BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Football will welcome Mercyhurst for the 2026 home opener on Saturday, Sept. 26, as part of WKU's Parent & Family Weekend. Kickoff at Houchens-Smith Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on ESPN+. Saturday's game will be a White Out, and fans are encouraged to wear white to the game.
GAME INFO
- WKU (0-3 overall, 0-0 CUSA) vs. Mercyhurst (1-3, 0-0 NEC)
- Saturday, Sept. 26 | 6 p.m. CT | Houchens-Smith Stadium | Bowling Green, Ky.
- Watch: ESPN+ (PxP: Tyler Eaton | Analyst: Terry Obee)
- Listen: Listen: BG 100.7 FM/Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Jared Holland | Reporter: Mike Cleff)
- Social: @WKUFootball | @WKUSports
- Live Stats: wku.statbroadcast.com
- Game Notes: WKU | Mercyhurst | CUSA | NEC
AT THE GAME
- TICKETS: Purchase 2026 WKU Football season tickets HERE. Purchase single game tickets to Saturday's game HERE. Ticket booths at Houchens-Smith Stadium will open starting at 4 p.m. CT. Gates will open 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
- DIGITAL PARKING: WKU Athletics will transition to digital gameday parking starting with the 2026 WKU Football season. Fans will need to download the WKU Hilltoppers app, create an account and load digital parking passes onto their account prior to their arrival to campus on gameday. A full breakdown of digital parking instructions can be found HERE. Gameday parking instructions can be found HERE.
- GAMEDAY GUIDE: For the full WKU Football Gameday Guide, click HERE.
- NEW AT THE HOUCH: WKU Athletics will offer several new opportunities for fans this fall at Houchens-Smith Stadium, including expanded alcohol options, the WKU Spirit 50/50 raffle, the Harbaugh Club Raffle and more. For more information on new offerings at Houchens-Smith Stadium, click HERE.
- WHITE OUT: Saturday's game will be WKU's annual White Out game. Fans are encouraged to wear white to cheer on the Hilltoppers.
- PARENT & FAMILY WEEKEND: Saturday's game will take place during WKU's Parent & Family Weekend. Join us for a day of family and football, and be sure to stay in your seats during halftime as we announce the Family of the Year. For more information on Parent & Family Weekend, click HERE.
- SOKY SCHOOLS ATTENDANCE CHALLENGE: Saturday's game will be part of the 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 a select WKU game of their choice. Deals include $15 upper-level tickets or $5 off lower-level tickets.
- BIG RED RUSH: WKU freshmen are invited to participate in a fun tunnel to welcome the Hilltoppers onto Feix Field prior to the game.
- 2015 HILLTOPPER FOOTBALL RECOGNITION: Prior to the game, WKU will welcome back members of the 2015 Football team for a Hall of Fame recognition ceremony. The event is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. CT in the Tim and Sarah Ford Fieldhouse. Members of the team can register HERE. Fans can attend the event by purchasing tickets HERE.
- TOPPER WALK: 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.
- PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE: For the full 2026 WKU Football promotional schedule, click HERE.
- HILLTOPPER HIGHLIGHTS: Fans can purchase premium experiences with Hilltopper Highlights. Experiences include videoboard messages, birthday shoutouts, sideline passes, in-game proposals and more. For more information, click HERE.
ABOUT THE TOPS
- LAST TIME OUT: WKU lost to No. 4 Indiana 38-0 on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hilltoppers held their own against the reigning national champions during the first half, keeping the score tied 0-0 through the first quarter and 7-0 until the final minute of the second quarter.
