WKU Game Notes
ASU Game Notes
Sun Belt Conference Weekly Notes
The 2009 Western Kentucky University football season comes to a close Thursday night as WKU faces Arkansas State for the first time since 1952.
- The Hilltoppers and Arkansas State will be meeting for the first time since Dec. 7, 1952. That was also the last time the two teams met in Bowling Green - with WKU picking up a 34-19 victory.
- WKU is playing its first game on a Thursday night since its 20-17 win at Middle Tennessee on Sept. 20, 2007 in Murfreesboro. That was also the Hilltoppers' last victory against a FBS opponent.
- WKU has played three games all-time on Dec. 3 - all three on the road. The Hilltoppers defeated Tampa 50-7 to close out the 1938 season. The 1988 and 1997 seasons came to an end with losses at Eastern Kentucky at Eastern Washington, respectively, in the I-AA Playoffs.
- The Hilltoppers' last win in the month of December was in 2002 when the squad won three games in the month. WKU downed Western Illinois and Georgia Southern before beating McNeese State for the I-AA National Championship. All three games in the month were on the road.
Rainey Hits Century Mark Again - Sophomore running back Bobby Rainey appears to be saving his best for the end as he has now rushed for over 100 years in each of the last two games. After a 134-yard performance at Louisiana-Monroe, the Griffin, Ga., native went for a career-high 144 yards at Florida Atlantic. Rainey averaged 9.6 yards per carry against the Owls, but didn't limit his running to offensive plays. He also racked up 133 kickoff return yards, giving him 277 all-purpose yards for the day. Rainey also had four plays - two rushes and two returns - that went for over 40 yards. Rainey enters the season finale needing 131 yards to reach 1,000 for the season.
Tinius Earns Another Honor - After two straight games, sophomore kicker Casey Tinius has been honored for his performance the previous week. After going 3-for-3 on field goals at Florida Atlantic, Tinius earned honorable mention Kicker of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards. He is the second Hilltopper to be honored by the group as Jeremy Moore was an honorable mention Punter of the Week following the Troy game. Tinius accounted for all nine second-half points for WKU, including hitting a career-long 47 yard field goal in the fourth quarter. On the year, Tinius is now 5-for-8 on field goal attempts 40 yards or longer.
Majors Nears 100 Stops - Thanks to his seven tackles against Florida Atlantic, junior linebacker Thomas Majors enters Thursday's season finale needing just five stops to reach 100 for the season. In his first year on the Hill, Majors is looking to become the first Topper to reach 100 tackles since Andre Lewis finished with 103 in 2007.
Closing Strong - In the previous 90 seasons of WKU football, 37 have ended with a Hilltopper victory. In recent history, the most famous of those season-ending wins came with a I-AA National Championship in 2002.
Sending Seniors Off In Style - In recent years, WKU has done a great job sending its senior class out with a victory in their final home game. The Hilltoppers have won seven of the nine Senior Day contests this decade. Those seven victories have come by an average of over 22 points per game, and five were conference games when the Hilltoppers were members of the Gateway Football Conference.
SAAC To Collect Shoes Thursday Night - The Student Athletic Advisory Committee will be collecting shoes for Soles4Souls. Soles4Souls facilitates the donations of shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide.
