Nov. 30, 2013
Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
WKU Football vs. Arkansas State
Postgame Notes
Nov. 30, 2013
Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium; Bowling Green, Ky.
FINAL SCORE: WKU 34, Arkansas State 31
Team Records and Series Notes
- WKU completes the regular season with a 8-4 record, including a 4-3 mark in the Sun Belt Conference. Arkansas State finished the regular season with a 7-5 record with a 5-2 mark in the Sun Belt Conference.
- WKU's win marked the sixth time in the program's 94-year history that it closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak.
- WKU now leads the all-time series 4-3-1 with WKU winning three of the five games between the teams as members of the Sun Belt Conference.
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- WKU became the first team to win at home among the five meetings in Sun Belt Conference play.
- WKU is the first team to win consecutive games in the series' history.
Team Notes
- WKU's team captains were Jonathan Dowling, Brandon Doughty, Cam Thomas and Andrew Jackson.
- For the first time this season, WKU did not receive to open the game, ending a 11-game streak of opening games on offense.
- WKU failed to take the lead to open the game after Arkansas State scored on its opening drive. WKU scored first in nine-of-12 games during the regular season.
- WKU went three plays for 35 yards on its opening offensive drive to score a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. The drive was setup by a 40-yard kick return by senior Tyree Robinson.
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- It marked the ninth time this season that WKU has opened the game with a score on its opening drive.
- Brandon Doughty is 27-of-31 for 308 yards and three touchdown passes on opening drives of games this season for WKU in his starting series while Todd Porter did not attempt a pass on the opening drive against Morgan State in his one start. Nelson Fishback was 2-of-2 for 12 yards on the opening drive against Louisiana-Lafayette.
- WKU quarterbacks are now a combined 29-of-33 for 320 yards and three touchdown passes on opening drives this season.
- WKU's scoring streak stands at 23 games since being shutout against Alabama (35-0) on Sept. 8, 2012.
- Petrino's teams have forced a turnover in 21 consecutive games.
- WKU held a double-digit lead in all seven Sun Belt Conference games this season.
- WKU scored at least 19 points in every game during the regular season. It's lowest scoring output of the regular season was a 19-point performance against Navy, a win for the Hilltoppers.
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- WKU has never gone through a complete season in its history scoring 19 points or more in every game on the schedule.
- Bobby Petrino improved to 28-7 during the month of November as a collegiate head coach.
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- Petrino completed the fourth undefeated month of November in his collegiate career. He led Louisville to undefeated marks of 4-0 in 2004 and 3-0 in 2005 while leading Arkansas to a 4-0 mark in 2010.
- WKU set a new school record for passing first downs in a season during the first quarter of play. The previous mark was 131 during the 1985 season. WKU entered today's game with 129 on the season and had 12 such first downs today, making the new record 141.
- Attendance for the game was 14,417. Total attendance for the 2013 season at Houchens Industires-L.T. Smith Stadium was 91,672, an average of 18,334.
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- It is the third straight season that WKU has drawn over 90,000 fans to the venue.
- The average of 18,334 for the season is a new WKU record, besting the average of 17,415 that saw six games in 2012.
- WKU's average attendance has grown each of the last four season over the prior seasons average.
- WKU set a new school record for total yards in a season with 5,502. The previous mark was 5,479 in 2002 during WKU's run to the 2002 I-AA National Championship.
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- It is the fifth season in school history that WKU has record 5,000 yards of total offensive and the second consecutive.
- WKU completed its five-year tenure as a football member of the Sun Belt Conference with a 17-22 mark. After beginning play in the league with 10 consecutive losses and a 2-15 record overall, WKU went 15-7 to close its time in the league.
- WKU scored the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds left in regulation, the latest game-winning score in regulation since scoring as time expired against Morehead State on Oct. 27, 1984
- WKU is one of 36 teams in the country with three-straight seven win seasons entering the final weekend of the regular season and bowl season
Player Notes
- Senior running back Antonio Andrews set school records for single-season rushing yards, single-season 100 yard rushing performances and career 100-yard rushing games.
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- Andrews finished with 119 yards on 20 carries.
