The Colonels just couldn’t stop senior running back Elijah Young from finding the endzone twice. WKU sent Eastern Kentucky back to Richmond with their second loss of the season, defeating the Colonels 31-0 in the 87th Battle of the Bluegrass.
16,712 fans packed into Houchens-Smith Stadium for WKU’s home opener. As the freshman class of 2028 ran out on the field and the Big Red Marching Band played the team onto the field, football was back on the Hill.
Hilltopper Head Coach Tyson Helton said he was “just happy for our football team,” after tonight’s win.. “Excited to come home in the home opener and get a win like we did tonight. Got a bad taste out of our mouth from the week before.”
The Hilltoppers had 467 yards of total offense, dominating on the ground and through the air. Redshirt junior quarterback T.J. Finley had a solid recovery game from last week at Alabama, throwing for 351 yards and one touchdown on 27 of 39 passing. Senior wide receiver Kisean Johnson caught six passes for 119 yards. Young added 24 yards receiving and 52 yards rushing on 13 carries. He scored two of WKU’s four touchdowns.
The WKU defense stifled EKU all game, holding them to 4-15 on third down conversions. The Hilltoppers allowed only 76 yards passing and forced a turnover. EKU controlled the time of possession battle, but were unable to put the ball in the endzone. This is WKU’s first shutout since they blanked FIU 73-0 in 2022.
“Really proud of our defense,” Helton said. “It’s really hard to pitch a shutout. Those don’t come too often. Coach (Tyson) Summers’ defensive staff and players did a fantastic job.”
First Quarter
WKU won the coin toss and immediately went to work with the football, scoring a field goal for their first points of the season.
EKU’s opening drive resulted in a punt.
The Hilltoppers then went all the way down the field on a 12 play, 72 yard drive, only to turn it over on downs.
The EKU offense was ravaged all quarter by the WKU blitz, which ended up forcing a fumble on the Colonels’ second drive. Redshirt sophomore linebacker Darius Thomas forced the fumble on the strip sack. WKU cashed in the turnover for a touchdown as Young leapt over the pile for the touchdown.
Second Quarter
The offensive identity WKU found in the first quarter seemed to get lost as they traded punts with EKU to start the second quarter.
The Colonels began to punish the WKU run game, adding to their 35 yards rushing from the first quarter.
EKU would finish the half with 75 yards rushing. With 3:41 left in the half, WKU went on a nine play, 84-yard drive that ended with a touchdown run by junior running back L.T. Sanders.
EKU was held to just 43 yards passing in the first half.
Finley threw for 163 yards and added 13 yards on the ground in the half. WKU went into the locker room up 17-0.
Third Quarter
EKU received the second half kickoff and held the ball for 11:46, converting two fourth downs in the process, including a 42-yard run that put them all the way down to the WKU four yard line.
With a chance for EKU to finally get on the board, redshirt senior Patrick Nations doinked the field goal off the left upright.
The Hilltoppers would get inside the EKU 10-yard line thanks to timely passes by Finley. However, the EKU defense kept the team in the game, as they stopped WKU on downs for the second time this game.
On fourth down, Finley found redshirt junior George Hart III wide open in the endzone, but it was dropped off his finger tips. EKU went three-and-out on their next drive, which ended the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Finley found redshirt junior wide receiver Demick Starling for a big gain, but was hit hard and fumbled.
The referees picked up the flag that was supposedly targeting, giving the Colonels the ball in WKU territory. They punted after three plays.
The Hilltoppers iced the game with a nine play, 80-yard drive that ended with Young’s second touchdown of the day, going in this time from nine yards out.
EKU’s next drive resulted in their seventh punt of the game. WKU put sprinkles on the cake, driving 77 yards in seven plays as Finley threw his first touchdown of the game to redshirt senior wide receiver Dalvin Smith.
Tempers were flaring all night between the two rivals, and they boiled over late in the game when a scuffle happened, resulting in an EKU player being ejected. The Colonels would run the last 2:38 off the clock, ending the game.
WKU will travel to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to take on their rival the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders next Saturday.
“We start conference play next week with a great opponent in Middle Tennessee,” Helton said. “It was good to get this win and get the momentum going to get ready for next week.”
Sports reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at [email protected].
