WKU Football: Tops Fall to UTSA in San Antonio 31-28, Now on Back Foot in Conference USA Race

WKU lost its third straight game vs. UTSA Saturday

Western Kentucky football has lost yet another close game, falling to the UTSA Roadrunners 31-28 Saturday night in the Alamodome.

This marks the seventh time in a row WKU has lost a one-possession.

Frank Harris and his band of several ridiculous receivers had help, with All-Conference tackle Makai Hart making his first appearance in several games, safety Rashad Wisdom (C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year) feeling healthy, and Trelon Smith (coming off of knee issues) back from injury.

UTSA looked like the UTSA from last year, the complete team that could actually play defense, the team that could run and pass, and the team led by the same ridiculous dual-threat QB in Frank Harris with his seven-foot-tall receivers running 4.4’s.

Prior to Saturday, UTSA had shown some serious signs of concern. Giving up 34 points per game, could UTSA stop WKU’s vaunted offense? Yes. Could UTSA run the ball? Yes. Could they keep up with WKU’s seemingly more balanced attack? WKU was the one that needed 400 yards passing.

Wile E. Coyote vs. The Roadrunner

It’s more of the same, isn’t it? Western plays Wile E. Coyote, and the Roadrunners look like a bunch of tall, awkward string beans coming into the game (not really but you get it) and then once you get into the heat of the moment, you realize, “Oh. Whoops!” and the Roadrunners outsmart you. That’s what seems to happen every time WKU has played UTSA of late. WKU could legitimately point at certain spots and be like, “What if we fixed that and that and that?” and know they could have won. Saturday in San Antonio was no different.

WKU kicks the ball off, and…

Actual footage of WKU vs. UTSA

…Cory Munson kicks it out of bounds. UTSA starts at the 35 and marches down the field in a few minutes. WKU would then respond with fourteen points of its own. Finally, it felt like Western was in control of the game. With 8:45 left in the second quarter, and really up to the point UTSA kicked its final field goal to go up 17-14 heading into the half, WKU had to be thinking, “We’ve got this.” It felt like WKU was finally in control against UTSA instead of getting down and hoping to claw back. Then WKU allows ten points in the final four minutes.

At halftime, looking back, the Tops had to feel like they were in a pretty good position. UTSA was playing out of its mind, WKU’s offense wasn’t really clicking, and the Tops had finally shown some kind of ability to slow down UTSA. This game was being played at a pace that felt like WKU’s defense was eventually going to pick up, stop UTSA, and WKU would ultimately win because they’re better, right?

Wrong-O.

WKU comes out and does a three and out. I mean, to the tune of one yard gained and bye bye. Then UTSA comes down and takes a ten point lead. Well, crap, that wasn’t in the plan. WKU responds immediately, returning the kickoff to the WKU 40, gets a personal foul, and starts in plus territory. WKU goes six plays, gets six yards, and hands it to UTSA at its own 34. Both teams would then trade several possessions where the offensive team would move the ball and then the other would stop them on downs, including UTSA getting to the WKU six, going for it (instead of kicking a field goal to go up 13), and handing it to WKU with momentum. WKU would run one play and end the third quarter, still sitting at 24-14.

However, WKU was on the move.

Western took the ball starting out in the fourth quarter and went down and scored within three minutes on a Michael Mathison touchdown reception from 18 yards out. Tops are back in it. WOOOOOOO!!!

Let’s onside kick it, boys.

“Ok coach. Couldn’t think of anything better to do with momentum is a field position style ball game only down three with a capable defense, after all!”

Replay of WKU’s onside kick

So right after Cory Munson attempted his onside kick, UTSA’s Kyle Wakefield harmlessly recovers on a really cerebral play.

Two plays later, UTSA was back up 10 points, 31-21.

WKU basically did everything right from there, except take the lead. Western immediately went down and scored. They did not onside kick it again (credit where credit is due) and UTSA moved the ball for a couple of first downs and fumbled it. You have got to be kidding me! WKU is handed the ball in good field position. Here come the Tops!

WKU crosses the 50 and stalls out. Western is faced with a 4th-and-7, in the outside range of Brayden Narveson, who could tie the game with a 51-yard field goal. Tyson Helton elects to go for it, and Rashad Wisdom does Rashad Wisdom things, breaking up the play.

3:41 remaining. Game over, right?

Not so fast! WKU has a defense, remember? So UTSA does take over, and WKU needs a stop. Western has already burned a timeout earlier in the half on a 3rd-and-long, so the Tops are somewhat limited. Western burns one timeout after allowing UTSA to immediately gain a first down. Western then stops UTSA, putting them in a 4th-and-2, and Western has held the Roadrunners! Heck, bonus points for WKU getting Harris to run out of bounds and save some more time on the clock. Time to punt. UTSA calls timeout as the play clock runs down.

