WKU Football: Tops Come Home With a Complete Performance in 45–14 Win
Despite a winning record through its first five games, WKU football had struggled mightily so far this year. With high expectations, every…
Despite a winning record through its first five games, WKU football had struggled mightily so far this year. With high expectations, every game felt like a disappointment. Be it an underwhelming performance against inferior opponents or backing into or out of wins, the Hilltoppers found a way to underachieve.
WKU (4–2, 2–1 C-USA), at least temporarily, righted the ship on Saturday, drubbing the Charlotte 49ers (0–7, 0–3 C-USA,) 45–14 in front of a homecoming crowd of 16,754.
WKU came out marching, scoring on a Deon Yelder touchdown on their first drive in an impressive 17 play, 78 yard drive, eating up the opening six minutes of the game. The 49ers came straight back, eating up over five minutes on their own touchdown drive.
From that point forward, WKU finally showed the superiority Topper fans have become accustomed to over the past few years. The Toppers converted on two more touchdown drives, including a magical Kylen Towner 59-yard touchdown reception.
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Charlotte did not lay down, however. Down 21–7 early in the second quarter, Charlotte took than a minute to bust an 89-yard run down the right sideline for a score.
The 49ers would sniff the red zone only once more and would not legitimately threaten to score again. Unlike every other game in 2017, WKU poured it on, heading into the locker room at halftime up 38–14.
The Toppers then went in cruise control, and fully sealed the deal with Mike White’s sixth total touchdown on the night, connecting with true freshman Jacquez Sloan on the first play of the fourth quarter.
All told, the WKU offense gained 627 yards, with over 500 coming in the air. 15 different receivers caught at least one of WKU’s 43 completed passes. With his six total touchdowns, Mike White doubled his touchdowns responsible for the year. The Toppers showed remote competency in the run game, amassing 121 yards on the ground.
With the exception of two 75+ yard runs, Charlotte had extreme difficulty moving the ball. Despite 166 yards coming in two plays, WKU’s defense still only allowed 309 total yards of offense.
WKU got rolling halfway through the season in 2016. Is this the game that galvanizes the Toppers into finally playing up to expectations?
Despite an early loss to Louisiana Tech, WKU finds themselves in the thick of the battle for the Conference USA East Division. Anyone who thinks they know who will win the 2017 Conference USA Championship is lying. No one looks like a legitimate front-runner at this point.
Nine teams have one conference loss or less in Conference USA. Six of those teams would win their division if they won the rest of their conference games. WKU is one of them. It’s going to be a wild second half of the season in Conference USA.
What impressed you about the win over Charlotte? Is this the performance that turns things around for the Tops? Let us know in a comment below, via Twitter at @TheTowelRackWKU or on our Facebook page.