In the opening game of the season, the Hilltoppers scored a hard-fought 41-24 win over the South Florida Bulls.
Underwhelming first half:
The first half was underwhelming, to say the least. The offense pretty much fell flat, with four drops and a plethora of three-and-outs and penalties. The defense stepped up, with an interception from linebacker Desmyn Baker, sacks from Kendrick Simpkins and Terrion Thompson, and several stuffed run attempts that held the score to an even 17 - 17 going into the half. Receiver Malachi Corley didn’t finish the game, being carted off in the first half after being slow to get up after several big hits.
Second half climb:
After a stagnant first half, the Hilltoppers began to climb in the third quarter. Quarterback Austin Reed struck receiver Dalvin Smith on a 42 yard completion for a touchdown.
Bulls starting quarterback Byrum Brown, a redshirt freshman, recorded his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon.
The Hilltoppers countered the counter with Reed climbing the pocket and hitting redshirt freshman receiver Moussa Barry for a deep 51 yard touchdown, bringing the score to 24-31, Toppers lead.
While the Bulls wouldn’t score again for the game, the Hilltoppers followed up an early fourth quarter interception from Brown to linebacker Aaron Key with two more scores.
The first score came after a 13 play, 63 yard drive that ended with a Lucas Carneiro 42-yard field goal.
The second put the nail in the coffin as star linebacker JaQues Evans made a strip sack and returned it 27-yards for a touchdown.
Overall assessment:
Reed completed 29 of his 50 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns. Davion Ervin-Poindexter recorded 10 carries for 45 yards, though Markese Stepp was the only running back to score a touchdown, attached to his 21 yards on four carries. Receiver Dalvin Smith was the go-to guy after Corley was carted off, hauling in seven catches for 97 yards and a score. Redshirt senior receiver Blue Smith was impressive in his debut, posting five receptions for 50 yards.
Thoughts? Offensive coordinator Drew Hollingshead is a brand new offensive coordinator. As a matter of fact, 2022 was just his second year being a position coach, serving as the Bulldogs inside receivers coach. His first was in 2014, working as the quarterbacks coach at Texas A&M Commerce. Hollingshead will learn the ropes and offense will mesh. Several splashy plays and drives proved that.
WKU's defense held its own. The Bulls offense is a completely different animal in comparison to last season. Head coach Alex Golesh’s offense ran a fast-pace, hurry up style filled with trickery and complicated route combinations as the Bulls tallied 540 total yards (374 rushing, 166 passing) on the day.
Despite that, the Hilltoppers' defense had two interceptions and racked up five sacks, and the defensive line played surprisingly well against the run.
The final score: 41-24, a Western Kentucky victory!
Original projection: 48-28, a Western Kentucky win.
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