WKU beats ULL to end 18-game home losing streak
October 25, 2011
A Gatorade-soaked Willie Taggart
stood on the outskirts of the mob, taking in the scene
Saturday.
Students, many of whom had never
seen a home football win, were running around on the field, giving
congratulatory slaps to players’ shoulder pads while singing the
school fight song and hugging one another.
WKU had just beaten
Louisiana-Lafayette 42-23 to snap an 18-game Smith Stadium losing
streak.
It was the first Homecoming win at
Smith Stadium since the Tops crushed Indiana State 41-3 on Oct. 28,
2006, and was also the first home win of Taggart’s two-year head
coaching career.
“I sat back and watched the
students, fans run on the field… It was really good to see
everybody smiling and everybody happy,” Taggart said after the
game. “I miss that.”
The Toppers, who started this 2011
season 0-3, had been showing a renewed energy since this season’s
Sun Belt Conference play began.
WKU came into
Saturday 2-1 in league play and riding its first two-game win
streak since 2008 after road wins over Middle Tennessee State and
Florida Atlantic.
It was WKU’s fourth road win in five
games dating back to last season.
Despite the road success, the
Toppers still hadn’t broken through in front of their home
fans.
“To get all those wins on the road,
it’s just not the same feeling,” senior left tackle Wes Jeffries
said. “When we get a win at home, it’s just a different
feeling.”
The Toppers did just that Saturday
by excelling in a part of that game that had tripped them up in the
past—the fourth quarter.
WKU had blown fourth quarter leads
in several of those 18 straight losses.
The last frame of Saturday’s game
began when ULL tight end Ladarius Green caught a touchdown to cut a
28-17 Topper lead to 28-23.
But that’s where Ragin’ Cajuns’ comeback hopes
ended.
WKU drove 54 yards in six plays on
its next drive before sophomore fullback Kadeem Jones went in from
one yard out to give the Toppers a 35-23 lead.
ULL made it all the way to the WKU
16 on its next possession, but the drive fizzled when quarterback
Blaine Gautier couldn’t find wide receiver Javone Lawson on a
fourth and six throw.
The Ragin’ Cajuns got the ball back
with 5:00 left and once again came away empty.
This time it was senior cornerback
Derrius Brooks who ended up with the ball in off Lawson’s hands
after the ULL wideout was hit by senior safety Ryan
Beard.
It was the Toppers’ only
interception of the day, and it ended any realistic visions the
Ragin’ Cajuns had of winning.
“I don’t even know it happened,”
sophomore cornerback Tyree Robinson said Monday. “Derrius Brooks
just turned around with the ball in his hands… It was like a magic
trick.”
Consecutive 56- and 24-yard runs
from senior running back Bobby Rainey gave WKU its final 42-23
margin of victory.
With the win, WKU stands at third in
the Sun Belt standings with a 3-1 record, one game behind league
leader Arkansas State and now just a half game behind
ULL.
The Ragin’ Cajuns had been
undefeated in Sun Belt play and riding a six-game winning streak
before Saturday.
Taggart said the Toppers’ win over
the Ragin’ Cajuns was important not just from the perspective of
ending their long home losing streak, but for staying near the top
of the Sun Belt standings.
“In order to be the man, you’ve got
to beat the man,” Taggart said. “At this time, Lafayette was the
man, and we did that.”