WKU HILLTOPPERS (1-0) at
ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS (1-0)
Saturday, Sept. 11 | 10:30 a.m. CT
Michie Stadium | West Point, N.Y.
ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS (1-0)
Saturday, Sept. 11 | 10:30 a.m. CT
Michie Stadium | West Point, N.Y.
| LEARN ABOUT THE TEAM: |
| Game 2: PREVIEW STORY WKU Weekly Game Notes Coach & Player Interviews Game 1: BY THE NUMBERS |
| HILLTOPPERS, BLACK KNIGHTS SET FOR SATURDAY MORNING MARQUEE MATCHUP Zappe leads WKU's spread attack against Army's triple-option offense in what will be an intriguing clash of styles |
NOTING THE GAME
- WKU and Army have played three times in their head-to-head series and the Hilltoppers are 3-0. Of the 12 teams who have played the Black Knights three or more times since 2013, only WKU and Tulane (4-0) are undefeated. Among those 12 teams, the Hilltoppers' average margin of victory over Army (+13.67) is the second-best to Duke (+15.75), although the Blue Devils have a 3-1 record against the Black Knights during that time span.
NUMBERS TO WATCH
- 242.0 — Bailey Zappe's passing efficiency rating vs. UT Martin. It was the highest mark by an FBS quarterback with 35 or more passing attempts since Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield had a 266.3 at Texas Tech on Oct. 22, 2016.
- 4 — Number of 400-yard passing performances by Bailey Zappe in his past five games dating back to 2020. He had 424 passing yards vs. UT Martin in his WKU debut.
- 59 — Points scored by WKU in the team's season-opening victory vs. UT Martin. It was the most points scored by the Hilltoppers since a 60-6 win at Marshall on Nov. 26, 2016.
- 183 — WKU lost 183 career starts each from the offensive and defense. Among those are NFL players: SAF Devon Key (49), OL Jordan Meredith (37) and CB Dionté Ruffin (25).
OUT-ARMYED ARMY
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WKU's 17-8 victory over Army in 2019 was one of the most impressive games played against the Black Knights' triple-option offense in a very long time. Here are some notable numbers from that game:
• WKU's defense held Army to only 10 first downs, their fewest in 35 games.
• WKU's defense held Army to only 137 rush yards, their fewest in 45 games.
• WKU's defense held Army to only 208 total yards, their fewest in 40 games.
• WKU's defense held Army to only 1 play of 15+ yards for the entire game.
• WKU's held Army in single-digit scoring for the first time in 29 games.
• WKU held Army scoreless for the first 58:19, the deepest into a game the Black Knights had been shut out since Sept. 13, 2014 in a 35-0 loss at Stanford.
• WKU had a 38-to-22 advantage in time of possession, Army's worst showing in the statistic in 55 games.
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 108 players on WKU's 2021 roster, 28 of them (26%) are incoming transfers. Of the 28, 16 are coming directly from FBS programs –10 from Power Five programs and six from Group of Five teams. Of the 28, eight are from FCS programs – including four from the Houston Baptist offense. Of the 28, 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 career passing yards at Houston Baptist from 2017-20 led all active Division I passers to begin the season. Now at 10,428 after his 424-yard performance in Game 1 vs. UT Martin, Zappe still tops the list, with Utah's Charlie Brewer (who transferred to play for the Utes after four seasons at Baylor) second with 9,933.
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