WKU Football: Steven Duncan Steps In For Injured Shanley; Tops Get First Win, 28–20

After a frustrating start to the season, Mike Sanford’s Hilltoppers showed a lot of poise as they rallied on the road to beat Ball State…

After a frustrating start to the season, Mike Sanford’s Hilltoppers showed a lot of poise as they rallied on the road to beat Ball State for their first win of the season, 28–20.

After WKU’s first drive stalled at the Ball State 42, the Cardinals responded with a 13-play, 80-yard drive to take a quick 7–0 lead.

WKU punted three times in their first three drives, but rattled off a nine-play, 73-yard drive, capped off by a one-yard Gino Appleberry touchdown run to tie the game at 7–7.

WKU seemed to be taking control of the quarter, but a third-and-25 pass interference bailed out Ball State and the Cardinals drilled a 43-yard field goal to take a 10–7 lead that they would take to the locker room.

The first half went by in warp speed, taking just an hour and 25 minutes to complete.

Ball State took advantage of poor third-down defense to extend their lead 13–7 with another field goal early in the second half.

To start the half for the Tops, Steven Duncan entered the game due to an injury to starter Davis Shanley and ran the zone read to perfection, leading WKU on a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, picking up four first downs with his legs before connecting with Mik’quan Deane on a one-yard shuffle pass to give the Tops a 14–13 lead.

WKU would cling to that lead well into the fourth quarter as Ball State took over on offense with 12:01 left in the game. The Tops allowed the Cardinals to throw it all over the field and a five-yard touchdown from Riley Neal to Corey Lacanaria gave the Cardinals a 20–14 lead with 8:39 to play.

Duncan continued to play like wanted his starting job back, answering the call and helming another 75-yard touchdown drive that wrapped up with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Deane to give the Chrome Domes a 21–20 lead.

The defense forced a quick three and out and the offense took over with 4:08 remaining, allowing Josh Samuel to take over. Samuel ran all over the Cardinals and finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown run to extend the Tops’ lead to eight, 28–20, with 59 seconds left.

The game, of course, wouldn’t end without some drama.

Ball State drove the ball to the WKU 33 yard line, after a game-saving pass interference call on Devon Key.

WKU then knocked down a last-second Neal throw as time expired to preserve the win, moving the Tops to 1–3 on the season.

Here are some post-game thoughts on the first win of the season

• We’ve got a legitimate quarterback controversy on our hands. Duncan had the best effort of any Hilltopper QB this year: He ran Sanford’s offense to perfection with his arms and legs. His size and arm make it interesting to see who Mike Sanford rolls with when everyone is healthy.

• The streak of not having a 20-yard run came to an end as Steven Duncan scampered for 27 yards on his third-quarter touchdown drive. What a relief, now let's see a running back do it next.

• Shanley looked in control of offense moving the ball downfield even when he misses throws and zone reads. Tough break for him going out but his small stature had me worried about an injury before today.

• The methodical nature of Sanfords offense continues to frustrate me 17 games into the Sanford era. It leaves little margin for error with ball control leading to closer-than-needed margins. Against teams with similar or better talent, it can cause you to lose games.

• The special teams *still* need to be cleaned up. There were three holding calls on kick returns and various other blunders. If WKU is going to play razor thin than they need to clean up areas that are easily fixed.

• Sanford went for it on a fake punt option in the fourth quarter that ultimately didn’t matter; a risky play for a high reward but fans would have definitely let him hear it if it was stopped.

• WKU’s defense looked lackadaisical, especially on third down but they came up with big plays when they needed to. Hopefully, they were sleepwalking after last week’s tough game against Louisville

Overall, a win is a win and Sanford’s Tops finally finished off an opponent.

You’re starting to see glimpses of what the team can be especially if they bring consistency.

Next week’s Moonshine Throwdown is a huge opportunity for Sanford to pick up a signature win against a big rival. Pick up that one and you’re rolling heading into the bye week.

Here are your final stats from a clutch first win of the season.