WKU (0-3) at Ball State (1-2)
Saturday, Sept. 22 | Scheumann Stadium | 2 p.m. CT
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Saturday, Sept. 22 | Scheumann Stadium | 2 p.m. CT
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| HILLTOPPERSÂ TRAVEL TO MUNCIE FOR FINAL NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENT WKU looks to avoid starting 0-4 for the first time since 2011. |
The Matchup
WKU is looking to avoid going winless against non-conference opponents for the first time since 2011 which is also the last time the HIlltoppers opened a season 0-4 before finishing 7-5.
Ball State defensive coordinator David Elson was WKU's head coach from 2003-09, posting a 39-44 (.469) record and shepherded WKU through the transition to the FBS. Elson also served as an assistant coach under Jack Harbaugh from 1996-2002 and was the defensive coordinator for WKU's 2002 national championship team.
It is the fourth time since 2015 Hilltoppers have faced a team with a former head coach on staff. Willie Taggart (2010-12) – South Florida HC, 2015; David Elson (2003-09)– Ball State DC, 2017-18; Bobby Petrino (2013) – Louisville HC, 2018).
Like the Hilltoppers, Ball State also has some of the lowest senior numbers on their total roster. WKU's 10 seniors are the third-fewest nationally while the Cardinals have just nine seniors.
How to Watch
The game will be streamed live on ESPN3. With an ESPN subscription, fans can watch the game HERE.
Scouting Ball State
Ball State is 4-0 in home non-conference games under head coach Mike Neu. Quarterback Riley Neal became the fourth Cardinal to reach 6,000 career passing yards last week at Indiana. He needs 242 yards to pass head coach Mike Neu on Ball State's all-time passing list.
It is the first trip for the Hilltoppers to Muncie since 2007 and just the second all-time.
Punching our Weight
After going 0-12 against non-conference foes in their first three years as an FBS team (2009-11), WKU has turned it around and has been on a hot streak against teams from Group of Five or FCS conferences.
When facing opponents from other Group of Five or FCS conferences, the Hilltoppers are 16-3 since 2012, with two of those losses coming in bowl games. WKU has played just two of those games on the road, both at service academies in Army (2013, 21-17), and Navy (2014, 36-27).
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.
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 | 81 |
| Juniors | 21 | 68 |
| Sophomores | 27 | 75 |
| Redshirt Freshmen | 10 | 1 |
| 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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