This past Thursday, the Hilltoppers entered the “new season” - enter Conference USA play - hosting MTSU at home in front of 14,700 fans in the infamous 100 Miles of Hate rivalry between the two schools.
The First Quarter:
15:00: Offense was stagnant to start, suffering from penalties, swatted footballs, and dropped passes, going four-and-out from the WKU 35.
12:21: A scare! Blue Raider quarterback Nick Vattiato connected with receiver Elijah Metcalf for a 72-yard touchdown that was ultimately called back on a holding penalty. MTSU suffers a four-and-out.
11:00: Opening with some agile jukes from KD Hutchinson on a short punt return that earned some audible gasps from the crowd, the Hilltoppers go for a quick four-and-out.
9:20: Defense! This looks like a different unit than the one the Hilltoppers have fielded through the first four. JaQues Evans was able to flush Vattiato out of the pocket for a sack on third down, leading to a fourth and out by the Tops.
8:04: Reed and company take the field, with Reed immediately finding star receiver Malachi Corley for a deep 31-yard completion down the boundary. A couple of plays later, Reed dumps the ball of to running back Davion Ervin-Poindexter, who takes it for an 18-yard leaping touchdown. 7-0, Tops lead.
7:34: The Blue Raiders have possession again, but the drive continues the string of messy offensive outings, as Talique Allen and Davion Williams stuff MTSU tailback Jaiden Credle. The next play, Anthony Brackenridge snuffs a screen pass, followed by a dropped pass from Vatiatto to Credle, effectively ending the drive.
6:11: Reed lasers several completions for first down to receivers Moussa Barry, Easton Messer, and tight end Hunter Helms, but the offensive line falls apart late in the drive, with kicker Lucas Carneiro connecting a deep 45-yard field goal. 10-0, Tops lead.
The Second Quarter:
14:00: The Blue Raiders offense takes the field following back-to-back three and outs between the two teams. Defensive back Upton Stout deals his second big hit of the game, staying true to his role as the Tops key heavy-stepping defender in the short and intermediate passing game. The drive ultimately finds it’s ending in a 31-yard field goal. 10-3, Tops lead.
9:58: Back on the field, Reed is flushed out of the pocket, but finds Corley for a 19-yard completion. Reed is flushed out (again), hitting receivers Barry and Jimmy Holiday for back-to-back first down completions, then again finding Corley for another 14-yard reception. Finally, Reed finds Messer on a deadly accurate eight yard throw-and-catch in the endzone. 17-3, Tops lead.
0:32: FUMBLE! After two four-and-outs between the respective offenses, MTSU’s offense quickly turns the ball over following a fumble, which is promptly recovered by linebacker Bryson Washington.
0:00: Three plays and thirty yards is all it took for the Hilltoppers to find a quick score before the half, as Reed hits Holiday on back-to-back completions of nine yards and 20 yards before taking it in himself for a one-yard rushing touchdown. 23-3, Tops lead.
…the rest of the game!:
Only two more touchdowns were scored the rest of the game.
In the third quarter, the MTSU offense got moving, running a 15-play, 75 yard drive that ended in a 16 yard touchdown run by Blue Raiders running back Frank Peasant.
In the fourth quarter, the ran an 11-play, 57 yard drive that resulted in running back Elijah Young hurdling a defender as he took in a 14 yard rushing touchdown. Reed then hit receiver Dalvin Smith on a two-point conversion.
The MVPs:
Bryson Washington, Linebacker: The redshirt senior recorded his first career start against MTSU, and put up seven tackles, two pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery, earning the Performance of the Game.
The Run Game: 28 carries, 147 yards, and two touchdowns were a big help for the Hilltoppers, and the unit likely wants to keep the momentum going. Running backs LT Sanders and Elijah Young led the way, with Sanders posting 83 rushing yards and Young posting 30, respectively.
The Defense: The Hilltoppers called upon their defense to step up, and they answered. Allowing a combined 373 yards and one touchdown, the defense was able to come up with two interceptions, a fumble, four tackles for loss, a sack, and three pass deflections, all while allowing just five third-down conversions of 16.
Now, with a 31-10 victory, the Tops are 1-0 in Conference USA play, kicking off the most important part of the season with a big and much-needed win.
The Western Kentucky team will now travel to Ruston, Louisiana to take on the 3-3 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. So far, LA Tech has recorded victories against FIU, Northwestern State, and UTEP, while falling to North Texas, Nebraska, and SMU. Topper fans should be optimistic for the team’s second bout of Thursday night games.
