BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Football will open the 2025 season against Sam Houston on Saturday at Houchens-Smith Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
GAME INFO
- Sam Houston (0-0 overall, 0-0 CUSA) at WKU (0-0 overall, 0-0 CUSA)
- Saturday, Aug. 23 | 6 p.m. CT | Houchens-Smith Stadium | Bowling Green, Ky.
- Watch: CBSSN (PxP: Chris Lewis | Analyst: Robert Turbin | Reporter: Lauren Green)
- Listen: SAM 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 | Sam Houston | CUSA
AT THE GAME
- Purchase WKU Football season tickets HERE.
- Purchase tickets to Saturday's game against Sam Houston HERE.
- Ticket booths at Houchens-Smith Stadium will open starting at 4 p.m. CT. Gates will open 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
- For the full WKU Football Gameday Guide, click HERE.
- Fans are encouraged to wear red to Saturday's season opener against Sam Houston.
- Saturday will be Youth Sports Day. Bring out your youth sports team with a special group ticket rate. For more information on how to participate, contact the ticket office at 1-800-5-BIGRED.
- Saturday will be SOKY Schools Attendance Challenge. WKU is hosting an attendance challenge between high schools, middle schools and elementary schools in Warren County and surrounding counties. When you purchase tickets, make sure to note which school you are representing. The school with the most tickets bought will receive free tickets to the Nov. 15 game against Middle Tennessee.
- 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 3:40 p.m. CT.
- The full 2025 WKU Football promotional schedule can be found HERE.
- Fans can purchase premium experience with the new Hilltopper Highlights. 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
- WKU is 63-37-6 all-time in season openers, including 3-3 in season-opening games under Head Coach Tyson Helton. The Hilltoppers have claimed wins in three of its last four season-opening games. Saturday will mark the first time WKU has opened the season against a conference opponent since the 2016 season, when the Hilltopper defeated Rice, 46-14, to kick off a season that ended with a CUSA Championship. The Hilltoppers are 7-4 in conference openers since joining CUSA with wins in the last three CUSA openers and five of the last six.
- Saturday's game will mark the earliest start to a season in the history of Hilltopper Football. The previous record came in the 2022 season, when WKU faced Austin Peay at Houchens-Smith Stadium on Aug. 17. The Week 0 game was the first game of the college football season that year, and the Hilltoppers claimed a 38-27 win over the Governors. The 2025 season will also be the first in the program's history in which the team will play two games in August.
- WKU enters its first game of the 2025 season with 61 newcomers on the roster. The Hilltoppers return just 16 letterwinners from 2024 – eight on offense and six on defense. WKU returns just one regular starter on offense from last season in veteran tackle Marshall Jackson, and two on defense in defensive backs Demarko Williams and Kent Robinson. The group of newcomers includes 47 transfers and 14 true freshmen.
- WKU has also seen changes across its coaching staff in 2025. Rick Bowie was brought in as the Offensive Coordinator after finding success last year at Abilene Christian, and he'll become the sixth different Offensive Coordinator the program has had since 2020, joining the list with Bryan Ellis, Zach Kittley, Ben Arbuckle, Drew Hollingshead and Will Friend. Other newcomers on the offensive staff include Running Backs Coach Bryan Applewhite and Wide Receivers Coach Jason Barnes, who join returning Offensive Line Coach Joe Bernardi and Kevin O'Brien, who was promoted to Tight Ends Coach for his second season on The Hill. The Hilltoppers will be with a new Defensive Coordinator for the first time since the 2022 season – and it'll be a pair of coaches sharing those duties. Both Da'Von Brown and Davis Merritt enter their third seasons with the program, and both have been elevated to Co-Defensive Coordinator in addition to their position coaching responsibilities. Jason Martin returns to coach cornerbacks, while the Hilltoppers added a new coach to the defensive staff with Kali James as the Defensive Tackles Coach. Jimmy Lindsey returns to WKU as the Run Game Coordinator/Edges/Defensive Line Coach after previously serving on the Hilltopper coaching staff for three seasons from 2017-19. Andy LaRussa remains as the Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator.