- Andrews posted his 600th career rushing attempt in the first quarter of today's game, becoming the eighth player to reach the mark in school history. Bobby Rainey's 895 carries is the school record.
- Andrews became the NCAA's FBS leader for all-purpose yards in a two-year period during the second quarter around the 11:30 mark. He finished the game with 201 yards, bringing his two-year total to 5,771. Andrews entered the game third on the all-time list with 5,569 yards in 2012 and 2013. He passed Missouri's Jeremy Maclin (5,609 yards in 2007 and 2008) and Ryan Benjamin (5,592 yards in 1992 and 1992) today to take over first place on the list.
- Andrews has now caught a pass in 25 consecutive games.
- Andrews has run or caught a pass of 20 or more yards in 20 of WKU's last 22 games.
- Andrews recorded his 33rd career touchdown with 1:31 left in the third quarter. It moved him into sixth place on WKU's all-time list for total touchdowns.
- Andrews recorded his 16th touchdown of the season, putting him in a tie for fourth place on the WKU single season list with Willie Taggart.
- Andrews becomes the 11th player in FBS history to record consecutive 1,700 rushing seasons.
- Andrews had his nation-leading 24th straight game with 100 or more all-purpose yards. It was the 29th such game in his career.
- With his 11th 100-yard rushing game of the 2013 season, Andrews sets a new WKU record for 100-yard rushing games in a single season. Andrews (2012) and Bobby Rainey (2011) previously owned the mark.
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- This is the third straight year that WKU has had a rusher post 10 or more 100-yard rushing games after not having such a mark before 2011.
- Andrews recorded his 21st career 100-yard rushing game, tying the school record. Lerron Moore had 21 career 100-yard rushing games in his career from 2003-2006.
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- Andrews recorded his nation-leading 11th consecutive game with 100 rushing yards or more.
- Andrews has posted 100 or more rushing yards in 21 of his last 23 games.
- Andrews broke his own school record for single-season rushing yards, finishing the regular season with 1,730 rushing yards
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- Andrews is one of six players to record 1,500 rushing yards in a single season with his performance this season and owns two of the six 1,500 single-season rushing yard performances in school history.
- Andrews broke his own rushing record on 37 fewer carries than his initial record setting season in 2012
- Andrews continues to climb the NCAA's FBS career all-purpose yards list and now sits at 17th all-time with 6, 799 yards
- Junior quarterback Brandon Doughty completed 21-of-37 passes for 255 passing yards and three touchdowns
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- Doughty became WKU's single-season leader in passing yards with 2,857 yards. The school record was previously 2,737 passing yards by Jeff Cesarone in 1985.
- With a bowl appearance still on the horizion, Doughty's completion percentage currently stands at 65.7. The school record is 64.1 percent by Kawaun Jakes in 2012.
- Doughty completed the game-winning touchdown pass to Willie McNeal with 10 seconds remaining
- Doughty has now completed at least 20 passes in seven games this year
- Freshman wide receiver Nicholas Norris caught four passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.
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- Norris recorded his fourth touchdown reception of the season during the second quarter. It was on his 30th catch of the season.
- Senior receiver Willie McNeal caught the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds remaining
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- McNeal caught his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the year and now has 13 for his career.
- McNeal recorded his second multi-touchdown performance of the season.
- Senior defensive back Tyree Robinson recorded his 20th career kick return on WKU's first return opportunity of the day. His 40-yard return helped setup a score on WKU's opening offensive possession. He surpassed the 350-yard mark in return yardage for his career on the return. It was just his second return of the season.
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- The 40-yard kick return was WKU's longest since a 55-yard return against Louisiana-Lafayette last season by Antonio Andrews.
- Senior running back Keshawn Simpson had four carries for 26 yards.
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- Simpson recorded his seventh rushing touchdown of the season and ninth of his career on WKU's opening offensive possession.
- Simpson has never had a touchdown run longer than three yards.
- Simpson had the longest carry of his career during the third quarter, posting a 26-yard dash late in the period.
- Junior defensive back Jonathan Dowling posted his third interception of the season and ninth of his career during the first quarter.
- Senior linebacker Andrew Jackson recorded the 16th career double-digit tackle game of his career.
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- Jackson has reached double figures in tackles in four straight games.
