SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – La'Vell Wright rushed for two touchdowns in the second half to help lead WKU Football to a 27-22 win over Missouri State on Saturday at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.
Wright finished with 91 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, and added a 13-yard reception, as the Hilltoppers improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Conference USA play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a scoreless opening first period, Missouri State got on the board first with a 49-yard field goal to start the second quarter.
- WKU quickly responded with a trick play that resulted in 39-yard touchdown pass from Maverick McIvor to Noah Meyers, making it 7-3 with 13:56 on the clock in the second quarter.
- The Hilltoppers extended the lead to 10-3 with a 26-yard John Cannon field goal with 8:43 left in the first half.
- Missouri State made a 22-yard field goal with 3:31 to play in the second quarter, making it a 10-6 game.
- The Bears added another field goal – this time from 19 yards – in the final minute of the half to cut it to a one-point game, 10-9, at the break.
- Missouri State scored on a 32-yard run on the first possession of the second half to take a 16-10 lead over WKU.
- La'Vell Wright put the Hilltoppers ahead 17-16 with his 2-yard touchdown run off a direct snap with 6:29 to play in the third quarter. Wright had touches on the last four plays and accounted for 29 yards of the 12-play, 75-yard drive.
- Wright took another direct snap for a touchdown – a 17-yard score – to extend the WKU lead to 24-16 with 1:16 to play in the third quarter.
- Cannon made a 19-yard field goal with 12:21 remaining in the game to make it a 27-16 Hilltopper lead.
- Missouri State scored on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 4:13 remaining, but could not convert the two-point try, making it a 27-22 final, and from there the Hilltoppers held on for the victory.
NOTABLES
- WKU improves to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in road games this season with the win.
- The Hilltoppers are now 2-0 in CUSA games this season, with wins over Sam Houston and at Missouri State. WKU is now 36-13 in conference games under Head Coach Tyson Helton.
- WKU extends its lead in the series against Missouri State to 9-2. The HIlltoppers have claimed wins in the last nine games, and are now 5-1 against the Bears in Springfield, Missouri.
- WKU's team captains for the game were tight end Noah Meyers, defensive back Braxton Myers and safety Dave Herard.
- Announced attendance for the game was 10,068.
- WKU finished with 476 yards of offense in the win, with 317 through the air and 159 on the ground. The 159 yards rushing was the second-most in a game this season for the Hilltoppers, behind the 164 tallied in the win over North Alabama.
- La'Vell Wright led WKU's rushing attack with 91 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, all highs for him as a Hilltopper. It marks Wright's second consecutive game with two second-half rushing touchdowns. Wright now has a team-high five touchdowns this season.
- Quarterback Maverick McIvor threw for 317 yards and one touchdown on 26-39-0 passing. It was McIvor's third game as a Hilltopper with over 300 yards passing, and it was the fifth time in five games McIvor has completed at least 20 passes.
- Nine different Hilltoppers caught passes in the win, and seven WKU players caught multiple passes. Matthew Henry led the receiving corps with 73 yards on five receptions. Tight end Noah Meyers caught the only touchdown pass through by McIvor, marking Meyers' first touchdown reception this season and the second of his career.
- Fifteen Hilltoppers recorded multiple tackles in the win, led by five each from Anthony Brackenridge, Jaylen Lewis and Harper Holloman.
- WKU had six tackles for loss and one sack – from Holloman – in the win.
- WKU defenders tallied five pass breakups in the victory, led by two from cornerback Kent Robinson.
QUOTABLES
- "If you want to be a good football team, you've got to go on the road and you've got to win in conference on the road, and that's hard to do. We were able to put it all together, especially in the fourth quarter. We talk about get to the fourth quarter and go win it, and we did it tonight. It was a good football team we beat and they're going to have a good year, but I saw a lot of good things tonight. I thought the offensive line really down the stretch carried us, put us on their back. The running backs ran hard. It was good to see La'Vell finish the game off. The defense in the red zone was fantastic. We left some balls out there and they made some explosive plays, but we were able to keep them out of the end zone, so that was great." – WKU Football Head Coach Tyson Helton, on the win at Missouri State.
- "Powering through. We started very slow, so coming out in the second half we knew we needed to put the ball on the ground, move that clock, move the chains, and put points on the board. That was probably the biggest thing." – WKU Football running back La'Vell Wright, on the keys to beating Missouri State.
- "The biggest key (defensively) was just not letting them in our end zone and doing whatever it takes to get the offense the ball back." – WKU Football linebacker Anthony Brackenridge, in the keys for the defense in the win at Missouri State.
NEXT UP
- WKU will have a short week before traveling to Delaware to face the Blue Hens on Friday, Oct. 3. Kickoff in Newark, Delaware, is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
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