Western Kentucky suffered its second straight loss Saturday evening as it fell 35-24 to Florida Atlantic in an important Conference USA East Division matchup at Houchens-Smith Stadium.
The Hilltoppers (5-4 overall, 4-2 C-USA) jumped out to a 14-0 lead but then allowed the Owls to score 28 straight points and build a double-digit advantage – one WKU wouldn’t be able to overcome.
Here are five takeaways from the Toppers’ disappointing loss to FAU.
1. NO REASON TO LOSE THAT ONE
There’s absolutely no reason to lose a football game in which you once led 14-0 – period.
WKU started hot, built a quick two-touchdown lead and had all of the momentum on its side. The Hilltoppers then took a complete turn – and not for the better – in the second quarter and allowed Florida Atlantic to score 21 straight and be up at halftime.
The Owls then scored again early into the third to extend their unanswered point total to 28, inherit all of the momentum and rattle Western enough to where it was never able to regroup and make a comeback in a game it should’ve easily won.
2. GOTTA TAKE CARE OF THE BALL
One area Western had been pretty solid in throughout most of the season was taking care of the football.
That hasn’t been the case the past two weeks.
Against Marshall and Florida Atlantic, both losses, the Hilltoppers turned the ball over seven total times – four of those miscues coming Saturday. Although Tyson Helton took the blame for Ty Storey’s third interception thrown against FAU, the quarterback still threw a pair on his own while also fumbling after being sacked.
In order to win games and be successful, the Hilltoppers – and Storey – will have to clean things up.
3. LUCKY JACKSON ISN’T LUCKY – HE’S JUST GOOD
Lucky Jackson has a cool name, I’ll admit it. But when it comes to what he’s been doing lately on the football field, it hasn’t been luck – it’s just how good Jackson is.
Jackson, who made nine catches for a career-high 194 yards and a touchdown against FAU, tied former WKU great Taywan Taylor in the 2016 C-USA championship game vs. Louisiana Tech for the fourth-best receiving game in program history. Jackson’s big outing against the Owls came one week after the wide receiver caught a program record 16 passes for 168 yards against Marshall.
Jackson has been on a tear – and I expect him to continue to do great things for the Hilltoppers throughout the remainder of the season.
4. DEBO IS STILL DEBO
DeAngelo Malone has had a remarkable season – and he just continues to standout.
WKU’s defensive leader led the Hilltoppers with 10 total tackles – nine solo, one assisted – and recorded three quarterback hurries on Saturday. On top of those impressive numbers, Malone also added his 17thtackle for loss on the year.
It was Debo’s fourth career double-digit tackle performance and third three-quarterback hurry effort of the season.
5. SEASON’S NOT OVER YET
Although WKU’s hopes at winning the C-USA East Division and playing in the league’s title game took a hard hit with Saturday’s loss, the Hilltoppers can’t hang their heads. There are still three regular season games remaining and much to play for.
WKU is now third in the East standings behind Marshall and FAU and a lot will have to happen in order for the Toppers to claim the division crown, but they can still become bowl eligible with a sixth win and pretty much guarantee themselves a bowl game with a seventh victory.
Western’s final three opponents – a struggling Arkansas team, a solid Southern Mississippi squad and longtime rival Middle Tennessee – won’t necessarily be easy to beat, but the Hilltoppers should be able to win at least one of those contests.
