WKU HILLTOPPERS (7-4, 6-1) vs.
MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD (7-4, 5-2)
Saturday, November 27 | 2:30 p.m. CT
Joan C. Edwards Stadium | Huntington, WV
MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD (7-4, 5-2)
Saturday, November 27 | 2:30 p.m. CT
Joan C. Edwards Stadium | Huntington, WV
LEARN ABOUT THE TEAM: |
WKU Weekly Game Notes Package Coach and Player Interviews (YouTube) |
HILLTOPPERS AND HERD FACE OFF IN RIVALRY MATCHUP TO DECIDE EAST DIVISION The winner will advance to face No. 15 UTSA the 2021 Conference USA Championship Game in San Antonio |
NOTING THE GAME
- This will be the 13th all-time meeting between the Hilltoppers and Thundering Herd, who lead the series 8-to-4. The teams have faced off seven times while in Conference USA, with WKU winning the first three matchups (2014-16) and Marshall taking the past four (2017-20).
- The Hilltoppers had lost three straight one-possession games to the Thundering Herd (13 total points) from 2017-19 before losing by 24 (38-14) in the 2020 matchup. Way back when, WKU and Marshall met four times from 1941-51 and then again in 1996.
NUMBERS TO WATCH
- 421.8 — Bailey Zappe leads FBS with 421.8 pass yards per game, with the next-closest being Virginia's Brennan Armstrong at 404.4 yards. Zappe also leads FBS with 48 TD's, 10 more than Alabama's Bryce Young and SMU's Tanner Mordecai.
- 123 — Jerreth Sterns leads FBS with 123 receptions, with the next-closest being North Carolina's Josh Downs at 90 catches. Sterns also leads FBS with 1,511 yards, three more than the No. 2 WR.
- 15-2 — Head coach Tyson Helton's C-USA record against league opponents other than FAU and Marshall. Helton's Hilltoppers are now 1-2 against the Owls but 0-2 against the Herd.
- 13 — Interceptions by the Hilltoppers in the team's past three games against MTSU, Rice and FAU. Prior to that, WKU had 5 in the first eight games.
CHASING GREATNESS
- Through 11 games, Zappe's numbers are comparable to Brandon Doughty's 2015 season in which he set WKU's all-time passing record (5,055 yards) in 14 games. Texas Tech's B.J. Symons set the FBS record with 5,833 passing yards in 13 games in 2003, and LSU's Joe Burrow's 60 passing touchdowns in 15 games in 2019 is the all-time FBS mark:
- Bailey Zappe: 381-of-532 (71.5%) for 4,640 yards, with 48 TD and 9 INT
- Brandon Doughty: 295-of-405 (73%) for 3,814 yards, with 37 TD and 6 INT
- Joe Burrow: 291-of-369 (79%) for 4,014 yards, with 41 TD and 6 INT
- B.J. Symons: 398-of-613 (65%) for 5,106 yards, with 47 TD and 16 INT
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With 48 touchdown passes already this season, Zappe is tied for 9th all-time in FBS with: 2015 Brandon Doughty, 2011 Case Keenum and 2007 Graham Harrell. Meanwhile, his 4,640 yards are 34th all-time in FBS, ahead of the likes of: 2017 Baker Mayfield (4,627), 2007 Matt Ryan (4,507) and 2020 Mac Jones (4,500).
STERNS: ALSO A STUD
- Wide receiver Jerreth Sterns is also nipping at the heels of the all-time greats. Through 11 games, Sterns' numbers are comparable to Taywan Taylor's 2016 season in which he set all-time records (98 catches for 1,730 yards, with 17 touchdowns) in 14 games. East Carolina's Zay Jones set the FBS record with 158 receptions in 12 games in 2016, and Nevada's Trevor Insley's 2,060 yards in 11 games in 1999 is the all-time FBS mark:
- Jerreth Sterns: 123 receptions for 1,511 yards, with 12 touchdowns
- Taywan Taylor: 77 receptions for 1,340 yards, with 13 touchdowns
- Trevor Insley: 134 receptions for 2,060 yards, with 13 touchdowns
- Zay Jones: 151 receptions for 1,685 yards, with 8 touchdowns
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In his collegiate career, Sterns has 343 receptions for 3,482 yards and 30 touchdowns in 38 games played at Houston Baptist (27) and WKU (11). He has 16 100-yard receiving games and 17 double-digit reception performances.
STAFF SHUFFLE
- Of WKU's 10 full-time assistant coaches, only one (special teams coordinator and safeties coach Andy LaRussa) has the same role as last season. Four have new roles: Maurice Crum (linebackers –> defensive coordinator), Bryan Ellis (now co-offensive coordinator and inside receivers coach), Kenny Baker (defensive ends –> defensive line) and Stephen Hamby (quality control –> offensive line). Five are new faces: Zach Kittley (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks), Pat Bastien (linebackers), Josh Crawford (outside receivers), Keynodo Hudson (cornerbacks) and Carlos Locklyn (running backs).
THE PORTAL
- Of the 105 players on WKU's 2021 roster, 26 of them (24.8%) are incoming transfers. Of the 26, 14 are coming directly from FBS programs –10 from Power Five programs and four from Group of Five teams. Of the 26, eight are from FCS programs – including four from the Houston Baptist offense. Of the 26, four are from the JuCo ranks, however three of those spent a year on Power Five teams.
ZERO TO 10,004
- WKU returned zero passing yards from the 2020 season. Enter graduate transfer quarterback Bailey Zappe, whose 10,004 yards at Houston Baptist from 2017-to-2020 led all active CFB passers to begin the season. Now at 14,644 yards after 4,640 through his first 11 games as a Hilltopper, Zappe still tops the list.
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