Sep 1, 2013
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery 
LP Field; Nashville, Tenn.
FINAL SCORE: WKU 35, Kentucky 26
Team Records and Series Notes
- WKU is 1-0 to begin the season while Kentucky falls to 0-1 to begin the year.
- WKU returns to action next Saturday, Sept. 7 in Knoxville when the Hilltoppers meet Tennessee at 11:21 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by the SEC Network and will be available on radio via the Hilltopper IMG Sports Network.
- WKU opens the season with a win for the second consecutive season. It is the first time that WKU has won consecutive season openers since winning openers in five straight years from 1996 through 2000.
- WKU narrowed the UK lead in the all-time series to 3-2. WKU has now won two straight games against Kentucky. The teams have split the two meetings at neutral sites.
- Tonight's game marked the final game in a four-year contract with both teams winning two games during the contract.
- WKU holds regular season winning streaks against Kentucky in football, men's basketball, women's basketball and baseball.
- WKU is now 56-33-5 in season openers all-time.
Team Notes
- WKU becomes the third program to make the FBS transition since 1987 and defeat two SEC teams within its first five seasons (WKU beat Kentucky 2012-13; ULM beat Kentucky 1994, Mississippi State 1995; MTSU beat Vanderbilt 2001-02).
- WKU is the second program to make the FBS transition since 1987 and have a winning streak vs. SEC opponents within first five seasons (WKU two-straight wins vs. Kentucky 2012-13; ULM two-straight SEC wins over Kentucky 1994, Mississippi State 1995)
- WKU now owns the highest winning percentage (.333) against SEC teams of any program to make the FBS transition in its first five seasons
- Tonight's attendance of 47,623 was the 15th highest attended game in WKU history (home, away or neutral).
- Captains for WKU were Jonathan Dowling, Luis Polanco, Andrew Jackson and Brandon Doughty while Kentucky was represented by Raymond Sanders, Kevin Mitchell, Mister Cobble and Avery Williams.
- WKU won the toss and elected to receive.
- WKU took the opening drive of the game 75 yards in nine plays over the opening 4:07 of the game for a touchdown, capped by a three-yard touchdown run by Keshawn Simpson.
- WKU has now played in an NFL stadium in three consecutive seasons.
- WKU had 27 pass completions in the game, breaking the school's FBS record for completions in a game. The record was previously 25 and occurred against ULM on Oct. 10, 2012. The record was broken on a seven-yard pass to Joel German in the fourth quarter.
- WKU had 19 pass completions in the first half, a number the team reached just five teams throughout an entire game during the 2012 season.
- WKU had two rushers with over 90 yards rushing for the first time since Sept. 22, 2012 when Antonio Andrews and Leon Allen both eclipsed 100 rushing yards. The duo finished with 99 and 91 yards rushing tonight, respectively.
- Head coach Bobby Petrino improved to 5-1 against Kentucky in his head coaching career and 21-15 all-time in games against Southeastern Conference opponents. Petrino has never trailed against Kentucky in any of the five wins.
- Petrino improved to 28-8 (.778) when having more than one week to prepare for a game (includes season openers, bye weeks and bowl games). The Hilltoppers have three games remaining on the 2013 schedule where the team has more than a week to prepare for the upcoming opponent.
- Petrino's teams have forced a turnover in 10 consecutive games.
- Petrino's teams have won 18 of their last 20 games.
- Petrino's teams have won nine of their last 10 games.
- Petrino's teams are 23-5 in their last 28 games.
- Petrino's teams have scored at least 17 points in 10 consecutive games
- It was the 14th time in Petrino's last five seasons as a collegiate head coach that his teams have rushed for three or more touchdowns in a game.
Player Notes
- Junior tight end Mitchell Henry had a career-high six catches while his 65 yards receving were also a career best.
- Redshirt senior running back Keshawn Simpson recorded his third and fourth rushing touchdown of his career.
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- It was the first time Simpson had scored multiple touchdowns in a game in his career.
- Senior running back Antonio Andrews finished the night with 194 all-purpose yards, marking the eighth-straight game Andrews has eclipsed 150 all-purpose yards
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- Andrews has 14-straight games with at least 100 all-purpose yards.
- Andrews has his 14th rushing touchdown of his career.
- Andrews has rushed for at least 85 yards in 12-straight games
- Redshirt junior quarterback Brandon Doughty made his second career start but first since Sept. 17, 2011 when he earned the starting nod against Indiana State.
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- Doughty completed his first career touchdown pass with 1:50 left in the third quarter when he connected on a nine-yard pass play to Mitchell Henry.
- Doughty completed his first five pass attempts of the game, all on the opening drive.
- Doughty broke WKU's FBS era for completions in a game with 27, finishing the game 27-of-34 for 271 yards and a touchdown
- Sophomore running back Leon Allen had 92 yards rushing, his third-career performance with over 90 yards on the ground. He averaged 9.2 yards per carry, his second career-game averaging over nine yards per attempt
- Senior linebacker Andrew Jackson recorded eight tackles, marking the eighth time in the past 12 games Jackson has had at least eight tackles
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- Jackson has 35.5 tackles for loss in 26 career games
- Senior linebacker Xavius Boyd racked up 10 tackles against the Wildcats for the second-straight season
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- Boyd had his third-career sack, WKU's first of the season and only sack of the game.
- Boyd tied his career-high with 10 tackles, a mark he's hit four times in his career.
- Boyd's three tackles for loss were a career high.
- Boyd has recorded a tackle for loss in eight of his last 10 games.
