Coming off their second bye week, WKU Football will look to maintain their lead atop Conference USA on Wednesday as they host Kennesaw State at Houchens-Smith Stadium.
“Another big conference game at home,” Head Coach Tyson Helton said. “Really excited to play Kennesaw State. They look like a really impressive football team, really hungry team. You can tell they’re a well coached team. This is what you want in conference play. Two good football teams playing.”
Kennesaw State is a former Football Championship Subdivision team from the Big South Conference. The Owls switched to Football Bowl Subdivision, joining C-USA this season, where their start in FBS has been rough. The team started 0-6, with none of their losses being by one score.
However, on Oct. 23 the Owls took their first FBS win in a huge upset against Liberty. The Flames, who came into the game as 27 point favorites, had their undefeated season spoiled by the Owls in a 27-24 loss.
What does this mean for WKU?
It means that the Hilltoppers now sit first in the conference, with a trip to Liberty still looming.
It also means that Kennesaw State is a threat and will look to ride the momentum of their massive win into their matchup versus the Hilltoppers.
“I was not surprised at all,” Helton said. “In this league, there’s a lot of parity and you better show up or you’re gonna get beat. We gotta come in with our jaw set, have a championship mentality, and be ready for a four quarter game. We’re gonna play a good football team in Kennesaw State so we need to play our best football.”
The Owls average 15 points per game, but give up 31.14 points per game to opponents. They average 106.6 rush yards per game and 135 pass yards per game. The Owls have only forced seven turnovers on the season and are allowing 402.6 yards of total offense to opponents.
Since filling in for injured junior quarterback T.J. Finley, sophomore quarterback Caden Veltkamp has been solid for the Hilltoppers, leading them to an undefeated record thus far in conference play. The two time C-USA Offensive Player of the Week has 1,428 passing yards with 14 passing touchdowns, which leads the conference, and just five interceptions. Veltkamp also has five touchdowns on the ground. He has thrown three or more touchdowns three times this season.
The Hilltopper defense has been stifling all season long. They’ve held opponents to under 50% third down conversion percentage and have 15 sacks on the season. They allow 22.43 points per game and give up just 225.57 pass yards per game. WKU is the fourth best rush defense in yards allowed and yards per carry allowed.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Award-winning rapper Flo Rida will perform a free pregame concert at 5 p.m. on South Lawn.
The game can be watched on ESPN2.
Michael’s Thoughts:
This season has brought us huge upsets so far. Vanderbilt over No.1 Alabama, Northern Illinois over No. 5 Notre Dame, and Kentucky over No. 6 Ole Miss.
After Kennesaw State’s upset win last week, WKU knows they cannot overlook the Owls. Opening up as 24 point favorites, WKU has three of the four teams they lost to last season, with Liberty being one of them, left on the schedule.
The Hilltoppers have dropped at least 30 points on all conference matchups this season. They lead the conference in offensive efficiency and are second in passing yards. Veltkamp has been the man behind the Hilltopper offensive success, averaging 8.7 yards per completion with a 164.7 passer rating. However, he has been sacked 14 times through five starts, including four times versus Sam Houston. Keeping him clean will be paramount to avoiding an Owl upset.
WKU has scored first in five of their eight games this season, but only have an opening drive touchdown in two games this season. The Sept. 21 game versus Toledo is one of two games they’ve played from behind, and they won this one. Starting off strong is key in the final stretch of their conference schedule.
Sports Reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at [email protected]
