The Tops roll to another victory to improve to 5-2 overall and 4-0 in the conference. Let’s look at some takeaways why the Tops were able to down the 49ers

Accuracy Is Key

Ty Storey has shown time and again that he is deadly accurate. His efficiency continues to be a hallmark of his tenure as starting quarterback for WKU. Storey lit up the scoreboard with a stout 21-30 passes for 283 yards and 2 touchdowns. Overall, Storey has a nearly 70% passer rating thus far this season. The Tops will continue to need Storey to show up and show out as the Tops need to have strong offensive performances if they hope to take down Marshall and Florida Atlantic in upcoming games.

Better to Be Lucky Than Good

Lucky Jackson finally broke out of his slump this week. Jackson posted a 100+ yard game for the first time this season. Jackson will continue to be a key asset for the Tops as they will need him to be a consistent threat. It will be up to the coaching staff to find creative ways to get Jackson engaged, such as Saturday’s 69-yard Flea Flicker for a touchdown.

Near Red Zone Woes

The Tops found themselves in a position where the game could have blown up in their faces. During a stretch between the 2nd quarter and the 3rd quarter, Cory Munson missed a field goal, then the Tops had to settle for 2 field goals, to push the score up, despite the defense handling business. At one point, the Tops forced a fumble near the red zone, but WKU couldn’t move the ball the last few yards to capitalize. Had Charlotte been able to put a few more points on the board, WKU might have been in some real trouble. The Tops still need to become more efficient when faced with a chance to take down an opponent early. Luckily for WKU, the Tops were able to figure it out and put points on the board in the 4th.

Defensive Rebound

Another area the Tops had trouble with Saturday was defensive. The Tops had difficulty containing Charlotte’s mobile quarterback, Chris Reynolds. Reynolds initially was able to find holes in WKU’s defense to throw off the Tops. It worked as Reynolds’s strong play early opened the door for the 49ers to really push the Topper defense to its limits and resulted in two touchdowns. However, the Tops bent, but didn’t break. WKU will need to think differently in order to close gaps that fast quarterbacks and running back can exploit en route to the endzone.

Fool Me Once...

WKU plays better when the add a little trickeration into the mix. A 69-yard Flea Flicker from Storey to Jackson was both awesome to watch as well as effective in scoring points. The Tops again used a little razzle dazzle to find the end zone in the second half. This team needs to do this more often. A little sleight of hand every so often throws the defense off balance and usually allows the offense a chance to liven things up. Charlotte was put on it’s literal heels for the rest of the game because it had no idea if the Tops were going to try to pull a rabbit out of a hat again at their expense. Former Toppers coach Jeff Brohm was a master at randomly throwing a play like this in, and it seems that current coach Tyson Helton learned well from his former boss.