- FINALLY HOME: WKU finally returns to Houchens-Smith Stadium for the home opener on Saturday. The Hilltoppers are the final FBS team this season to play a home game, and the Sept. 26 home opener is the latest home opener for WKU since starting the home slate on Oct. 1 during the 1983 season. Last season, the Hilltoppers hosted Sam Houston in the home opener on Aug. 23 – the earliest start to a season in program history. WKU is 41-15-2 all-time in home openers at Houchens-Smith Stadium since it opened in 1968. The Hilltoppers are 5-2 in home openers under Head Coach Tyson Helton and have won five consecutive home openers. The Hilltoppers are 210-102-4 all-time at Houchens-Smith Stadium, with winning seasons in 42 of the 58 seasons played there. WKU is 29-12 in home games under Tyson Helton and have gone 5-1 at home in each of the last two seasons.
- TESTED ON THE ROAD: WKU started off the 2026 campaign with three straight road games – at Nevada on Sept. 5, at No. 2 Georgia on Sept. 12 and at No. 4 Indiana on Sept. 19. The Hilltoppers are one of only five programs nationally with three straight road games this season, and they are the only school that plays three straight road games without a bye week during that stretch. The Hilltoppers are also the only FBS program scheduled to play multiple nonconference games against teams that were ranked in the Top 10 of the AP Preseason Poll. The rest of CUSA has one such game combined. With the 2026 games at No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Indiana, WKU has now faced multiple ranked FBS teams in the AP poll during the same season for the second time in program history – the Hilltoppers faced three teams in the AP Top 25 during the 2008 season at the time of the meeting, including back-to-back games against ranked Virginia Tech and Ball State teams – and it is the first time WKU has played two top five teams in the AP Poll in the same season. The last time WKU started a season with three games away from home was 2013, when the Hilltoppers faced Kentucky at L.P. Field in Nashville, before trips to Tennessee and South Alabama, and the last time before 2026 WKU started the season with three true road games was 2008, when the Hilltoppers kicked off the season with trips to Indiana, Eastern Kentucky and Alabama.
- BOWL SUCCESS: With the victory over Southern Miss in the 2025 New Orleans Bowl, WKU claimed its eighth bowl win since the start of the College Football Playoff Era. WKU's eight bowl wins during that time are tied with Alabama, Ohio State and Wisconsin for third-most during that timeframe, and trail only the nine won by Georgia and Minnesota. The Hilltoppers have also played in a bowl game in each of the last seven seasons – all seven seasons under Head Coach Tyson Helton – and are one of just eight teams in the country, and one of only two non-Power Conference programs, that has played in a bowl game or CFP game in each of the last seven seasons.
- 8-WIN SEASONS: WKU finished the 2025 season with a 9-4 record, marking the fifth consecutive season the Hilltoppers have claimed at least eight wins in a season. The Hilltoppers are one of just 11 programs nationally that has done that, and they are one of just three non-Power Conference programs to accomplish that feat. WKU is the only non-Power Conference program to do that while playing an FBS schedule every year during that stretch.
QUOTABLE
- "Really excited to be back home and play our first home game. I know our team will be excited. Looking forward to seeing our fans out there. We need a packed house. We need everybody hyped up and ready to go. We're trying to go out there and play our best football and trying to get a big win. Our team is very excited to be back home and our staff is very excited. We need to play our best football. We need to put it all together and hopefully we can do that." – WKU Football Head Coach Tyson Helton, on facing Mercyhurst in the home opener on Saturday.
SERIES INFORMATION
- Saturday will mark the first meeting between WKU and Mercyhurst.
SCOUTING THE LAKERS
- Mercyhurst enters Saturday's game with a 1-3 overall record. The Lakers are coming off a 49-20 win over Glenville State, after starting the season with road losses at Youngstown State, at New Mexico State and at New Mexico.
- The Lakers are in their first season under Head Coach Tom Sydeski, who picked up his first career win last Saturday against Glenville State.
- Mercyhurst competes at the NCAA Division I FCS level as a member of the Northeast Conference. The Lakers played their first season of football in 1981 and joined the FCS ranks in 2024.
Follow the Hilltoppers: For all the latest on WKU Football, follow @WKUFootball on Twitter and Instagram, and like the WKU Football Facebook page.
