltoppers converted all three red-zone trips into points last week against Troy, getting a pair of touchdowns and a field goal. That is nothing new for WKU this season as it has converted 86 percent of its red-zone trips into points (24 of 28), with 20 of those scores being touchdowns. The 86-percent success rate is currently the best in the Sun Belt Conference and tied for 29th nationally.
Hibbitt Adds New Look - Sophomore defensive back and Bowling Green native Avery Hibbitt made his first career start in front of the home crowd last Saturday, and responded with the best day of his young Hilltopper career. Hibbitt tied with freshman Jamal Forrest for team-high honors with eight tackles. The duo also combined for four pass breakups on the day - being credited with two each.
Moore Does It All... - Senior punter Jeremy Moore continued to add to his impressive numbers in his final season, averaging 46.0 yards on four punts against Troy. That included equaling a career-long with a 56-yard kick - the third time this season he has produced a punt of that distance. Moore also dropped two of those four kicks inside the Trojans' 20-yard line.
And Gets National Recognition - Thanks to his efforts against Troy, Moore was recognized as an honorable mention Punter of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards.
Santoro Named Academic All-District - Sophomore defensive back Mark Santoro was recently named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV Second team, presented by CoSIDA. A management major, Santoro was one of five Sun Belt players to earn academic all-district honors. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale.
