WKU Football: Keys to Victory at FIU

The Hilltoppers face an old foe to close out the regular season at FIU. What needs to happen for the Tops to head into bowl season on a winning streak?

Western Kentucky looks to confirm a winning season on Saturday. It seems old hat at this point, and perhaps Western Kentucky’s fans have grown a little spoiled. 15 years ago, WKU was nearing the end of a 26 game losing streak. How quickly we forget!

The Hilltoppers head south to Miami to face Florida International, a team that has taken a step forward under a new coach, but a team that is still incredibly inconsistent and a team WKU should handle despite its own struggles in all three phases.

Favored by 10.5 over the Golden Panthers on the road, this should, in theory, be a game WKU handles. FIU offers plenty of talent and ability and always has that “Florida talent” that can always explode at any given moment.

WKU can position itself to somewhat salvage what many would consider an acceptable season if the Tops win a bowl game and finish with eight wins. However if the Tops happen to lose to FIU, I think it’s fair to say Topper social media will be in full freak out mode.

If the players and staff are aware of that pressure, that’s a lot of distraction, a lot of things that could go wrong, and a lot of things that need to go right in order to be considered to have somewhat salvaged a disappointing campaign.

On that exciting note, let’s talk about what the Tops need to do to solidify a winning season.

Keys to Victory at FIU

Finish!

This is the last chance for the Tops in the regular season, and then they will likely have at least a couple of weeks for bowl game prep, if not longer. Put all of your eggs in the “Beat FIU” basket, exhaust your reserves and let’s get this thing done.

Stop Sucking

Honestly, if WKU plays well, FIU should be finished off fairly easily. The Golden Panthers had a few games early on where they looked competent, but they are not going to end the season with the same outlook or respect level.

Salvage the Season

Even with the pre-season goal of playing in next week’s Conference USA title game gone, there’s still plenty to play for. Going 7-5 in the regular season is something many programs never or rarely see, and it’s time to just do our best to pay the buck forward and win as many games as possible. WKU definitely can impact the program by winning on Florida soil and winning a bowl game that is likely going to be played in prime recruiting territory. It’s time to take some pride and be happy with your opportunities to better yourselves, perk up, and let’s finish this.

QB Runs

I hadn’t really placed my finger on it, but one major portion of the rhythm of the offense in 2022 was the fact that Austin Reed would run the football. WKU found some rhythm letting him run some in this last game, and I hope they see how much more confident it made Reed to be able to gain a few confidence points. They didn’t really let him run this year as much as last year. I say turn your horse loose!

Business Trip

No screwing around, no disrespecting the opponent, and no dating apps on Florida road trips. It’s time to go down to Miami, plunder the hell out of FIU, and run back home with a decisive victory. Be about your business.

Prediction

This feels like WKU should slaughter FIU, so I’m picking it that way. If they don’t, whatever. But I believe that’s what should happen, truly. FIU has very little to play for, and WKU has plenty to fight for. It is FIU’s Senior Night, but is that enough to give them the psychological edge? Probably not.

This is a game WKU should handle in its sleep, but it very much has not been the case this season.

So will they?

I say WKU 42-FIU 17.