1. DEFENSIVE MELTDOWN

The Tops blew it on defense. Although, it held up pretty good over the first three quarters, Central Arkansas broke down WKU’s defense in the final stanza. A steady diet of pass plays directed at the WKU secondary proved too much.

The defense stood flat footed as the Bears hung 21 points on them. The Tops also only amassed 57 tackles, while UCA took WKU down 76 times. The defense will have to play four strong quarters, especially as they play a very tough Florida International squad on the road next week.

2. WHAT'S THE STOREY?

I think we all expected to see Arkansas transfer, Ty Storey at some point in Thursday’s game. Unfortunately he never took the field. Why not? Who knows. It would have been nice to see him, especially when WKU’s offense started to sputter down the stretch. Coach Tyson Helton has said on many occasions that while Steven Duncan is the starter, Storey would get some run as well. The first game of the season would have been a great time to let him take the field... maybe he could have altered the final score by his presence.

3. TOPPERS RUN ON DUNCAN

Speaking of Duncan, there was a very Jekyll and Hyde aspect to him on Thursday’s game. While some passes looked crisp, there were others that left many scratching their heads. Throwing into double and even triple coverage, holding on to the ball too long, missing reads and interceptions are all things that Duncan was guilty of against UCA. Although Coach Helton has reiterated his support for Duncan as his main guy, that may not last if he can’t settle down within the offense and show those flashes of stardom that we saw last season.

4. WALK IT OUT

Gaej Walker showed up and showed out in his first game as a running back. The former defensive player showed that he is versatile and belongs on that offense by ripping off a 68-yard touchdown run on WKU's first offensive play of the game and finishing with 152 total yards. Walker has staked his claim for keeping the starting role as the season goes along. He’s fun to watch and can offer some pressure relief when the air attack stalls.

5. WORK IN PROGRESS

The Tops blew a two touchdown lead in much the same fashion that they did last year against Maine. In a lot of ways the game looked very similar, the Tops come out hot and then turned ice cold as the game went along. But this one felt different.

WKU seems to have a better flow to the offense on Thursday. The mix of pass and run seems a lot more balanced. I think Coach Helton understands his players strengths better than Mike Sanford did. However, now he has to find a way to translate that into wins. Anything else will be a failure here in TopperTown.