Louisiana Tech used a strong run game to play spoiler on homecoming Saturday, upsetting WKU Football 12-7 at Houchens Smith Stadium.
LA Tech won off the shoulders of their rushing attack, gaining 209 yards on 4.3 yards per carry. The Bulldogs earned 18 first downs in the game while holding WKU to 12 first downs and a 3-11 third-down conversion rate.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Caden Veltkamp threw for 152 yards and added 17 rush yards with no scores. He was sacked three times. Senior running back Elijah Young scored WKU’s lone touchdown. He ran for 24 yards and added 21 yards receiving.
The loss drops WKU to 7-3 (5-1 C-USA), snapping a four-game win streak for the Hilltoppers and ending their undefeated record at home.
“Tough one. Didn’t get it done. (We) had a lot of opportunities,” Head Coach Tyson Helton said.
Like WKU Men’s Basketball, WKU Football loves to play with a tempo, controlling the time and scoring at will. The Bulldogs, who have the number one defense by total yardage in the conference, eliminated the speed factor for the Hilltoppers. They dominated the time of possession game and only allowed one scoring drive in the game.
“(We) really struggled offensively,” Helton said.
WKU had five first half drives and four three-and-outs. They struggled to keep the Bulldogs off of the field, losing the time-of-possession advantage 19:03 to 10:57 in the first half. The Bulldogs outrushed WKU 135-40 in the half with 6.2 yards per carry. The Hilltoppers held LA Tech to 0-5 on third-down conversions and just 49 yards passing in the first half.
First Quarter
For the third straight game, WKU won the toss. They received it first, and they opened with a quick three-and-out. LA Tech took their first possession eight plays for 56 yards, knocking down a 35-yard field goal to get on the board first 3-0 with 9:30 remaining in the first quarter.
The Hilltoppers went three-and-out on their second drive. Redshirt sophomore Deante McCray sparked the defense with a sack, helping WKU stall an LA Tech drive after five plays.
Second Quarter
Elijah Young gave WKU its first points of the game on a 3-yard touchdown run, capping off a 14-play, 97-yard drive that started in the first quarter. WKU took the lead 7-3 with 14:16 left in the second.
A near interception by senior defensive back Anthony Johnson Jr. forced a LA Tech punt, but a roughing-the-kicker penalty gave the Bulldogs the ball back at the WKU 44-yard line. Another pass break-up by Johnson Jr. forced a Bulldog field goal, which went right down the middle, cutting the Hilltopper lead to one, 7-6, with 8:16 left in the second quarter.
WKU went three-and-out after an offensive holding penalty on the team’s fourth drive. The Bulldogs drove the ball eight plays for 49 yards, where they scored their third field goal in the game, which gave them the lead 9-7 with 2:25 remaining in the half.
WKU went three and out again. The Bulldogs ran out the rest of the clock, taking a 9-7 lead into halftime.
Third Quarter
LA Tech’s opening drive of the second half ended in a punt after seven plays. A WKU 14-play drive ended in a turnover-on-downs when Veltkamp was stopped short on a quarterback run, giving LA Tech the ball at their 7-yard-line with 2:06 left in the third.
“I felt like it was going to take more then the field goal,” Helton said on the decision to go for it on fourth down.
LA Tech went three-and-out but a muffed punt by WKU gave LA Tech the ball back at their 42-yard line.
Fourth Quarter
LA Tech drove 51 yards in 13 plays, ending with their fourth field goal from 24 yards out making it 12-7. WKU went three-and-out for the fifth time in the game on their next drive. After a six-yard loss on a third down at the WKU 24-yard line, LA Tech attempted a 47-yard field goal, which redshirt junior defensive tackle Hosea Wheeler blocked. The block was knocked out-of-bounds at the LA Tech 48-yard-line with 1:55 remaining in the game.
Veltkamp found Dalvin Smith on 4th and 15, but Smith was tackled a yard short of the first down. LA Tech kneeled it out to seal the win.
WKU will look to keep their conference championship hopes alive in a matchup against Liberty on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Lynchburg, Virginia.
“We angry, but we’re just trying to turn the page and move on and focus on the rest of the season,” redshirt sophomore linebacker Darius Thomas said. “We’ve got to worry about Liberty and Jacksonville State coming up. We’re just turning the page and moving forward.”
Sports Reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at [email protected].
