1. WHEN DEFENSE GOES WRONG

Although the defense was much improved over last week’s outing against Charlotte, it didn’t measure up when it counted. The Tops caused a couple of fumbles and largely held ODU in check, more so than they did Charlotte. Yet, too many instances of missed tackles and not wrapping up ODU players proved fatal for the Tops, especially in the final 90 seconds of the game. When the Tops had the game well in hand, the defense let ODU easily run off a 75-yd drive which led to the game tying touchdown and ultimately helped to seal the Tops fate.

ODU’s Blake LaRussa carved up the Tops for 327 yards on 21-32 attempts. WKU’s defense continues to fall flat in the moments that count the most. It’s ironic that the strength of WKU football going into this season is also what has seemed to do them in on multiple occasions. Defensive coordinator Clayton White has got to go back to the drawing board and get these guys playing the fundamentals or else the defense will continue to fall short.

2. TOUGH TIMES ON SPECIAL TEAMS

Alex Rinella had a rough go of it on Saturday, missing the field goal at the end of the game that would have given WKU the win. Instead, the ball that sailed wide ended up in an ODU player’s hands which set up their game-winning field goal. WKU simply hasn’t been able to count on its kickers and punters to put them in a position to win. Whether it’s been Rinella or Nuss, neither guy seems to have handled the pressure well. Without a decent special teams department, collapses like the one that happened on Saturday are not only inevitable but expected.

3. WHERE'S THE OFFENSE?

Once again, the play calling for WKU was off-kilter and kept the Tops from seizing momentum and pulling away. Although head coach Mike Sanford was a little more pass-happy in the first half, he went conservative to start the second half. Sanford traded in the pass for the run, which had mixed results. While WKU did get 207 yards on the ground, there was a lot of poor running plays that got no yardage or stalled out. What’s more telling is the fact that the Tops got stopped on 4th and 2 on the ODU 19 early in the game. Good things happened for the Tops when they aired out the ball. WKU was able to stay in the game and tip back the momentum. Why do they not stick with what works? That’s a really good question with an answer we are all waiting to hear.

4. NOT READY FOR PRIMETIME

This WKU squad will not be remembered for anything good, because they simply aren’t ready for the spotlight. That starts from the top down. The coaching has been confusing, lackluster... (add your favorite adjective here). While the Tops are young and inexperienced in some areas such as the offensive line (which played pretty well against ODU’s defense), the team is plenty talented enough. We learned on Saturday that talent isn’t enough when you don’t have a clear direction on how to win a game. In the 7 games WKU has played this season, they had legit chances to win all but one of them, but could only answer the bell one time. That’s inexcusable.

5. LET'S STAY TOGETHER

After a gut-wrenching loss like this, its hard to tell if this team is capable of fighting back or if they will continue to fall. In the postgame, Coach Sanford as well as quarterback Davis Shanley and defensive player Juwuan Jones preached staying together and trying to right the ship. While the finish against ODU was one of the most inexplicable endings to a game you may ever see, it also could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The hill is getting higher and higher for this team to scale. Throw away talk of bowl games or competing in the conference as this team is just struggling to win a meaningful game. The Tops will face Florida International at home for homecoming next week. It’s going to be interesting to see how this team can put aside this crushing defeat and prep itself to try to snag another win and begin to pull out of this slump.