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WKU Football prepares for matchup against Houston Christian Saturday

Students+in+the+student+section+cheer+after+a+touchdown+during+a+game+against+University+of+South+Florida+at+Smith+Stadium+in+Bowling+Green%2C+Ky.+on+Saturday%2C+Sept.+2%2C+2023.+
Dominic Di Palermo
Students in the student section cheer after a touchdown during a game against University of South Florida at Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Ky. on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.

This Saturday, the Hilltoppers will once again host an opponent in The Houch. This time, it’s a familiar-but-unfamiliar program: the Houston Christian Huskies. If they sound somewhat familiar, it’s because just last season, they were Houston Baptist. The year before that? We took quarterback Bailey Zappe from them, and then we broke NCAA records. 

What do we know about the Huskies?

 They Just Put Up 66 Points!: That’s right. The Huskies just put up one of the highest point totals in college football this past weekend against Arkansas Baptist, with a combined 232 passing yards and three touchdowns, on top of the team’s total of 241 ground yards and five scores. 

An Offensive Coordinator on the rise: Before joining the Huskies this past spring, coordinator Jason Bachtel served as the head coach at Howard Payne University. In two seasons, his starting quarterback combined for 58 passing touchdowns and 5,716 passing yards, attached to five rushing touchdowns.

The Huskie’s Defense Is “FCS Good”: The Huskies defense put up 16 tackles for loss, three sacks, two fumble recoveries, and an interception, holding Arkansas Baptist to 1.6 yards per carry. The quarterbacks went 6-for-16 for just 47 yards. While the Hilltoppers don’t expect to have any serious trouble, the defense should be kept in mind. 

The game kicks off at 6:00pm, with cooler temperatures and a white out night for Family Day at Houchens-Smith Stadium. 

Football Reporter Derrick Deen can be reached at [email protected]

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