WKU (1-6, 0-3 C-USA) vs. FIU (5-2, 3-0Â C-USA)
Saturday, Oct. 27Â | Houchens-Smith Stadium | 6:30Â p.m. CT
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Saturday, Oct. 27Â | Houchens-Smith Stadium | 6:30Â p.m. CT
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| HILLTOPPERSÂ HOST FIU IN 87TH ANNUAL HOMECOMING GAME WKU will wear throwback Winged W helmets for the first time since 1964 on Saturday. |
The Matchup
It will be Homecoming on The Hill - where WKU is 54-29-3 all-time. WKU is looking to win five straight homecoming games for the first time since 1937-41.
The Hilltoppers are seeking their first home victory of the season in their fourth try after dropping their first three home games by a combined nine points. On the schedule, it would be the latest WKU has gotten its first home win since the 2011 team beat UL-Lafayette on Oct. 22 in the fourth home game of the year.
The Hilltoppers will be sporting throwback Winged W helmets, last worn during the 1963 and 1964 campaigns. The 1963 team remains WKU's only unbeaten squad and won the Tangerine Bowl that season with a 10-0-1 mark.
WKU is also looking to avoid going on a four-game slide for the first time since opening that 2011 season 0-4.
Scouting FIU
FIU comes to Bowling Green as the division leader in Conference USA's East Division, sporting a 5-2 record and 3-0 league mark with in-league victories over Old Dominion, Middle Tennessee, and Rice.
The Panthers are led by head coach Butch Davis who enters his second season with the program. Davis previously served as the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Cleveland Browns. Transfer quarterback James Morgan leads the offensive attack with a 16-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio while the running back position is a three-headed monster.
Defensively, Sage Lewis and Edwin Freeman lead the Panthers in tackles with 80 and 48, respectively. FIU holds opposing offenses to 374.7 yards per game including just 198 through the air.
2018 Team Captains
WKU's season-long team captains were voted on at the end of fall camp, entirely by the players. In 2018, the Hilltoppers will have just two captains, both from the defense: senior DB DeAndre Farris and junior LB Ben Holt Holt's older brother, Nick, was a 2015 team captain at linebacker and both played for their father, Nick Holt, during his time as WKU's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2013-16.
Holts on The Hill
When Ben Holt was voted a team captain, he and his brother, Nick, joined a very unique and exclusive group as one of just two sets of brothers to both serve as WKU captains.
Elmer (1965) and Lee Murray (1962) also served as captains and for over 50 years were the only sets of brothers to both serve as captains until the Holt's in 2018. Lee enjoyed a Hall of Fame career on The Hill in various roles as an assistant coach under Jimmy Feix and administrator as well as color analyst on WKU's radio broadcasts in the early 2000s.
Within Striking Distance
Through seven games, the Hilltoppers have lost four of six by a combined 12 points - three point losses in four games. WKU has been within striking distance of all four (vs. Maine, at Louisville, vs. Marshall, vs. ODU), and they aren't alone in being close to having their records flipped.
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| TEAM | ONE-SCORE GAMES | RECORD |
| Eastern Michigan | 6 | 2-4 |
| WKU | 5 | 1-4 |
| Arizona State | 5 | 1-4 |
| Ball STate | 4 | 1-3 |
| Old Dominion | 4 | 1-3 |
| Air Force | 4 | 1-3 |
Youth Movement
WKU is in the midst of a youth movement and rebuilding a roster which lost multiple three- and four-year starters at a number of positions after the 2016 Conference USA Championship season.
Last season, 24 players earned their first career start as Hilltoppers on offense or defense, the fourth-most nationally, and 11 true freshman saw game action. WKU trailed only Ball State (33), Illinois (31), Baylor (27), and Coastal Carolina (25) for the most first-time starters. On the 2018 roster, 66 percent of the roster is comprised of underclassmen.
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| CLASS | # ON ROSTER | O/D STARTS |
|---|---|---|
| Seniors | 10 | 95 |
| Juniors | 21 | 96 |
| Sophomores | 27 | 103 |
| Redshirt Freshmen | 10 | 11 |
| True Freshmen | 27 | 0 |
Rebuilding Up Front
WKU's 2018 starting five entering the season was also one of only three offensive lines in the nation to have all five position starters earning their first career starts at their position (UTSA, Fresno State).Â
LT Cole Spencer started five games at RT to close the 2017 campaign while Tyler Witt started the final six at RG. Both have now swapped to the left side while center Seth Joest and RG Jordan Meredith earned their first career starts at any position at Wisconsin. RT Miles Pate has been primarily a guard during his time on The Hill but bumped outside this fall under the direction of new offensive line coach TJ Woods.
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The 2018 WKU Football season is presented by LifeSkills, a part of your community for the last 50 years.  As a non-profit, community mental health center, LifeSkills supports people who experience mental illness, addictions and developmental disabilities as they build meaningful and independent lives. With the widest array of services for both adults and children in south central Kentucky, LifeSkills gives you greater choice, easy access, and proven quality. When it comes to your health, experience matters.
