WKU Football: What Went Right, What Went Wrong In WKU's 52-22 Win Over Houston Christian
It wasn’t the complete curb stomp we may have thought, but the Tops got the job done to move to 2-0 on the young season.
The Hilltoppers are 2-0 as we open Ohio State week, with the result Saturday feeling much better both in the moment and as we start the week than the win over South Florida felt.
Let’s take a look at what went right, what went wrong and what it all means big picture for WKU moving forward.
Big Picture - by Jared Rosdeutscher
WKU was able to take care of business and put up 433 yards and 52 points against the Huskies, with 24 of those points coming out of the gat in the first quarter. The Tops came out hot but let their foot off the gas at times, letting HCU get a few scores in before halftime and also in the third quarter.
Ultimately, the Topper offense was able to take care of business and the defense still made some critical stops when needed.
Looking at the big picture, I am still concerned about WKU’s defense. They gave up 368 total yards, including 155 rushing yards, to an FCS offense. The defense hasn’t been able to stop the run well at all so far this season so definitely concerned about the defense ahead of Ohio State.
WKU’s offense shined with lots of new players stepping up and contributing. Easton Messer led the Tops in receiving with the absences of Malachi Corley (dressed, but didn’t play) and Dalvin Smith (left the game in the first quarter), hauling in nine catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. Jimmy Holiday and Blue Smith also both had touchdowns as well. Tyson Helton’s nephew, Turner Helton, served as Reed’s garbage-time backup and played in the fourth quarter, going 5-for-5 with 65 yards and a touchdown on the drive he led. Gives me hope for the future after Reed and also in case of injury that whoever is next man up plays well.
What Went Right - Josh Owens
The Tops came out scoring unanswered 31 points to start the game, riding momentum created by the defense more so than anything generated on offense.
Tyson Summers’ unit was a huge part of the victory, forcing three turnovers - including a first half pick six from Upton Stout.
Despite only recording one sack, WKU generated pressure, forcing quick throws and contained the run game a lot better than last week against USF in meaningful minutes (Once the Tops’ were up big, they eased up and HCU took advantage).
The offense did what they do best: Score a lot of points. Austin Reed continues to be the man, throwing for 253 and four touchdowns while not giving the ball away. Despite the injuries at wide receiver the rest of the team continues to step up. Five different receivers caught a touchdown pass, including Blue Smith and tight end River Helms, which personally was satisfying.
Saturday was the perfect game for the Hilltoppers to tune up and heal up on key injuries (Dalvin Smith not included). Now the team turns its focus to the biggest game of the season against Ohio State.
What Went Wrong - Alex Sherfield
As much as the Tops continued to put points on the board, there is always room for improvement on a few fronts.
WKU’s shortcomings in the running game continued as the production was all over the place for the second straight week. It’s still a committee backfield, with Markese Stepp and Davion Ervin-Poindexter getting a majority of the workload (nine and five carries each, respectively).
We’re still waiting to see who will emerge as “the guy,” but the Stepp/DEP one-two punch feels like a growing trend. However, there needs to be more trust in running the ball, especially on nights when extra attention and focus is on Reed and the receiving corps. Next week in Columbus will be a great test to see how much the running game can be depended on.
It was a semi-quiet night on the defensive front as Kendrick Simpkins had the lone quarterback sack. Even though the Tops were in control all night, easing up at times proved to be a dangerous game, allowing HCU to get a spark of life. The Huskies still created opportunities to not be completely blown out, especially in sequences where they went down the field to put up 22 points against us.
Karl Reynolds and Champ Dozier both were thorns in WKU’s side on Saturday. A few plays on defense left them & various Huskies open to make contributions that were head-scratching at times. Depending on how next week goes, maybe we’ll see more of a base defensive balance and not rely too heavily on blitzing.
A huge positive was seeing a strong crowd at The Houch to support this talented ballclub. Maybe this can translate into a HUGE turnout for the 100 Miles of Hate game against MTSU in a couple of weeks. For now, let us focus & prepare for battle with Ohio State in primetime.
Red Threads - by Jared Rosdeutscher
Some final stray thoughts before we start preparing for the showdown with Ohio State.
Reed looked more like him self, throwing for 253 yards and four touchdowns. He also looked more comfortable with his make-shift receiving corps, which he worked with for most of the game after a first quarter injury to Dalvin Smith, who was starting to look like the alpha for the night.
It was a much less frustrating game for Reed, again without his top two targets, giving guys further down the depth chart some meaningful snaps. We already talked about the big winner in that regard, Messer, but it was also a good day for Jimmy Holiday (four catches, 62 yards), Blue Smith (three catches, 38 yards), River Helms (two catches, 17 yards) and Denzil Alleyne (one catch, eight yards), all of whom were the touchdown recipients, with the first four names mentioned the beneficiary of No. 16.
Speaking of Helms, he looks like a good TE1 with his touchdown catch. If there’s a wish on offense, it’s to get him - or any other tight end - involved more.
While the defense played a large role, there was still a lot left to be desired. The Huskies still rushed for 155 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Sure, most of that was after it was a 30+ point game, but we’re bordering on “trend” territory here for poor rush defense.
JaQues ‘Donut’ Evans is the backbone of the defense along with Kendrick Simpkins and Upton Stout. The unquestioned go-to figures for big plays, at least through the first eight quarters of the season.
WKU’s onside kick they did after scoring was straight bully ball but helped keep momentum going. Glad they got practice for that in case they need to do it again in the future.
Looking ahead: Here’s how the Tops’ next three opponents fared on Saturday
Ohio State: 35-7 win over Youngstown State
Troy: 42-13 loss at Kansas State
MTSU: 56-7 loss at Alabama