- 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 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. The Hilltoppers ranked first in CUSA and 25th nationally with 264.6 passing yards per game in 2024. Coming along with new Offensive Coordinator Rick Bowie from Abilene Christian was quarterback Maverick McIvor, who was one of the top players at the FCS level over the last three seasons. Over three seasons with the Wildcats, he threw for 8,012 yards and 63 touchdowns on 655-of-1089 passing with 21 interceptions. During his final season at Abilene Christian in 2024, McIvor threw for 3,828 yards and 30 touchdowns to seven interceptions on 312-of-499 passing – an average of 294.5 yards through the air per game – while leading his team to the United Athletic Conference title and berth in the FCS Playoffs, where the Wildcats beat Northern Arizona in their first game. He was named a Second Team All-American by FCS Football Central, and was an All-UAC First Team selection at quarterback. McIvor ranked fourth in the FCS in total passing yards, fifth in passing yards per game, eighth in total offense, sixth in passing touchdowns, ninth in points responsible for, fourth in total completions and seventh in completions per game. He arrived at Abilene Christian after three seasons at Texas Tech, where he did not see any game action.
- Five Hilltoppers were named to the Conference USA Preseason Watch List during the summer – quarterback Maverick McIvor, offensive lineman Marshall Jackson, defensive end Harper Holloman, defensive back Demarko Williams and punter Cole Maynard. McIvor was also named to the 2025 Maxwell Award Watch List. Jackson picked up recognition with Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nomination and Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List honors, as well as a HERO Sports G5 Third Team All-American nod. Maynard was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List, running back George Hart III was included on the Doak Walker Award Watch List and defensive lineman Mackavelli Malotumau was named to the Polynesian Player of the Year Award Watch List.
- WKU's 2025 roster features 10 players from the state of Kentucky, including one from Bowling Green in tight end Lofton Howard, who played at Greenwood High School for his father and former Hilltopper, William Howard. Running back La'Vell Wright prepped at North Hardin High School, quarterback Owen Loy prepped at Russell County, defensive back Khrystian Washington attended Louisville Central, Jackson Smith prepped at Boyle County, Marshall Jackson prepped at Meade County, Jackson Dialls prepped at Frederick Douglass, Gabe Claybrook prepped at North Laurel, Noah Meyers prepped at Trinity and Aiden Miller prepped at Barren County.
QUOTABLE
- "Very excited about this coming weekend and the opener at home. Big conference game against a great opponent in Sam Houston. It should be a great game. Our guys are excited about the opportunity. We're looking forward to our fanbase getting out there. It gets lonely out there practicing in an empty stadium all the time, so it'll be great to have the students out there and see the tailgating. It's what we've been working really hard for, so excited to get this opener going." – WKU Football Head Coach Tyson Helton, on the Week 0 game against Sam Houston.
- "Really excited to watch them go play. It's a group that's worked incredibly hard to this point. We talk a lot about fall camp, but even prior to that. We do it to play the games, you know what I mean? I'm excited to watch these guys that worked so hard to this point get to go perform on a really great stage Week 0 against an extremely quality opponent out of the gate and it should be really fun to watch them go do their thing." – WKU Offensive Coordinator Rick Bowie, on the Week 0 game against Sam Houston.
- "It's a big challenge for us, but I feel good about our group. Those guys are working hard, putting in a bunch of work, so we're really just ready to see those guys make place. Really, it's a bunch of unknown for us as coaches – across the country, too – but I'm ready for those guys to get out there and show what they can do and prove to the world what they've been working on." – Co-Defensive Coordinator Da'Von Brown, on the Week 0 game against Sam Houston.
SERIES INFORMATION
- Saturday's game will be the fourth all-time between WKU and Sam Houston and it will mark the third consecutive season the two programs will meet. The Hilltoppers have won the last two meetings since the Bearkats made the move up to Conference USA and the FBS level. WKU took the last meeting, 31-14, on Oct. 16, 2024, in Huntsville, Texas.
SCOUTING THE BEARKATS
- Sam Houston enters its third season in Conference USA and at the FBS level. The Bearkats posted a 10-3 record last season, including a 6-2 mark in CUSA play, and capped off the season with a 31-26 victory over Georgia Southern in the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
- The Bearkats are entering their first season under Head Coach Phil Longo. Longo previously served as the program's Offensive Coordinator from 2014-16, and during the seven years between stints in Huntsville, Longo worked as the Offensive Coordinator at Ole Miss, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
- Sam Houston had five players featured on the CUSA Preseason Watch List – offensive lineman James Dawn II, wide receiver Michael Phoenix II, defensive back Emon Allen, defensive lineman Zeiqui Lawton and kicker RJ Lopez.
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