WKU Football has reached the midpoint of the 2019 football season. The Hilltoppers are, currently, 4-2 overall and 3-0 in C-USA (1st in C-USA East). Tomorrow, WKU will open up the second-half of their season against Charlotte.
On Tuesday, we published a poll so fans could vote on the following midseason categories: Offensive Player, Defensive Player, Newcomer, Best Individual Performance in a Game, Best Game, and Best Play.
With 252 submissions, the results are in...
Offensive Player Midseason Award
Winner: Gaej Walker, RB
Gaej Walker is the recipient of the Offesnive Player Midseason Award. Through six games, Walker has 558 net rushing yards, averages 93.0 rushing yards per game, averages 4.6 yards per carry, and is responsible for 4 touchdowns.
This season, Walker transitioned from defensive back to running back and made an immediate impact on the offense. On the first play of the entire season, Walker came out swinging with a 68-yd touchdown run against Central Arkansas. He has posted four 100+ yard games against the likes of Central Arkansas, FIU, ODU, and Army. He is the third leading rusher in the league. Last week, against Army, his 25 carries for 132 yards (5.3 yards per carry) undoubtedly primed the Hilltoppers' two touchdowns.
Defensive Player Midseason Award
Winner: DeAngelo Malone, DE
DeAngelo Malone is the recipient of the Defensive Player Midseason Award. Through six games, the junior defensive end has accumulated 53 total tackles, 14.0 TFLs, and 7.0 sacks. He leads the nation and league in TFLs and leads the league in sacks.
Malone has been the epitome of defensive production this season. He leads the league in total tackles for loss (as well as nation), average tackles for loss per game, sacks, and sacks per game. The Army game was a bit of an outlier in terms of pass rush, so it was to be expected that TFLs and sacks would be difficult to come by. Nonetheless, Malone was responsible for 7 total tackles and 1 TFL. Without a doubt, he is a front-runner for the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year award.
Newcomer Midseason Award
Winner: John Haggerty, P
John Haggerty is the recipient of the Newcomer Midseason Award. Through six games, the junior, Australian-native has averaged 45.4 yards per punt with 7 punts inside of the 20 yard line. He is the second leading punter in the league.
Often overlooked, specialists can have a major impact on the outcome of the game. With his ability to flip the field, Haggerty takes pressure off of WKU's defense and adds pressure to opposing offenses by forcing them to move the ball the length of the field.
Best Individual Performance in a Game
Winner: Ty Storey (QB) vs. Army
Ty Storey is the recipient of the Best Individual Performance in a Game Midseason Award for his showing against Army.
Storey continually proves himself to be more than a game manager each week. Against a typically sound Army defense, Storey went 21-of-30 (70.0%) for 140 passing yards and was responsible for 17 carries, 62 rushing yards, and 2 quarterback sneaks for touchdowns: accounting for 12-of-17 points.
Best Game
Winner: WKU defeats Army, 17-8
The Best Game Midseason Award goes to WKU vs. Army. On October 12, the Hilltoppers defeated the Black Knights 17-8 at Houchens Industries--L.T. Smith Stadium.
WKU entered the Army matchup as a 5-point underdog at home. However, the Hilltoppers controlled the game from start to finish. Able to beat Army at their own game, WKU rushed for 225 yards and won the time-of-possession battle by nearly 17 minutes. Quarterback Ty Storey went 21-of-30 for 140 passing yards and had 17 carries for 62 rushing yards and 2 quarterback sneaks for touchdowns. Gaej Walker led the ground attack with 25 carries for 132 rushing yards. The story of the game was WKU's dominant defense as they:
-held Army to 208 total yards (their lowest in 40 games)
-held Army to single-digit scoring in 29 games
-and shut out Army through the first half of the game.
Best Play
Winner (Tie): Josh Simon (TE) and Jeremy Darvin (DT)
The co-recipients of the Best Play Midseason Award goes to Jeremy Darvin (DE) and Josh Simon (TE).
Down 14-0, quarterback Steven Duncan hit true freshman tight end Josh Simon with a 77-yd pass for a touchdown. The 77-yd touchdown was part of a quick two-play, 82 yard series. Louisville's lead was cut to 14-7 with 11:12 left in the first half: putting the Tops back in the game.
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Tied 10-10 in the 2nd quarter, UAB was in possession of the ball. Defensive tackle Jeremy Darvin anticipated the Blazers' throwback screen and intercepted quarterback Tyler Johnston III for a return of 5 yards (Johnston's second of four picks on the night). This put the ball at the UAB 27 yard line and primed the Hilltoppers' field goal: giving WKU a 13-10 lead.