We're Going Streaking!
It's been a week of tumult for the Hilltopper program after news of Conference USA losing most of its schools to conference realignment. However, for the time being, Topper football is staying put, but the pressure, the questions of uncertainty had to weigh heavy on the minds of the players this week. Still, the Tops were able to lock in once again while on the road in Miami and come out with another victory.
This three-game win streak has given hope to what was quickly turning into a bleak season for WKU, even with the installation of Offensive Coordinator Zach Kittley, QB phenom Bailey Zappe and his favorite target, Jerreth Sterns.
It's also important because the Tops really need to extend the streak as much as it can to have a legit hope of getting into a bowl game. 6 wins put you in the conversation along with close games with Indiana and Army, but I feel the Tops must have 7 to the good to have any real chance of convincing the bowl committees to take a chance on them. So can this streak get to 4 games? I think it can although the Tops will have a tall order going up against long-time rival, Middle Tennessee.
Defensive State of Mind
The Toppers defense finally feels like it is fluid and working at optimum efficiency. The Tops were able to stop a stout Charlotte offense for a majority of the game. The biggest issue to the Tops defensive scheme was stopping the 49ers run game. Charlotte quarterback James Foster, who ran for 52 yards and three other 49ers put up at least 40 yards on the ground to the tune of nearly 200 yards rushing for the game. This allowed Charlotte to break open a few big plays keep the Tops defense on its heels throughout the game. However, the Tops were able to key in on favorable matchups which gave them an edge where they needed it the most.
Zappe Doing Zappe Things
This weekend, one of Bailey Zappe’s predecessor’s, Mike White, lit up the Cincinnati Bengals in his debut for the New York Jets. The way Bailey Zappe has played this season, it’s not far-fetched to think that he might end up lining up under center in the NFL in the not-to-distant future. One of the best things about Zappe's game is how calm he is no matter the circumstances. Zappe threw two picks early on and still rebounded nicely. He seems to be in control of himself and know who he is as a quarterback. The numbers speak for themselves, four touchdowns and going 33-45 for nearly 400 yards total passing.
Same Song, No Results
The exceptional play of Zappe has been the buoy which continues to bail out a stagnant running game. Not to sound like a broken record, but only 76 yards of WKU’s total haul came from the run. The Tops only attempted the run 21 times. That is not the sign of abalanced team. So far, Coach Tyson Helton and the boys have been able to use the quickstrike air raid to put perfume of this running problem. However, it just takes one long and fast defensive team that plays like ball hawks to force WKU to run. When that happens, where will the run game come from? It’s been underwhelming to say the least and at times it feels like it is an unnecessary stat line because the Tops don’t utilize it. I realize right now is basically in the words of the late, great Al Davis “Just Win Baby” so the Tops can get in the bowl season. But, if you can’t add that second dimension into your game, you might get stopped short and never get a chance to be in that bowl conversation.
The Road Ahead…
WKU has four games left on its schedule, two at home and two on the road. In my mind, although two wins and the strength of who WKU lost to early on in the season could help it sneak into a bowl, realistically the Tops need to lock in three more wins to legitimately have a shot. The Tops will have a dogfight on its hands this week against Middle Tennessee, who is also sitting at 4-4 and would love nothing more than to hang a loss around the Tops neck. I think the Tops will pull it out though. Rice could be a trap game but should end up in a victory. The tricky part will be back-to-back games against East Division leaders Florida Atlantic and Marshall. Neither of these teams will give an inch and since they both have a 5-3 record, it’s not going to be easy for WKU to steal a win. My crystal ball says the Tops split the 4 and go 2-2 leaving it up to the football pundits and bowl committees to help out or leave out the Tops.
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