WKU (1-3) vs. Marshall (2-1)
Saturday, Sept. 29Â | Houchens-Smith Stadium | 6:30Â p.m. CT
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Saturday, Sept. 29Â | Houchens-Smith Stadium | 6:30Â p.m. CT
| GAME LINKS |
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| HILLTOPPERSÂ OPEN CONFERENCE PLAY AT HOME AGAINST MARSHALL Fans are encouraged to wear BLACK to black out the stadium. |
The Matchup
After four non-conference games to open the season, the Hilltoppers begin an eight-game stretch of Conference USA games. In conference openers since 1999, WKU is 8-9. The Hilltoppers are 2-2 in C-USA openers.
The Hilltoppers are opening the conference schedule at home for the fourth consecutive season as well.
Typically played around Thanksgiving weekend, WKU and Marshall are playing a September game for the first time since 1996. All four previous matchups while C-USA members have been in late November.
How to Watch
The game will be streamed live on Stadium. Fans not in local area to attend the game can watch the game for free HERE.
Scouting Marshall
Marshall enters the game at 2-1 and is coming off a 37-20 loss to North Carolina State at home last weekend. The Herd had a game at South Carolina canceled due to Hurricane Florence.Â
Led by freshman quarterback Isiah Green, who has thrown for 820 yards and six touchdowns to three interceptions with a 58 percent completion percentage, Marshall averages 378 yards of offense per game. Running backs Keion Davis and Tyler King are both explosive backs who can take it the distance, while receiver Tyre Brady presents a wealth of match-up problems for opposing secondaries.
Defensively, linebacker Chase Hancock and safety Malik Gant are the standouts and lead the team in tackles with 31 a piece. Both Hancock and Gant have multiple tackles for loss and pass breakups. They are allowing 377.7 yards to opposing offenses including 260 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.
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 | 85 |
| Juniors | 21 | 79 |
| Sophomores | 27 | 83 |
| Redshirt Freshmen | 10 | 3 |
| 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.
