GAME 6
WKU (3-2 Overall, 1-0 Conference USA) at Louisiana Tech (3-3 Overall, 2-0 Conference USA)
Date: Thursday, Oct. 5
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Ruston, La. (Joe Aillet Stadium)
Watch: ESPN
Listen: WKLX (SAM 100.7 FM) and WWKU (ESPN Radio 102.7 FM) in Bowling Green
Social:Â @WKUFootball |Â @WKUSports
Game Notes: WKU Notes | LA Tech Notes
NOTES
- WKU moved to 6-4 in Conference USA openers with a 31-10 win over Middle Tennessee last Thursday at Houchens-Smith Stadium. The Hilltoppers are one of four CUSA teams unbeaten in league play this season, along with Liberty (4-0, 2-0), Jacksonville State (4-1, 2-0), and Louisiana Tech (3-3, 2-0). The Bulldogs have CUSA wins over FIU and UTEP this fall.
- WKU quarterback Austin Reed has thrown for 1,368 yards and 11 touchdowns on 131-of-212 passing with two interception through five games this season. Reed, the nation's leader in passing yards in 2022, has also rushed for 67 yards and three scores on 23 attempts. Malachi Corley, the nation's leading returning receiver from 2022, has 331 yards and two touchdowns on 29 receptions in four games this fall. Corley enters Thursday's game tied for second in program history in receptions with 209. Lucky Jackson posted 209 catches with the Hilltoppers from 2016-19.
- WKU is tied for first nationally in red zone offense. The Hilltoppers have put points on the board in every trip they've made to the red zone this fall.
- The "Takeaway Tops" are back this season after tying for the best marks in the nation with 32 forced turnovers and six defensive touchdowns a season ago. WKU has 14 turnovers gained so far this fall – the most in the country – with defensive touchdowns scored against USF and Houston Christian. WKU is tied for fourth nationally with two defensive touchdowns this season, while three teams have three defensive scores.Â
- Linebacker Bryson Washington was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week, presented by Blenders Eyewear, CUSA announced Monday. Washington, a sixth-year member of the program, was making the first start of his Hilltopper career and posted seven tackles, a fumble recovery, an interception and two pass breakups in the win. Washington now has 13 total tackles on the year, and also forced a fumble in the Week 3 game at Ohio State.
- The Hilltoppers have claimed victory in their last four Conference USA matchups dating back to the 2022 season. WKU has won three straight CUSA road games.
- From 2014-2022, WKU won more games than any other member of Conference USA. That stretch included CUSA titles in back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016, as well as a CUSA East Division title in 2021. The Hilltoppers were picked first in the league's preseason poll released this summer, and received 18 of a possible 22 first place votes.
QUOTES
- "LA Tech week. Big conference game on the road. I think both LA Tech and ourselves, we have momentum right now, so this is a big conference matchup. If we want to be a good football team that wants to make a conference run, we've got to go on the road and go win a close, tough game. I know LA Tech will be fired up. They're a very well-coached football team and they have good players, so we've got to come with our best game, but looking forward to that opportunity on a Thursday night. Get a chance to try to get another conference win." – WKU Head Coach Tyson Helton on Thursday's game at Louisiana Tech.
- "Very tough, very sound. I think they fly around and make plays. I think when you look at them body-for-body, I think they've got some physical specimens all around the defense. I've played LA Tech a bunch in my life and this team is no different than a lot of the other really good teams that they've had around there for a really long time. We're going to have to be tough, physical up front, tough and physical on the edge at our skill positions and be buttoned up with our game plan because they don't give you too much, they'll disguise some things in the back end to try to confuse your quarterback, but a really, really well-coached defense that we're going to have to be prepared for." – WKU Offensive Coordinator Drew Hollingshead on facing Louisiana Tech on Thursday.
- "I think the biggest thing we talked about is we need to be able to start fast. I certainly think we were able to do that. I certainly think (Middle Tennessee) Coach (Rick) Stockstill and his team, and particularly his offense, do a great job, and his offensive staff, but I was really proud of our group. I think we started the game with a number of three-and-outs and we were able to get a takeaway early on there. Being able to use takeaways to get us points – our offense was able to score off of some of those and be able to help us. I think the biggest drastic improvement was really just being able to get off the field on third down. We were right around 70% in that phase. We did a nice job – again, they got some yards, they have a good offense, they have good players, they have good coaches – but once the ball really got inside the plus-30 and in the fringe and in the high red area, we really did a nice job with our guys of being able to force field goals and had a takeaway or two in there, but we were two-of-three once we got into the high red. I think all of those things are really important. They're right around 130 or 140 yards going into halftime, and I thought our players played really well, played really hard. You could tell they were frustrated from the week before. Saw a lot of marked improvement. I was really proud of our guys." – WKU Defensive Coordinator Tyson Summers on what worked in last week's win over Middle Tennessee.
- WKU opened Conference USA play with a 31-10 victory over Middle Tennessee last Thursday at Houchens-Smith Stadium – the fifth straight win for the Hilltoppers in the series against the 100 Miles of Hate rivals. The Hilltoppers (3-2 overall, 1-0 CUSA) snapped a two-game skid with the win, and the five-game winning streak against Middle Tennessee (1-4, 0-1) is tied for the second-longest winning streak in the series. It's the most since Middle Tennessee won five in a row from 1981-85, and WKU now holds a 37-35-1 record against the Blue Raiders all time. Offensively, WKU put up 444 yards, including 297 through the air from quarterback Austin Reed. He threw two touchdown passes – one to Easton Messer and one to Davion Ervin-Poindexter, and Elijah Young added a 14-yard rushing touchdown. Defensively, The "Takeaway Tops" returned with three more forced turnovers in the game. Takulve Williams had a team-high 12 tackles, including 0.5 for loss, and an interception, JaQues "Donut" Evans had nine tackles and Bryson Washington – in his first start – had seven tackles, two pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery to lead the defense. Anthony Brackenridge forced the fumble.
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH
- Louisiana Tech has started the second season under Head Coach Sonny Cumbie with a 3-3 overall record and a 2-0 mark in CUSA play. The Bulldogs claimed a conference win over FIU in Week 0 and are coming off a 24-10 win over UTEP in El Paso, Texas, last Friday. Louisiana Tech also has a home victory this season against Northwestern State, and losses at SMU, against North Texas and at Nebraska.Â
SERIES HISTORY
- Thursday's game will mark the 10th meeting all-time between WKU and Louisiana Tech, dating back to the first meeting in 1939 when the Hilltoppers claimed a 20-7 victory. The Bulldogs hold a 5-4 lead in the all-time series, but this year's meeting will be the first since Nov. 24, 2018, when WKU claimed a 30-15 win in Ruston, Louisiana. The only time a team has won consecutive games in the series is when Louisiana Tech won three straight against WKU with plenty of time between each meeting – 1940, 1973 and 2014. The two programs have postseason history – WKU beat Louisiana Tech 58-44 in the 2016 Conference USA championship game for its second straight conference title, and the Bulldogs beat the Hilltoppers 34-0 during the 1973 Division II Playoffs.
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