| GAME 12: WKU (6-5, 3-4 C-USA) at No. 24 Marshall (11-0, 7-0 C-USA) | ||
| Game Notes | ||
| WKU Notes | Marshall Notes | C-USA Notes |
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| Watch/Listen | ||
| TV: FS1 | Radio: IMG Network | Listen Live |
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The Matchup:
WKU at No. 24 Marshall
Friday, Nov. 28, 2014, 11 a.m. CT
Joan C. Edwards Stadium (38,227), Huntington, W.V.
TV: Fox Sports Network
Daron Sutton (Play-by-Play)
Coy Wire (Analyst)
- Saturday's game will be nationally televised on a variety of channels in the Fox Sports 1. Check your local listings for the best availalbe channel in your viewing area.
Radio: IMG Sports Network | WKU Gameday App (Google | iPhone | TuneIn)
What to Watch For: WKU Game Notes | Marshall Game Notes
- WKU is in its 96th season of football and first under head coach Jeff Brohm, who became the school's 19th head coach on Jan. 10, 2014.
- WKU enters its first season as members of Conference USA after a five-year run as full FBS members in the Sun Belt Conference. The Hilltoppers are also in year six of their membership in the FBS.
- WKU has tallied 469 points in 2014, a new school-record, surpassing the 432 scored by the 2002 team which played 15 games. They are also the only team in school history to score 30+ points in seven-straight games to open a season.
- The Hilltoppers are in the midst of their toughest schedule at the FBS level in their first season as C-USA members. Currently, WKU's complete schedule is 67-64 (.511). The 2009 schedule finished an even .500 (75-75) while last season's schedule finished 65-82 (.442).
- For the fourth consecutive season, the Hilltoppers are bowl-eligible. It is the longest active streak in Conference USA and WKU is one of just eight `Group of Five' schools to post such a streak.
- Brandon Doughty leads the FBS with 36 touchdown passes and his 36 TDs are tied for the 59th most in single-season FBS history with the likes of Peyton Manning (1997) and Sam Bradford (2007). Doughty's 24 TD passes at home would have broken the single-season school record on their own, which stood at 22. More on Doughty on page 16 and 17.
- Leon Allen's 345 yards against Army established a new Conference USA and WKU single-game record and was the 15th-highest output in FBS history. His 345-yard day was just the seventh 300-yard outing in league history and the second in Hilltopper history, erasing Eddie Thompson's 22-year old record of 309 yards versus Southern Illinois on Oct. 29, 1992.
- With Leon Allen going over 1,000 yards this season, WKU has now had a runner eclipse 1,000 yards in a school-record five consecutive seasons. More on Leon Allen's record setting game vs Army on page 18.
- WKU now owns the C-USA single game record for passing (Brandon Doughty, 593) and rushing yardage (Leon Allen, 345) in their first season as C-USA members. They are the first program in 17 years to break their league's single-game passing and rushing record in the same season (Kent State, MAC, 1997).
About the Game:
- WKU takes on a ranked opponent in Marshall for the first time since facing No. 1 Alabama in 2012. The Hilltoppers have never defeated a ranked opponent since moving to the FBS, falling on the road to No. 1 Alabama (2012), at No. 1 LSU (2011), at No. 6 Nebraska (2010), No. 18 Virginia Tech (2008) and at No. 9 Alabama (2008).
- WKU has won seven of its last eight games played in the month of November and has won 11-of-16 in November over the last four seasons.
- WKU is seeking it's fourth consecutive season with seven or more victories.
- 2 -With two touchdown passes against Marshall, Brandon Doughty would establish WKU's career record for touchdown passes that currently stands at 51.
- 8 - WKU is one of eight Group of Five Teams to be bowl eligible in four consecutive seasons and is one of just 34 in the FBS entering the week to accomplish the feat.
- 63 - WKU has found the end zone 60 times in 2014 and three more would establish a new single-season record for TDs at 63. The Hilltopper TD record has stood at 62 since the 1973 season.
2014 Team Captains:
At their first team meeting of the fall, six Hilltoppers - five seniors - were voted as team captains by their teammates. On offense, QB Brandon Doughty, OL Cameron Clemmons and WR Willie McNeal. On defense, DB Cam Thomas, LB Terran Williams and DL Gavin Rocker. Doughty and Thomas are both repeat captains.
In Good Company:
The Hilltoppers have been chock full of fireworks this season in all three phases. WKU is one of just a select few teams across the country on some noteworthy achievements.
- WKU is the only school in the country with four 80+ yard defensive touchdowns this season.
- Baylor, Marshall, WKU and Washington State are the only teams in the nation with multiple games eclipsing the 700 yard mark in total offense this season.
- 1 of 4 teams to score more than 60 points in a league game in 2014, along with TCU, Baylor and Georgia Southern.
- WKU, Cal, Washington State, Arizona, and UNLV are the only schools with seven or more players with 20+ receptions. WKU and Washington State are the only two programs with five or more players with 30+ receptions.
Youth + Experience
The Hilltoppers feature one of the youngest teams in the country - and Conference USA's youngest - as they have 67 freshmen and sophomores making up their 105 fall camp roster. That mark is No. 25 nationally and the highest in C-USA.
However, head coach Jeff Brohm has countered this with the league's most experienced collegiate coaching staff, tallying 238 years of combined experience. The next closest - Middle Tennessee with 187.
| Conference USA Coaching Staff Experience | ||
| Team | Head Coach | Comb. Years of Experience |
| WKU | Jeff Brohm | 238 |
| Middle Tennessee | Rick Stockstill | 187 |
| North Texas | Dan McCarney | 180 |
With his five touchdown performance against UTSA, Brandon Doughty now leads the nation in touchdown passes and is 20 yards away from leading the country in passing yards.
They've also improved dramatically on third down, holding opponents to a 38 percent conversion rate during the winning streak after allowing 49 percent success in the first eight games.
- Doughty is the only QB in the country with more than 750 yards passing on third down without an interception and one of seven full-time starters overall without an interception on third down.
Chasing Greatness
Leon Allen's 345 yards against Army established a new Conference USA and WKU single-game record and is the 16th-highest output in FBS history. His 345-yard day was just the seventh 300-yard outing in league history and the second in Hilltopper history, erasing Eddie Thompson's 22-year old record of 309 yards versus Southern Illinois on Oct. 29, 1992.
