GAME 11
WKU (5-5 Overall, 3-3 Conference USA) vs. Sam Houston (2-8 Overall, 1-5 Conference USA)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 18
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Bowling Green, Kentucky (Houchens-Smith Stadium)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: WKLX (SAM 100.7 FM) and WWKU (ESPN Radio 102.7 FM) in Bowling Green
Social: @WKUFootball | @WKUSports
Game Notes: WKU Notes | Sam Houston Notes | CUSA Notes
Game Day Information: Tickets | Game Day Guide | Live Stats
NOTES
- WKU is one win away from bowl eligibility. The Hilltoppers have gone to bowl games in each of Tyson Helton's first four years as head coach, with wins in three of those, including last year's R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. WKU has gone to nine bowl games in the 11 seasons leading up to the 2023 campaign, with a 6-3 record in those games.
- WKU plans to recognize 13 senior players prior the Saturday's game against Sam Houston. That group includes Tyrese Black, Craig Burt Jr., Niko Cooper, Kenyonte Davis, Davion Ervin-Poindexter, Cory Munson, Austin Reed, Blue Smith, Markese Stepp, Bryson Washington, Rome Weber, Davion Williams, and Takulve Williams. The Hilltoppers have gone 12-2 in games on senior day in the program's FBS Era (since 2009), with wins in 12 straight games.
- WKU has seen tremendous late-season success under Tyson Helton, who boasts a 13-4 overall record in the month of November and a 12-3 record in November in CUSA games. WKU had won 10 consecutive CUSA games in November before last week's loss to New Mexico State. The only two conference losses in the month under Helton before that were both to FAU, who is no longer in the league. WKU has two games remaining in the regular season, both of which are conference matchups. Following WKU's game against Sam Houston, the Hilltoppers will travel to FIU to close the regular season.
- Quarterback Austin Reed is fifth in WKU's career completion rankings with 624. Mike White sits in fourth with 648. Reed has 64 career touchdown passes, and in Saturday's game passed Bailey Zappe and White to move into second place in career touchdown passes in program history. Malachi Corley moved into second on WKU's career receptions list in the win at LA Tech, and now has 239 catches in his career. Corley is second on WKU's career touchdown receptions list with 27, passing Nicholas Norris in last week's game against New Mexico State. Taywan Taylor holds both records – 253 catches and 41 touchdowns. Corley's 2,784 receiving yards are third all-time behind Taylor (4,234) and Norris (3,091).
- With their next home win, the Hilltoppers will reach 200 wins in program history at Houchens-Smith Stadium, which opened in 1968.
QUOTES
- "We've got Sam Houston this week. Big game. We need to rebound, especially coming off the tough loss last week. We've got a lot to play for. We're still trying to get bowl eligible. Hopefully we can get that done. But a good football team we're about to play. They're on a two-game winning streak, they've played a lot of tough games in conference where it went down basically to the last drive of the game. We've got to play our best football this week. Guys had a good look in their eye yesterday when we met. I know they'll be excited to get back on that field and get competing and try to get bowl eligible." – WKU Head Coach Tyson Helton, on facing Sam Houston on Saturday.
- "Hot and cold is probably a good way to describe it. We came out hot, had some really good drives – we had a 17-play drive and ended up scoring a touchdown right before half to take the lead, and again, coming out of halftime backed up situation, they get the ball first, and then we have to come out and get the first first down, and then stall out the drive. Going into the second half, you know probably with the way the new clock rules are and all the things like that, you're not going to have as many possessions to try to put points on the board as you usually do. We've got to figure out our chances to maximize our advantages when we get them in second halves of games, and partly that comes down to me putting guys in good situations, right? I've got to be better at that situation and being able to maximize our opportunities. Guys played hard, they played hard to the very end. There was a lot to like, but for us to win in critical situation and in critical games like that, we've got to put four quarters together." – WKU Offensive Coordinator Drew Hollingshead, on last week's loss to New Mexico State.
- "Sam Houston's a good football team. I know coach talked about it earlier and obviously Drew did, too. Coach (K.C.) Keeler that's there has done a phenomenal job with the program. He was at Delaware before that, won a national championship a couple of years ago there (at Sam Houston), so again, they've got a good football team. We've followed them a couple times on film. They have a good defense. Been able to watch them a couple of different times. They're in games, played really, really well and won the last two. Offensively, they've got a really good quarterback, a guy that can do both – he can throw and he can run. They've got three or four running backs that can hurt you a lot of different ways – can catch the ball out of the backfield, can run inside, can run outside. Two tight ends that I think are really, really talented, good receivers, but do a good job getting in two tight end and fullback sets and being able to hurt you in the run game. They're a talented group at receiver. Slot receiver is really, really good – one of the best guys in the league, for sure. Two outside guys are really, really good, and have a lot of catches. They've got a good offense all the way across the board. The offensive line is big, they're massive. They're 6-4, 300-something pound guys and want to push you around in the run game. It'll be a big challenge for us this week." – WKU Defensive Coordinator Tyson Summers, on Sam Houston's offense.
LAST TIME OUT
- WKU lost to New Mexico State 38-29 on Saturday in a homecoming game at Houchens-Smith Stadium to fall to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in CUSA play. The Hilltoppers jumped out to an early 14-0 lead after scoring on their first two drives and led 21-17 at halftime, but were outscored 21-8 in the second half.
ABOUT SAM HOUSTON
- The Bearkats are in their first season as an FBS program and their first as a member of CUSA. Sam Houston enters the game with a 2-8 overall record, but comes into Saturday's matchup with back-to-back wins over Kennesaw State and at Louisiana Tech. Four of the Bearkats eight losses ended as one-possession games, including two that went into overtime.
SERIES HISTORY
- Saturday's game will mark only the second meeting all-time between WKU and Sam Houston and the first as FBS opponents. The two programs haven't met since Nov. 27, 2004, in Huntsville, Texas. The Bearkats won that game 54-24.
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