Sophomore quarterback Caden Veltkamp’s three passing touchdowns lifted WKU over the Kennesaw State Owls 31-14 Wednesday Night.
A hot start for the Hilltoppers against the Owls earned them their sixth win of the season, making them bowl eligible for the sixth year in a row and ninth in the last decade.
“Good win tonight,” Head Coach Tyson Helton said. “We talked about in this time of year having a championship mentality. Felt like our team played really hard. Tremendous respect for Kennesaw State, knew they’d be a tough conference opponent. We just needed to make sure we did everything right. We can still get better but good team win.”
Veltkamp threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns on 77% completion, averaging 16.2 yards per completion. The Hilltoppers rushed for 186 yards as a team with one touchdown.
“We had a good game plan going in,” Veltkamp said. “Our coaches schemed up some plays and we had guys running wide open on a few plays. So when you got guys running wide open, it’s not that hard to play quarterback. The offensive line did a good job, I didn’t have a lot of pressures tonight, and the two sacks I took were on me, so the o-line did a nice job.”
Meanwhile, the WKU defense held Kennesaw State to 5-15 on third down conversions. The Hilltoppers recorded two sacks and an interception on the night. They held Owl quarterback Davis Bryson to just 77 yards passing on 50% completion.
Kennesaw State struggled throwing, completing just four passes for 41 yards in the first half and 36 in the second half.
“It makes our blood pressure go down knowing that you don’t have to go out there and score a ton of points every week,” Helton said on the defense.
First Quarter
WKU received the ball first to open the game. The Hilltoppers took the opening drive 79 yards in eight plays, including a big 44-yard pass to Kisean Johnson that was capped off by a 5-yard touchdown catch by senior tight end Trevor Borland.
Kennesaw State managed to gain two first downs and made it to the WKU 47 yard-line on their opening drive, but were forced to punt. WKU went three and out on their second drive.
The second Kennesaw state drive saw running back Michael Benefield break one for 37 yards for a touchdown, tying the game 7-7 with 5:28 left in the first.
Veltkamp used his legs to convert a fourth-and-1 at WKU’s own 34-yard line. The next play he found Easton Messer over the middle, where he outran the Kennesaw defenders for a 64-yard touchdown.The five play, 75-yard scoring drive gave WKU the lead back 14-7.
After a Kennesaw State three-and-out, WKU scored their third touchdown of the quarter, with redshirt junior running back George Hart III trucking a defender, then taking it 30 yards to the house. The first quarter ended with WKU leading 21-7.
Second Quarter
The Owls started their second drive with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which pushed them back to their own 14-yard line. After nine plays, they punted back to WKU.
WKU drove down to the Kennesaw State 9-yard line, but a Veltkamp fumble stalled the drive. Redshirt sophomore Lucas Carneiro nailed a 32-yard field goal to extend the Hilltopper lead to 17, 24-7.
The teams would trade punts before WKU kneeled down to end the half with a 24-7 lead.
Third Quarter
Kennesaw State punted on their opening drive of the third.
A Veltkamp pass was tipped and intercepted, but a pass interference penalty negated the turnover. The drive stalled inside the Kennesaw State 20-yard line, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Fourth Quarter
WKU drove 81 yards in five plays, ending in Veltkamp finding redshirt freshman tight end Noah Myers for a 17-yard touchdown. Veltkamp’s third touchdown throw of the night extended the WKU lead 31-7.
Kennesaw State quarterback Davis Bryson led the Owls on a long scoring drive, which he capped off himself on a 20-yard touchdown run. WKU led 31-14 with 5:19 left. The ensuing kickoff was an onside recovered by Kennesaw State, giving them the ball back at their own 46-yard line.
The drive ended with an interception by redshirt junior Kent Robinson. The teams traded punts before WKU kneeled it out to end the game, winning 31-14.
WKU will look to make it four wins in a row when they travel to New Mexico State on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Sports Reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at [email protected]
