BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Football will host FIU in a Weekday CUSA matchup on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at Houchens-Smith Stadium. Fans are encouraged to wear black for the program's annual Black Out game, which will kick off at 7 p.m. CT and be televised nationally on ESPNU.
Prior to the game – in which the Hilltoppers will look to become bowl eligible for the seventh time in seven seasons under Head Coach Tyson Helton – country hip-hop artist Blanco Brown will perform a free pregame concert on South Lawn starting at 5:30 p.m. CT.
GAME INFO
- FIU (2-3 overall, 0-1 Conference USA) at WKU (5-1 overall, 3-0 Conference USA)
- Tuesday, Oct.14 | 7 p.m. CT | Houchens-Smith Stadium | Bowling Green, Ky.
- Watch: ESPNU (PxP: Chuckie Kempf | Analyst: Darius Walker)
- Listen: BG 100.7 FM/Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Terry Obee | Reporter: Jared Holland)
- Social: @WKUFootball | @WKUSports
- Live Stats: wkusports.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
- Game Notes: WKU | FIU | CUSA
AT THE GAME
- Purchase tickets to Tuesday's game against FIU HERE.
- Ticket booths at Houchens-Smith Stadium will open starting at 5 p.m. CT. Gates will open 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
- For the full WKU Football Gameday Guide, click HERE.
- Tuesday's game will be WKU's annual Black Out game. The Hilltoppers will be wearing all black uniforms, and WKU fans are encouraged to wear black to Houchens-Smith Stadium.
- Country hip-hop artist Blanco Brown will perform a free pregame concert on South Lawn prior to the game against FIU. The one-hour concert will begin at 5:30 p.m. CT. For more information, click HERE.
- Faculty and staff members can claim two free game tickets, two free drinks (bottled water or soda) and two free food items (hot dog or popcorn). Additional tickets may be purchased for only $10. Faculty and staff can claim the free tickets, and purchase additional ones, as well as drink and food coupons at the Diddle Arena ticket office (M-F, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. or on game day until 12:00 p.m.). For planning purposes, tickets and coupons must be picked up in advance and will not be available at the Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium Ticket Office.
- Free limited-edition Big Red Football T-shirts, provided by Graves Gilbert Clinic, will be given to the first 750 WKU students to arrive at the berm at Houchens-Smith Stadium.
- Topper Walk, a tradition where the team arrives at PS1 and walks down Avenue of Champions to Feix Field led by the band and spirit groups, will begin at 4:40 p.m. CT.
- The full 2025 WKU Football promotional schedule can be found HERE.
- WKU is holding a Hilltopper Highlight Flash Sale for the game until Monday, Oct. 13, at 12 p.m. CT. Fans can purchase premium experiences for 50% of the original cost until the deal expires. Experiences include videoboard messages, birthday shoutouts, sideline passes, riding on the golf cart during Big Red's entrance, in-game proposals and more. For more information, click HERE.
ABOUT THE TOPS
- Their last time out, the Hilltoppers won at Delaware, 27-24, on Friday, Oct. 3, for their second Conference USA road win in six days. WKU scored 17 points in the third quarter to claim the win and improve to 5-1 overall for the first time since 2015, and 3-0 in CUSA play for the second straight year. WKU started the 2015 season with wins in six of its first seven games, and started the 2024 season with wins in its first five CUSA matchups.
- Entering Week 8, WKU is one of three teams in CUSA still unbeaten in league play, along with Kennesaw State and Jax State, and the Hilltoppers are the only team with three wins in CUSA play. Louisiana Tech is 2-1, while Delaware, New Mexico State, Missouri State and Liberty are all 1-1, and FIU, UTEP, Middle Tennessee and Sam Houston are all still seeking their first league win.
- WKU kicked off its 2025 Weekday CUSA games with the 27-24 win at Delaware on Oct. 3. Head Coach Tyson Helton is 12-6 in non-Saturday games since taking the helm prior to the 2019 season, including a 5-2 record in Weekday CUSA October midweek games since they began in 2023.
- WKU is one of just 11 teams in the country, and one of three G5 programs, that has played in a bowl game or College Football Playoff game in each of the last six seasons leading into the 2025 campaign. The Hilltoppers will look to become bowl eligible for the seventh time in seven seasons under Head Coach Tyson Helton. Last year's appearance in the Boca Raton Bowl was WKU's 11th appearance in a bowl game in the last 13 seasons.
- Three WKU players earned CUSA weekly awards following the team's win at Delaware on Oct. 3. Quarterback Maverick McIvor was named the CUSA Offensive Player of the Week, left guard Laurence Seymore was named the CUSA Offensive Lineman of the Week and running back Marvis Parrish was named the CUSA Freshman of the Week. The three CUSA weekly awards brought WKU's total for the season to 11. McIvor has claimed the CUSA Offensive Player of the Week award three times now, and it was the second CUSA Freshman of the Week award for Parrish and the second Offensive Lineman of the Week award from Seymore. La'Vell Wright has also been named the CUSA Offensive Player of the Week, Marshall Jackson has been named the CUSA Offensive Lineman of the Week, Jaylen Lewis has been named the CUSA Defensive Player of the Week and Cole Maynard has been named the CUSA Special Teams Player of the Week.
