WKU Football: What Went Right and What Went Wrong in WKU's 63-10 Loss at Ohio State
That was ugly.
I don’t think anyone outside of the Western Kentucky locker room truly expected for the Tops to win on Saturday. But, by the same token, I don’t think anyone thought they’d lose in such a way.
The Tops ended up being just another notch on Ohio State’s bedpost as WKU served the role of whipping boy in a Buckeye get-right game before their showdown with Notre Dame next weekend.
It’ll be a short-memory week. If I’m the Hilltopper coaching staff, I throw out all of the post-Malachi Corley touchdown tape. Set your sights on getting revenge on Troy Saturday and sit at 3-1 before the CUSA schedule begins.
Just like we all were hoping would be the case.
Big Picture - by Devin Stewart
Even in the ancient times of WKU, when I was there, WKU had pay games. My first was WKU vs. Florida. In the swamp vs Tebow. They were fresh off a national title, and I still can’t stand Tim Tebow.
So $1.8 million later, WKU sports can keep the lights on just a little longer.
The positive things to take away, WKU moved the ball, WKU scored, WKU forced turnovers on a Top 10 team. It would’ve been nice to keep it close and it not be a complete blow out.
WKU gathering experience and practice with a team and program that has more money and potential talent than any other team we’re going to face this season.
The best thing for WKU fans to do is move to the next game. WKU is facing Troy, who have lost to both FBS teams they’ve faced so far this season.
If I’m a player or coach at WKU I’m coming out against Troy very angry. Especially after last year’s home loss against an old friend.
What Went Right - by Alex Sherfield
For what it’s worth, WKU had a few good things come their way during a nationally televised appearance.
Malachi Corley laid it all on the field with his NFL-esque type touchdown play in the second quarter. The throw came from Austin Reed deep in the Buckeyes territory. Even in a day that was quickly overshadowed by OSU’s playmakers, you can’t get mad at the effort from the dynamic duo. A slow start for both players turned into eight receptions for 88 yards with the only scoring play outside of Lucas Carneiro.
Offensively, the Tops tried to match Ohio State but were quickly outgained in total yardage, 562-284. Reed finished with 207 passing yards, throwing both a touchdown and an interception (though there could have easily been two or three to his record). On a day when the defense was making things difficult, Reed managed to hold his own & make it out of Columbus ready to compete for the rest of the season. The Tops did win the time of possession battle, tallying 32 minutes while Ohio State averaged 27, but Ohio State’s quick-strike scores to close out the second half played heavily into that deceiving statistic.
Hosea Wheeler was the unsung hero on defense, managing to get a strip sack on Kyle McCord to force a fumble & getting an interception that was batted down from a pass attempt. What a way to have a good showing in a day where it was not the best for the Hilltoppers defense.
Realistically, this shouldn’t be too much of a loss to dwell on as the Troy Trojans are coming up on the schedule. Let’s just regroup & prepare to finish the non-conference schedule strong.
What Went Wrong - by Fletcher Keel
It took less than four minutes for Saturday’s game to go from “The Tops look a real chance to make something happen” to “Well, at least it’s a beautiful day.”
8:10 remained before halftime when Malachi Corley got his two-yard touchdown pass to pull the Hilltoppers within four points, 14-10.
By the time 4:13 remained in the first half, the Hilltoppers found themselves on the negative side of a 28-10 score, and it was only going to get uglier from there.
On the first play following Corley’s touchdown pitch and catch, Ohio State’s own stud receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr., blew past two Hilltopper defenders and caught a Kyle McCord pass, in stride, for a 75-yard touchdown and extend the lead to 21-10.
You know what, that’s perfectly fine. Harrison will be a first hour NFL Draft pick, and that’s going to happen.
On the next offensive drive, the Tops ran eight plays, only three of which were passes, and went for it on 4th down twice: Once on 4th and less than an inch, once on 4th and 6, both coming inside the Tops’ 40 yardline.
After the 4th and 6 pass to Corley fell incomplete, the Buckeyes again need to snap the ball just once, with a Chip Trayanum 40-yard touchdown rush.
28-10, and the game was essentially over, yet the Buckeyes would still score 14 more points before the half, mercifully, came to an end.
