A spectacular game-winning two-point conversion pass from redshirt freshman quarterback Rodney Tisdale Jr., who was making his first career start, to redshirt junior Moussa Barry ended an overtime battle in Ruston to take down Louisiana Tech 28-27.
Tisdale Jr. got the start for the injured Maverick McIvor, throwing for 227 yards and a touchdown, along with the game-winning two-point conversion.
“He did exactly what I thought he would do,” Head Coach Tyson Helton said on the CBS broadcast. “I just felt that we could go out there with Rodney and get it done.”
The WKU offense started red hot, scoring 20 points with 200 yards of offense in the first half and taking a 20-7 lead into the half. The offense fell off a cliff after halftime, with only 108 yards of offense in the second half.
The Hilltoppers put together a game-winning drive when it mattered most, converting a fourth-and-10 with a contested catch from senior receiver Matthew Henry. Senior running back George Hart III finished the drive with a 4-yard rush before Tisdale Jr. stepped up to the moment in his first start on the two-point conversion, throwing a bullet to Barry.
“We knew we were going for two all the way,” Helton said. “When we play offense, we want to finish the game in our (offense’s) hands.”
The offense had one drive in Louisiana Tech territory in the second half in regulation, the final possession of regulation for the Hilltoppers. The potential game-winning 37-yard field goal was blocked.
The WKU defense bounced back after giving up 453 yards against FIU through clutch plays, holding the Bulldogs’ offense to four field goals in six red zone trips.
Senior defensive back Jaavan Mack made a key play, grabbing an interception in the red zone, when the Bulldogs were threatening to take the lead early in the third quarter, trailing 20-14.
The Hilltoppers’ special teams struggled in the second half, giving up an 85-yard kick return touchdown off a lateral on the first play of the third quarter. Two other punt returns late in the third set up the Bulldogs in Hilltopper territory.
However, the Hilltopper special teams stepped up when it mattered most, blocking the potential game-winning 57-yard field goal as time expired in regulation.
The win brought the Hilltoppers to 6-2 (4-1 CUSA) on the season. The Hilltoppers return to Bowling Green to take on the New Mexico State Aggies Nov. 1 at 2:30 p.m..
