WKU Stifles ODU 20–3; Tops Now a True C-USA Contender
Western Kentucky football is winning football games, but not remotely the way the conference leading Hilltoppers usually do it.
Western Kentucky football is winning football games, but not remotely the way the conference leading Hilltoppers usually do it.
When WKU has been really good, generally the defense has been pretty good and the offense sensational. Willie Taggart’s versions of the Hilltoppers were similar to this team, but this is even more of a physical, grind it out style than the days of Willie T. Willie’s teams dominated on the ground. This team has one backfield threat (Gaej Walker).
Early Saturday night, WKU (3–2, 3–0 C-USA) took the field against the Old Dominion Monarchs (1–4, 0–1 C-USA) hoping to prove to the conference they’re the one to beat.
In a game Plain Jane would even call “ugly”, WKU and ODU both came out making mistakes.
Western received the football first, driving barely into ODU territory, only to stall out and kick to the 12 yard line on a John Haggarty pooch.
The Monarchs did the same, driving down slightly into WKU territory and, like WKU, stalling out and punting inside the 15.
WKU would then make its first huge mistake of the first quarter. Ty Storey threw a floating interception on a poor decision across his body into what ended up being triple coverage. ODU would return it inside the WKU red zone, and two plays later, the Monarchs would run into the end zone.
However, by sheer dumb luck, ODU’s right guard gets called for a holding, and ODU ends up with nothing on that possession despite starting inside the WKU 15. WKU mercifully gets the ball deep in ODU territory with no damage done, and Gaej Walker immediately fumbles in a swarm of Monarchs. Old Dominion comes out with it, and again, the team in dark blue is sitting pretty in the red zone.
That was the final time WKU allowed Old Dominion within 20 yards of the end zone (14:56 remaining in the second quarter).
The WKU defense bucks up and forces a field goal attempt to begin the second quarter. This time, the Monarchs capitalize and draw first blood, 3–0. When WKU was not attempting to lose, they could actually move the football. WKU went without a first down on a total of three drives on the night, including the final drive to run out the clock.
After giving up the field goal, WKU woke up a little bit, driving down the field and converting on a short 31 yard field goal by Cory Munson with 9:42 left in the second quarter. WKU kicks off, and shortly after, Ta’Corian Darden picked the ball off at the ODU 32 yard line, putting WKU in prime position for a quick score. WKU marched the rest of the way down the field, scoring on a one yard run by Gaej Walker with 4:50 remaining in the second quarter.
WKU would hold its own the rest of the half, not allowing ODU to eclipse 75 yards in the entire half. WKU was only on pace to get 260 yards at halftime itself, but was doing enough to maintain a lead despite several silly mistakes.
Coming out for the second half, WKU’s defense shut down ODU, forcing them to punt after three plays. WKU then took the ball and marched down the field once more. Ty Storey (21–28, 193 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) had Joshua Simon more open than a pastor of 20 looking for a new member, but missed him and the Tops again had to settle for a Munson chip shot from 20 yards, making it 13–3 with 10:07 remaining in the third.
ODU would finally get a little bit of traction midway through the third quarter, only to stall out due to some penalties (a common theme for ODU Saturday), attempting a 51 yard field goal with 5:31 remaining in the third. WKU continued its pattern of winning field position, but did not connect to put Old Dominion away until well into the fourth quarter.
Old Dominion had another opportunity for a shorter field goal than 51 yards, but a combination of WKU’s defensive line and more penalties created another stalled drive. Halfway through the fourth quarter, WKU finally trudged its way all the way down the field, with Storey connecting with Joshua Simon on a 12 yard pass over the top of the middle of the defense with 7:58 remaining.
Old Dominion’s will was basically broken after this point. Most games would not be completely over down 17 points, but WKU just bludgeoned the Monarchs to death. The Toppers broke their will, and ODU never really moved the ball after the Simon touchdown reception.
WKU went on to win 20–3, but frankly, this game was not even that close. WKU could have easily scored 35 or 40 points with all of the missed opportunities. Eliminating silly mistakes could have meant a truly impressive score, but allowing three points will surely turn some heads.
News and Notes
With the win, WKU moves to 3–0 in Conference USA for the first time since 2015, when the Tops went undefeated, winning the C-USA Championship and finishing ranked in the top 25.
Gaej Walker racked up 114 yards on 25 carries, getting in the 100 yard club for the first time in three games.
Jahcour Pearson (7 receptions, 67 yards) continues to separate himself as WKU’s best and most prolific receiver in 2019; Pearson was the only Topper receiver to get over 40 yards receiving.
WKU’s offensive line continues to dominate up front, allowing only one sack to a team with a good defensive presence up front.
DeAngelo Malone continues his incredible season, racking up another nine tackles and three sacks. Through five games, DeAngelo has seven sacks and 13 tackles-for-loss and is leading the team in tackles from the defensive end position.
WKU held Old Dominion to 160 yards, including only 55 yards rushing. With another performance under 300 yards at Army, WKU’s defense could drop under a 300 yard average (302.8 currently).
With Marshall losing to MTSU, WKU is a full game ahead of everyone in the conference, and the preseason favorite has lost its first game. Everyone else is two behind WKU in the win column. FAU seems to be the favorite at this point, but WKU has to be a close second, mainly because of the defense and the fact the Tops have finished 3/8 of the task already.
If WKU is going to compete and win a Conference USA Championship, the Tops must begin taking care of simple business. WKU was bit by the turnover bug once again, giving it up two times early in the game. Western missed two field goals late in the game. WKU was in the red zone six times, only scoring four times, two of which were field goals. That’s 20 of 42 potential points deep in opponents’ territory. That just won’t get it done in closer games.
Overall, WKU has firmly established itself as for real. This performance was so dominant defensively, and the offense was highly inefficient and still won with ease. Sure, ODU is flawed, but Conference USA has a new bona fide leader, and believe it or not, it’s Western Kentucky.
The scary thing for the rest of the league is the offense is still borderline struggling. Sure it has a great line, a really good (albeit inconsistent) running back in Gaej Walker, but there is no dominant receiver, no prolific quarterback, no backup for Walker, and the offense averages in the low 300s in yards. If WKU could just start converting opportunities, who could score enough to beat the Hilltoppers? Very few opponents offer potent offenses this year in Conference USA.
Perhaps Charlotte could challenge the Tops in a few weeks. Charlotte has scored significantly in each of its games. For now, WKU moves on to Army at home on October 12. Army brings a fascinating, unorthodoxed non-conference test, made all the more fascinating by how well WKU’s defense is playing.