It was at this point where Tyson Helton’s aggressiveness was actively hurting WKU, and cost the Tops’ chances to make the game competitive.
The Hilltoppers never punted in the first half and turned the ball over on downs three times in the opening 30 minutes:
On the first offensive drive, the Tops drove 43 yards in 10 plays, going for it at OSU’s 48 yardline. I’m fine with this. It established WKU’s toughness, willingness to hang with a Top 10 side and the defense turned around and forced an Ohio State fumble.
WKU’s next downs turnover was the sequence just discussed, bookended by two plays in 17 seconds that led to 14 points. I did not love going for it at your own 40 yardline, giving the defense that short of a field to work with.
After a Blue Smith fumble at the WKU 45 led to another OSU touchdown drive (making for a 35-10 game), the Tops again went for it on 4th and 10 just pass midfield, at the OSU 42, that resulted in yet another short drive - three plays, 58 yards, 20 seconds - for the Buckeyes.
It was Helton’s decision making - specifically on fourth down - that took the Tops out of the game faster than they should have been. I’m not saying he had no business going for it ever. The Tops were driving well to open the game and wanted to send a message. I get it, but there has to be a time where the message is to your defense “we’re going to pin them back and let you do the work.”
Red Threads - by Fletcher Keel
Some final stray thoughts on the shellacking the Hilltoppers were handed in Columbus.
“[The] Only Western Kentucky win over a Power 5 school was four years ago, against Arkansas…” FOX’s Jason Benetti said over photos and a score graphic of WKU’s 45-19 win over the Razorbacks on Nov. 9, 2019. Except here’s the thing: That isn’t WKU’s only P5 win. It isn’t even WKU’s only SEC win. Maybe the insinuation was “The only under Tyson Helton,” or, “The last,” but to say “the only” and leave it there does a disservice to WKU’s program. Look, I get it, FOX is a broadcast partner of the Big Ten and I don’t think really gives much of a care about WKU. But there should be a dedication to accuracy and whether it was Benetti - who is widely regarded as one of the best play-by-play broadcasters of his generation - mis-speak or something went awry in the research, it’s still a near unforgivable gaffe.
For almost a decade, the benchmark for “when it rains, it pours” for WKU was their game at Tennessee, when they turned the ball over five times in six plays in the third quarter after taking a 3-0 lead. I think this defeat might take the cake in that regard. At least in that loss to the Volunteers, I remember sitting there and laughing at the absurdity of what was unfolding. This was like a 20 car slow-motion pile up, with each crash being avoidable but still happening.
Following Corley’s touchdown reception, Reed had completed 11 of 19 pass attempts for 117 yards and the touchdown. For the rest of Reed’s game, he completed just 10 of 19 passes for 90 yards. The decisions to repeatedly go for it on fourth down not only gave a confidence boost to the OSU offense, but its defense as well, as they started to step up once they had a more comfortable lead to work with.
I feel like this entire recap is trying to get to one main point: Western Kentucky is not 53 points worse than Ohio State. I would say Ohio State is undoubtedly the better team, but not by 53 points. WKU has lost to the No. 1 team in the country before by less than 30 points. It was a hilarious misfortune of errors that helped lead to the blowout.
That said, I’ve been having this thought a lot: Every year, WKU fans want so badly the Hilltoppers to be in the conversation for the G5’s spot in the New Year’s Six. Whenever you start being one of those people, ask yourself, “Could WKU realistically compete for four quarters with the No. 6 thru 11 team in the country?” The average CFP ranking of the P5 team in the G5 game is No. 8, with a team as low as No. 7 (2017 Auburn) playing in the contest. This isn’t to say WKU couldn’t be that team one day, but I think a lot of the thought process is “will WKU be the best G5 program,” and not necessarily “Would they compete with their opponent.” Which, you might say is not an important factor, but with a committee picking the rankings, it’s undoubtedly something that is thought of. This is not an indictment on this, or any other, Hilltopper team, just something to think about.
Looking ahead: Here’s how the Tops’ next three opponents fared on Saturday
Troy: 16-14 loss vs. James Madison
MTSU: 35-14 win vs. Murray State
Louisiana Tech: 40-37 loss vs. North Texas