- WKU will wear its newest Big Red helmet decals for the game against FIU. This year's design features Big Red doing the viral "Zombieland" celebration, which started at WKU during the 2022 season and has since been popular across college football and the NFL. It is the fourth consecutive season WKU has worn helmets highlighting its famous mascot, Big Red. It started in 2022 with the Big Red quarterback decal. In 2023, WKU broke out the position-specific Big Red decals, and in 2024, the Hilltoppers went with the all-red uniforms with the Big Red eyes helmets. WKU will be wearing all black uniforms for its annual Black Out game, and fans are also encouraged to wear black to The Houch.
- Prior to the game, WKU will host a free Blanco Brown pregame concert on South Lawn. The country hip-hop artist – most popular for his song, "The Git Up" – will begin performing at 5:30 p.m. It is the fourth consecutive year WKU has held a pregame concert (DJ Diesel, 2022; Jordan Davis, 2023; Flo Rida, 2024; Blanco Brown, 2025).
- At halftime, three legendary Hilltoppers will be recognized for their inclusion in the CUSA Hall of Fame Class of 2025 – Brandon Doughty (Football), Travis Hudson (Volleyball) and Jessica Lucas (Volleyball). The three join Alyssa Cavanaugh (Volleyball) as WKU representatives in the CUSA Hall of Fame.
- WKU punter Cole Maynard entered Week 7 ranked first nationally in punting average, booting the ball 50.24 yards on 25 attempts. He's the only player averaging over 50 yards per punt.
- WKU has seen tremendous success offensively throwing the ball under Tyson Helton. The Hilltoppers have led CUSA in passing offense each of the last four seasons and have finished in the top 25 nationally each year during that timeframe, including leading the nation in passing offense in 2021. Helton also found success through the air as WKU's Offensive Coordinator in 2014 and 2015, finishing first in CUSA in passing offense both years and second and fourth nationally, respectively. QB Maverick McIvor and Offensive Coordinator Rick Bowie have helped keep that trend going so far this season. Through six games this season, McIvor has thrown for 1,704 yards and 12 touchdowns on 151-223-2 passing and rushed for another score. McIvor entered Week 7 ranked third nationally in passing yards and tied for 14th nationally in passing touchdowns. McIvor is one of just three quarterbacks in the country that has thrown for at least 1,700 yards this season.
- WKU has outscored its opponents 110-54 in the second half this season, and 55-16 in the fourth quarter.
QUOTABLE
- "Had a good bye week. Got some extra work in. Got to focus on ourselves. Got to try to correct some of the things we need to get better at. Good FIU football team that's coming in to play us. They're a big, physical football team and we need to play very, very well. It will be great to be back home after being on the road for two consecutive games. Looking forward to being on national TV on a Tuesday night. It should be fun." – WKU Football Head Coach Tyson Helton, on Tuesday's game against FIU.
- "There's been a lot of meat left on the bone each week. I think whether that's a touchdown in the red area, or being more efficient on third down, I promise you there's a lot of areas for improvement. Coach touched on it – the season's a marathon. We've got a long way to go. We're pretty excited about coaching this group to try to get the very best out of each player on the offense every single day. There's a lot left out there. I'm pleased with the way we've played at times, but certainly lots of areas for improvement that we talk about pretty frequently." – WKU Football Offensive Coordinator Rick Bowie, on evaluating the offense so far this season.
- "One thing I know – I'm from Florida, right? I understand the swagger and the energy those guys play with. You look at the scoreboard and you think that this team is not a really good team, but you watch that tape, man, this team is a really good team. Their guys are physical, they're top five in the FBS in explosive runs past 20 yards. Their quarterback is an elite guy with his legs and throwing the ball. It's going to be a big challenge, man. We try to emphasize telling our players, 'Don't look at the scoreboard or how those guys finished. Look at the plays when they're playing the game' Those guys are moving the ball against Penn State and those guys are moving the ball against UConn, and they are two or three fumbles away from winning some big-time ball games. I know the swagger those guys play with from down there. I'm from Florida, so I know the swagger that's going to walk in this building and try to beat us now. Our mindset is to go out there and make sure we execute at a high level." – WKU Football Defensive Coordinator Da'Von Brown, on FIU.
SERIES INFORMATION
- Saturday will be the 18th meeting all-time between WKU and FIU. The Hilltoppers lead the series 11-6, with wins in the last five meetings and wins in nine of the last 11 meetings. WKU Head Coach Tyson Helton is 5-0 against the Panthers, including a 41-28 victory during the last meeting in Miami on Nov. 25, 2023. Last year marked the first season the two didn't meet since 2014. The Hilltoppers are 5-2 when playing FIU in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
- FIU enters Tuesday's game with a 2-3 overall record, with wins over Bethune-Cookman and Florida Atlantic. The Panthers are 0-1 in CUSA play with a loss to Delaware.
- FIU is in its first season under Head Coach Willie Simmons. He spent six years leading Florida A&M from 2018-23, and posted a 45-13 overall record as a head coach during that time.
- The Panthers rank eighth in CUSA in scoring offense at 21.2 points per game and 11th in scoring defense, allowing 32 points per game.
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