Garrett Woodrum

WKU quarterback Austin Reed (16) converts a third down against Middle Tennessee on Sept. 28, 2023 at L.T. Smith Stadium.

WKU Football overcame a sluggish first half and defeated UTEP 21-13 in the Sun Bowl Saturday night.

“Really proud of our football team tonight, especially our defense,” WKU Head Coach Tyson Helton said. “They battled so hard, they had so many fourth-down stops, and came up with critical turnovers when we needed them.

The Hilltoppers offense couldn’t get going in the first two quarters, combining with the Miners for seven straight drives of punts.  UTEP finally ended the drought a made a 22-yard field goal.  Graduate quarterback Austin Reed threw an interception on the next drive, but UTEP could not turn the turnover into points, thanks to the WKU defense getting a red zone stop.  Only three points were scored at halftime, as UTEP led 3-0.

UTEP opened the second half with another turnover on downs, and this would end the WKU scoring drought.  A 64-yard touchdown run by junior running back Elijah Young the following drive would give the Hilltoppers the lead.

“Really, I just seen where the backers were pulling,” Young said. “They were flowing heavy to that side, so I seen my crease, my one-on-one with their safety, and ended up getting loose off that and just off with the burners.”

Redshirt senior Davion Williams intercepted a pass on UTEP’s next drive, which was cashed in by junior Malachi Corley on a reverse, giving WKU a 14-3 lead.

“That fourth-down stop [after halftime] was very important,” Williams said. “It just gave us a lot of momentum. The interception I got, I just feel like I made a great play for my teammate and God did his justice.”

UTEP responded with a big touchdown drive to cut the lead, but a Young 2-yard touchdown run stretched the lead back to 21-10.  Young notched 139 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries, a whopping 11.6 yards per carry.  His performance helped spark the offense in the second half.

UTEP scored a field goal to make it 21-13 in the fourth and attempted an onside for a potential game-tying drive, but Young recovered it and Reed kneeled it out, sealing the victory.

Reed finished the game with 102 yards on 11 completions for a touchdown and an interception.

“Really happy for our offense in the second half. In the first half, we kind of were treading uphill with the passing game – they were playing a lot of two-man, and they made it really hard on the passing game.” Helton said. “We got a good game plan together at halftime and tried to establish the run. We did that the second half and were able to put some drives together. It just was a good team win. We wanted to be 1-0 in November, and we were able to do that, accomplish that, and still get to control our destiny.”

WKU will return to Houchens Industries L.T. Smith Stadium for the next two games, starting with their homecoming game against the New Mexico State Aggies on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 2:30 p.m. CT.

Sports Reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at [email protected].