2021 RYAN C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP
WKU HILLTOPPERS (8-4, 7-1) at
UTSA ROADRUNNERS (11-1, 7-1)
Friday, December 3 | 6 p.m.
Alamodome | San Antonio, TX
WKU HILLTOPPERS (8-4, 7-1) at
UTSA ROADRUNNERS (11-1, 7-1)
Friday, December 3 | 6 p.m.
Alamodome | San Antonio, TX
| LEARN ABOUT THE TEAM: |
| 13 Named to PFF College All-CUSA Teams QB Zappe Feature: PFF College QB Zappe Feature: The Draft Network QB Zappe: Beyond The Hill Podcast WKU Weekly Game Notes Package Coach and Player Interviews (YouTube) |
| HILLTOPPERS SEEK THIRD CONFERENCE USA CHAMPIONSHIP IN PAST SEVEN SEASONS WKU and UTSA face off in the Alamodome as Coach Helton's crew looks to avenge 52-46 loss to Roadrunners |
NOTING THE GAME
- After losing to UTSA by a score of 52-46 on October 9, WKU has won seven consecutive games to earn a rematch – and a shot at redemption – against the Roadrunners in the league title game. Since the Hilltoppers joined the league prior to the 2014 season, WKU is 12-6 against the C-USA West division in the regular season and 2-0 against such teams in the championship game. The Hilltoppers won back-to-back C-USA titles against Southern Miss in 2015 (45-28) and LA Tech in 2016 (58-44).
NUMBERS TO WATCH
- 4,968 — Bailey Zappe leads FBS with 4,968 passing yards, 517 more than next-closest quarterback – Mississippi State's Will Rogers (4,451). Zappe also leads FBS with 52 TD's, 12 more than Pitt's Kenny Pickett and Bama's Bryce Young.
- 3 — With a win, WKU would become the first C-USA football program to claim 3 title games. The Hilltoppers, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, UAB, UCF and Tulsa each have won 2 since the inaugural game in 2005.
- 8-28 — Bailey Zappe's record as a starting QB at HBU from 2017-20 – the Husky defense allowed 38.7 points per game. WKU is 8-4 this season with the Hilltopper defense allowing 27.
- 27 — Turnovers forced by Maurice Crum's defense in 12 games. In 25 games across the 2020 and 2019 seasons, WKU forced a total of 25 turnovers.
2015 C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: WKU 45, SOUTHERN MISS 28
- Brandon Doughty finished off his final home game for Western Kentucky with something he didn't believe was possible when he came to the school in 2011 -- a conference championship.
- Doughty threw for 410 yards with three touchdown passes and Western Kentucky came from behind to defeat Southern Miss 45-28 in the Conference USA Championship Game.
- "This is just the start of our program. Winning a conference championship, I would have never thought we would have done it five or six years ago. But we did it today and it's just the start," Doughty said.
- Doughty finished with 34 completions in 52 attempts, shaking off a first-half interception that helped put the East Division champion Hilltoppers in a 14-point first-half hole.
- "I don't think we were executing early in the game. We kind of got away from it and got caught up in the moment a little bit. We had to settle down a little bit, myself included," Doughty said.
- The Hilltoppers (11-2, 8-0) trailed 21-7 at the 9:46 mark of the first half and 28-21 early in the third quarter before scoring 24 unanswered points to put the game away and claim their first C-USA Championship. WKU joined the conference two years prior.
2016 C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: WKU 58, LA TECH 44
- Anthony Wales rushed for 209 yards and four touchdowns, Mike White threw for 421 yards and three more scores and WKU defeated LA Tech, 58-44 in the Conference USA Championship Game.
- The Hilltoppers (10-3) and Bulldogs (8-5), who won the regular-season matchup 55-52 on Oct. 6, combined for 1,163 yards of total offense in the highest scoring championship game, not only in C-USA history, but of any FBS Conference championship game. It is the second straight title for WKU, which becomes just the second C-USA school to win back-to-back championship games.
- Wales was named the game's MVP after setting a new C-USA Championship record with five total touchdowns. He finished with 262 yards of total offense, catching five passes for 53 yards in addition to his work on the ground.
- WKU became the first team in conference history to host back-to-back C-USA title games and win both on their home field, and in the process set several league and national records.
- The two teams combined for a conference record 1,163 yards and102 points, both conference record. The combined 102 points set an NCAA record for combined points in a conference championship game.
CHASING GREATNESS
- Through 12 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: 406-of-580 (70%) for 4,968 yards, with 52 TD and 9 INT
- Brandon Doughty: 322-of-444 (72.5%) for 4,184 yards, with 42 TD and 6 INT
- Joe Burrow: 314-of-401 (78%) for 4,366 yards, with 44 TD and 6 INT
- B.J. Symons: 429-of-666 (64%) for 5,336 yards, with 48 TD and 21 INT
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With 52 touchdown passes already this season, Zappe is tied for 4th all-time in FBS with 2003 B.J. Symons, trailing 1990 David Klingler (54), 2006 Colt Brennan (58) and Burrow (60). Meanwhile, his 4,968 yards are 18th all-time in FBS, ahead of the likes of 2017 Mason Rudolph (4,904) and 2018 Dwayne Haskins (4,831).
STERNS: ALSO A STUD
- Wide receiver Jerreth Sterns is also nipping at the heels of the all-time greats. Through 12 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: 82 receptions for 1,392 yards, with 14 touchdowns
- Trevor Insley (11): 134 receptions for 2,060 yards, with 13 touchdowns
- Zay Jones: 158 receptions for 1,746 yards, with 8 touchdowns
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In his collegiate career, Sterns has 347 receptions for 3,510 yards and 30 touchdowns in 39 games played at Houston Baptist (27) and WKU (12). 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 2017-20 led all active CFB passers to begin the season. Now at 14,972 yards after 4,968 through his first 12 games as a Hilltopper, Zappe still tops the list.
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