The Five: WKU red hot entering Saturday's game vs. Marshall

Alright, before you gorge yourselves on turkey, dressing and pie, let’s look back on what we learned from a very impressive win on senior day versus the Florida Atlantic Owls.

Them Boys Are Good

WKU is arguably the hottest team in the country after reeling off six straight games. However, not only has the Tops caught fire and started to win games, but it has also become dominant in its performances. WKU put up at least two scores in every quarter except the third quarter. It held the Willie Taggart-led Florida Atlantic Owls to only two touchdowns and a field goal.

The Tops were able to double the amount of first downs of the Owls, 35-18. WKU also doubled the offense output of the Owls by gaining 608 yards to Florida Atlantic’s 301 yards. The defense shut down the FAU run game, holding them to only 25 total yards.

Overall, the Tops were exponentially more efficient in just about every aspect of the game. One-hundred yards on the ground led by Noah Wittington and Jakairi Moses and Zappe doing Zappe things, which we will get into later.

Give ‘Em All You Got

Not to be outdone, a very strong defensive performance for the Tops too. Beanie Bishop and Antwan Kincaide paired up for 14 tackles and wreaked havoc on an underperforming FAU offense. The defense has steadily gotten better throughout the season. One thing I’ve noticed is the play anticipation of the defense has also improved. Rather than playing on their heels, which I feel the Tops did the first half of the season, there is now a newfound confidence in the players to trust what they see on the field and act on it. There is no substitute for what that does for a team and how it changes their trajectory.

Zappe Forever

Bailey Zappe has etched his name firmly in WKU lore in just what he has done in one season on the Hill. His high level of play and consistency, along with the skillful game-calling of Zach Kittley has re-invigorated what was a very stagnant WKU offense just a couple of seasons ago. His numbers tell the tale, 470 yards passing and 6 touchdowns from 39-49 passing attempts. Truly video game numbers and reminiscent of WKU OG’s Mike White and Brandon Doughty.

Zappe has also managed to stay upright most of the time, which credit must be given to his offensive line. The Houston Baptist transfer has had time to go through his progressions thanks to the exploits of a tough and gritty line. I like the synergy that Zappe has developed with Mitchell Tinsley of late. We knew he and Jerreth Sterns were a dynamic duo but having Tinsley as the third amigo has made a huge difference as well. As the Tops are marching toward a potential conference championship berth and subsequent bowl game, Zappe will need to continue to be who he has been most every Saturday this season: the best player on the field.

Moonshine Throwdown

This is what you live for as a college football fan. The chance to take down a hated rival in the biggest game of your season. WKU is one game away from a return to the conference championship game if it can just make it past Marshall. This game will showcase two different styles of play with Marshall being better built to ground and pound versus WKU’s aerial assault. The key going into this game will be for WKU to establish a defensive presence early as well as dominate the time of possession.

The Tops did a good job of holding the clock against FAU. Western held possession of the ball for 35 minutes of game play which didn’t leave much wiggle room for the Owls to maneuver. It will need to go about the same way on Saturday if the Tops want to leave West Virginia with a victory. Just by the very nature of a run heavy team, the clock will likely favor them if Marshall can get plenty of first downs. So, it is incumbent on the defensive line to load the box and not allow any holes to open for the Herd.

If the Tops can do that, the offense has been humming lately and I don’t know that Marshall has the secondary to contend with WKU in the open field.

Football Feast

WKU fans as we near Thanksgiving, much like all the food piled on your plates this holiday season, be grateful for what you have. For several years after Jeff Brohm left WKU, the Topper Thanksgiving table was pretty bare. A little turkey here, some sweet potatoes there and a couple of rolls if you were lucky. It was definitely not enough to fill your belly. However, this season the big meal is back! You have a spread that would rival any in the country. So, don’t take for granted what you are seeing on the field with Zappe leading the charge on offense and DeAngelo Malone and Antwon Kincaide pushing the defense. Enjoy every moment of this football feast, because when this meal is over, there might not be any food left for a second helping.

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