WKU Football will host Louisiana Tech on Saturday for a homecoming showdown at Houchens-Smith Stadium.
Despite an off-putting defensive showcase last week against New Mexico State, in which they allowed 331 yards rushing on 55 carries, the Hilltoppers prevailed 41-28 against the Aggies behind five forced turnovers by the defense.
“We kind of always talk about the good, the bad, the ugly,” WKU defensive coordinator Tyson Summers said in a press conference. “I would say certainly the good, that is exactly what you talk about – five takeaways. Some of them came at some key points in time. The bad, we’ve got to be better on third down. We talked about that in here last week. The ugly, we’ve got to be better in the rushing game.”
In the win, WKU moved to 5-0 in conference play and retained an undefeated record at home. It’s the first time WKU has been 5-0 in conference play since 2015.
To remain unbeaten and move one step closer to clinching the Conference USA Championship Game bid, the Hilltoppers will need to take down LA Tech. Last season, WKU beat the Bulldogs 35-28 behind a Malachi Corley masterclass, catching eight receptions for 207 yards and three touchdowns. Dating back to 1939, the season series is knotted at 5-5. WKU has won two straight on the road and has a 3-1 home record versus the Bulldogs.
“Really excited about being back home,” Head Coach Tyson Helton said in a press conference. “We get to come back home for homecoming and play a really good opponent in Louisiana Tech. They had a great game last week against Jacksonville State, hard-fought game.”
LA Tech sits at 3-6 (2-4 C-USA). They house the fourth-best scoring defense, averaging 22.7 points allowed per game and allowing 312 total yards per game, which is the fewest in the conference. They also host the sixth-ranked offense in the conference.
The Bulldogs have lost their last two games, with their latest loss coming in overtime against conference-undefeated Jacksonville State 44-37.
“This time of year you’ve got to be playing your best football because we’re about to hit a stretch where we play some really good football teams and that starts with Louisiana Tech,” Helton said. “They do a really good job, so we’ve got to have a championship mentality about ourselves.”
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. The game can be watched on CBS Sports Network.
Michael’s Thoughts
When you force five turnovers in a game on the road, like WKU did against New Mexico State, you’re going to win football games. The Bulldogs have lost 11 fumbles and thrown seven interceptions this season. LA Tech ranks fifth in offensive efficiency in the conference, so it will be paramount to force turnovers.
WKU forced five turnovers against the Aggies but gave up 28 points in the process. The Hilltoppers have not allowed more than four touchdowns since their shutout loss to Alabama. No team has scored over 24 points. With their last two games of the season being against teams with the second and third-best offensive efficiency in the conference, LA Tech is a great opportunity to tune up the WKU defense and get them back on track. Not counting the games versus Alabama and New Mexico State, WKU allows 15.2 points per game.
The last team to outgain the Hilltoppers in total yards was Toledo on Sept. 21. WKU has allowed 150 rush yards or more in four straight games, and the Aggies had one player rush for that number all on his own. The Bulldogs are second to last in the conference in team rushing yards, only in front of MTSU, who ran for 150 in their Sept. 14 matchup against WKU. The Hilltoppers will need to find a way to limit the LA Tech rushing attack like they did Boston College, who has the lowest rushing total against the Hilltoppers this season.
Sports Reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at [email protected].
