With the fourth quarter on the horizon and a 17-14 Hilltopper lead in jeopardy as Sam Houston drove down the field, it seemed that WKU football was going to find themselves in their first tight test of Conference USA play on Wednesday.
But in the blink of an eye, what seemed to be WKU’s first down-to-the-wire conference contest turned into a comfortable 31-14 C-USA win.
How?
15 Minutes of Seamless Football
Hosea Wheeler field goal block.
Caden Veltkamp to K.D. Hutchinson, 74-yard touchdown.
Sam Houston fumble recovered by WKU.
Veltkamp 19-yard rushing touchdown.
Sam Houston turnover on downs.
This was the sequence in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter. With tensions high and their backs against the wall, the Hilltoppers played almost perfect football to make a three-point lead a 17-point lead in a matter of moments.
I say almost perfect because nothing in sports can ever be truly perfect, but man, this was close.
“The first half was a total back and forth like I expected and then slowly but surely in the second half we were able to make some big plays,” Head Coach Tyson Helton said.
With a high-stress situation in an already high-stress game, teams can crumble or team’s can live up to the challenge.
The Hilltoppers end their season with Liberty and Jacksonville State, two top teams in C-USA that are sure to give WKU a tough time. But outside of Boston College, when WKU has had their backs against the wall this season, WKU has shown they can live up to the challenge.
Defense
I’ve mentioned WKU’s defense in this column a lot recently, but I feel like yet again they were too good to leave out.
Aside from a few big plays – which have really been the only glaring downfall this season – that resulted in touchdowns, WKU held the Bearkats offense to only 14 points. They averaged 31 points per game beforehand.
The defense has yet to allow over 21 points a game in Conference USA play. WKU has only allowed over 21 to one opponent this entire year, Alabama.
“I like it that way. Defense wins championships,” Helton said. “Anytime our backs are against the wall, anythings happening, they go out there, create turnovers and get stops.”
The Bye Week
If you told me before the season that WKU would be 5-2 heading into the second bye week I wouldn’t be surprised.
Outside of the two Power 4 games, WKU’s schedule lined up to where a 5-2 mark seemed very possible.
But if you told me that WKU would be 5-2 with a stellar defense and a good – and improving – offense under Caden Veltkamp, I’d be ecstatic.
Around the exact same time last season, the Hilltoppers were watching a Jacksonville State kick sail through the uprights, handing WKU their first conference loss of the year. While that loss did not totally derail the year, a loss against Liberty the next week seemed to throw the C-USA championship hopes off the tracks.
This year, the Hilltoppers have their entire season ahead of them after their first big conference test. WKU has not made a C-USA championship since 2021 and has not won a C-USA championship in the Helton era.
Maybe it’s the immaturity of a young college journalist who wants to see his tuition payments go to something exciting, but this year feels different.
Sports Reporter Jake McMahon can be reached at [email protected]
