It’s no secret WKU’s run game has not been the most relevant part of the Hilltopper offense since Head Coach Tyson Helton got to town.
Since his arrival on the Hill, WKU has failed to eclipse the top-65 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing yards per game. Only once, a 2022 mark of 148.8 rushing yards per game, has WKU been in the top-90.
The lack of run game is something I always knew existed within the program, but something I really wasn’t sure mattered that much. Last season, my first year covering WKU Football, it was Austin Reed slingin’ it to Malachi Corley and friends on a game-by-game basis that really kept the no-show ground game under the radar.
Was the dominant air attack the Hilltoppers boasted weekly a fun watch? You bet.
But I didn’t realize how fun this offense could be with a dynamic run game until Wednesday night’s win against Kennesaw State.
Against KSU, the Hilltoppers rushed for 186 rush yards on 36 carries. Senior running back Elijah Young broke the 100-yard mark for the first time against the Owls. The Hilltoppers had three rushers over 30 yards.
“I thought we did a good job of really having a balance between the run and the pass,” Helton said. “I thought Elijah ran extremely hard. (I) thought all our backs ran really, really good… it helped the pass game a lot.”
And helped the passing game it did, Coach Helton.
On the first drive of the game, a play action pass opened up the secondary and receiver Kisean Johnson found space for a 44-yard gain. Two plays later, Caden Veltkamp found tight end Trevor Borland for the first score of the game.
Later in the first quarter, a play action pass opened up the secondary, giving receiver Easton Messer the ability to take a Veltkamp pass 64 yards for the score.
In the fourth quarter, a play action pass opened up the secondary, giving receiver Michael Mathison a window for a 30-yard completion. That same drive ended with a Veltkamp touchdown to tight end Noah Meyers.
If you couldn’t tell by the play-by-play above, the ability to draw the secondary in on play actions because of the running threat is something that aided WKU in their win against KSU, and has been something the Hilltoppers have capitalized on as of late. WKU has run for over 100 yards in four straight games.
“When you got guys running wide open, it’s not that hard to play quarterback,” Veltkamp said regarding the dynamic passing offense against the Owls. I would add that he had guys running wide open because of the running game.
WKU will always be a threat to beat teams with the pass. Averaging only 105.4 yards a carry last season, the pass is how the Hilltoppers reached eight wins. But, seeing how defenses treat a WKU offense that has production coming from the other half of the backfield makes me think that this WKU team has a bit more than eight wins coming their way this season.