UTSA comes out anddddd nevermind they’re going for the win. Upton Stout with the st…oh God, Joshua Cephus went full Inspector Gatchet, extended, and got just enough (debatable) to get the first down. With the clock under two minutes, WKU can’t stop the clock enough to matter, and UTSA kneels the ball three times and walks away with the W.

The Traylor Life

UTSA has something special brewing with its head coach, Jeff Traylor. UTSA has a whole sideline hype team that gets them going during games. It sounds lame, but honestly, the contrast between WKU’s sideline and UTSA’s (and most teams) is interesting. Sure, there’s life and there’s good culture at WKU, but a lot of teams bring more juice on the sideline. In game, sometimes tangible energy can swing the tide. Troy seemed to have more fuel than WKU. UTSA seemed to have whatever they needed for this game, as well.

Keep in mind what UTSA had to do this game to win. They had to hold WKU to 28 points, something they had only done one other time this season and something that had only been done to WKU one time this season, as well. UTSA lost the turnover battle. The Roadrunners also had to stop WKU three times on fourth down.

In addition, keep in mind Traylor didn’t make the best decisions in the world, either. He was rewarded, or at least not punished, for aggression. But he had a couple of moments that didn’t make much sense, either. A good example was when WKU had only scored 14 points the entire game and Traylor decided to go for it on fourth down on the six and instead handed WKU momentum. UTSA had a chance to force WKU to score two touchdowns, something they had barely done in three quarters. Ultimately, it worked out in his favor, but imagine if UTSA had lost by a field goal. They would have been all over him for that. Also, what about the call to seal the deal? Cephus stretches out with a superhuman effort, Upton Stout did everything he could, and Cephus just found a way to will the ball across the first down mark. What if that had missed? WKU would have had two minutes to go halfway down and find a field goal or possibly go win the game with a touchdown.

Regardless, UTSA is living a blessed life, whatever they’re doing. Good for them for stepping up in these big moments, and it’s too bad for WKU that they can’t figure out a way to beat the Roadrunners in the most recent matchups.

Conference USA is Now UTSA’s to Lose

With WKU losing to UTSA, UTSA is the last of the upper-tier favorites without a loss. UAB lost to Rice in a shocker last week, and obviously WKU’s loss basically means they can’t finish ahead of UTSA without two losses by the Roadrunners or somehow winning a three-way tie scenario.

Three other teams remain unbeaten in C-USA (North Texas, Rice, La Tech), but those teams are known to have significant deficiencies. In theory, anyone could win C-USA that has one loss or less. But realistically, the crème rises to the top as they say. WKU, UAB, and UTSA are considered the true favorites in C-USA regardless of current standings. All three of the other undefeated conference teams face UTSA, and they all face a combination of at least two of the three favorites. In addition, they all play each other, and any game in Conference USA is potentially capable of turning into an upset.

Regardless of how things have turned out the past two weeks for WKU, the Tops are still in control of their own destiny assuming La Tech loses at least one game. If La Tech went undefeated, UTSA could lose one game and still beat WKU out for the second spot in the C-USA Championship.

Now, much like last year, WKU must pull it together and win the rest of the rest of its regular season games to have realistic hope to return to the C-USA title game, most likely against the very same foe as last year, UTSA. There could be a surprise or two, but it definitely feels like a hierarchy in C-USA, or at least some “haves” and some “have nots”. Whether that proves true, who knows? No team is perfect, and I believe at the moment, no team is as good as the three best (UTSA, UAB, WKU) from last year.

Red Threads

Some final thoughts on the biggest storylines for WKU:

• WKU loses to UTSA for the third straight time. The Tops looked the less balanced team, allowing over 200 yards on the ground while not gaining much more than 100 themselves.

• Where is the running back by committee that worked for the first four games? WKU was 3-1 before the Tops have seemingly abandoned Jakairi Moses. What about L.T. Sanders? What about someone else? Instead of keeping the three or more idea, Western has really cut down to just Robichaux and it’s not working. Go back to what worked!

• WKU’s defense is now dropping back more to an average-level defense, allowing 374 yards per game and 23 points per contest. The 23 points is still a nice number, but also perhaps a tendency issue that is more alarming is a lack of forced turnovers in a month or so of action on the field.

• Special teams and penalties once again cost the Tops big time. The onside kick was a ridiculous decision. Period. You have all of the momentum in a game you have relative control over. Force UTSA to run the length of the field. If they do and they win, shake their hands.