Coming off an impressive win last Saturday, WKU (7-4) looked to keep the momentum going against an SEC powerhouse in Auburn (5-6). The Hilltoppers put up a strong fight in the first half - after being down by 14 early, they were able to tie the game at 17 at halftime. However, Auburn made adjustments that prevented WKU from scoring once in the second half and the Tigers defeated the Hilltoppers by a final score of 41-17.

Austin Reed passed for 289 yards against an SEC defense, completing 26 of his 55 pass attempts with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Malachi Corley led the way in the receiving game with 12 receptions for 99 yards. He also had one rush for 11 yards, putting him over 100 total yards on the day.

Linebacker Derrick Smith led WKU in total tackles today with six. Defensive backs Talique Allen and Khalef Hailassie followed just behind Smith with four tackles each.

The entire first half was a battle from both sides. It took WKU a couple drives to find an offensive rhythm, but they were able to score in big moments when they needed to. Auburn struck first with a 1-yard touchdown run from Tank Bigsby, and then they followed that up with a field goal to go up 10-0. WKU would answer with a field goal of their own to remain within striking distance, but Auburn came right back with another touchdown off a trick play that was a double pass out the backfield. Robby Ashford tossed it to his running back Jarquez Hunter, who then threw it to Koy Moore for a 20-yard touchdown to give them a 14-point lead.

Just when it started looking like the end for WKU, the defense was able to put together consecutive stops against the Tigers offense, allowing WKU's offense to put together a couple of scoring drives.

Austin Reed threw a 22-yard touchdown strike to Joshua Simon to make it a one score game late in the second quarter. After another stop, the Hilltoppers were able to find the end zone again just before halftime, this time off a screen pass to Simon from Reed for 27-yards.

Those back-to-back touchdowns tied the game up at 17 a piece and it was looking like anyone's game.

This is where it all started to fall apart for WKU. They couldn't move the ball at all for two quarters straight and it seemed like the team we saw in the first half wasn't there anymore. Credit to the Auburn defense, as they suffocated WKU for the entire half and made each play difficult to gain yards. The passing game from WKU was shut down, so without their bread and butter, they couldn't put together any scoring drives against the Tigers. The offense had several chances to make plays, but they just couldn't convert on third downs or even get in field goal range.

WKU's defense eventually got tired, and as time went on, saw Auburn have more explosive plays on each drive. The Tigers started off slow as well, but they finally picked it with 1:08 remaining in the third quarter when Tank Bigsby exploded for a 35-yard touchdown run to put Auburn up 27-17.

The fourth quarter was no different as Jarquez Hunter broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run to put the game completely out of reach.

The Hilltoppers were able to hang around and put up a great fight, but Auburn was simply bigger, faster, and stronger. The Hilltoppers showed grit and resiliency in the first half and that's always great to see.

WKU will end their season with a conference road game against Florida Atlantic next Saturday at 11:00 AM (CT)

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