But in the blink of an eye, what seemed to be WKU’s first down-to-the-wire conference contest turned into yet another comfortable C-USA win.

How?

15 Minutes of Seamless Football

Hosea Wheeler field goal block.

Caden Veltkamp to K.D. Hutchinson, 74-yard touchdown. 

Sam Houston fumble recovered by WKU.

Veltkamp 19-yard rushing touchdown. 

Sam Houston turnover on downs. 

This was the sequence in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter. With tensions high and their backs against the wall, the Hilltoppers played almost perfect football to make a three-point lead a 17-point lead in a matter of moments. 

I say almost perfect because nothing in sports can ever be truly perfect, but man, this was close. 

“The first half was a total back and forth like I expected and then slowly but surely in the second half we were able to make some big plays,” Head Coach Tyson Helton said. 

With a high-stress situation in an already high-stress game, teams can crumble or team’s can live up to the challenge. 

The Hilltoppers end their season with Liberty and Jacksonville State, two top teams in C-USA that are sure to give WKU a tough time. But outside of Boston College, when WKU has had their backs against the wall this season, WKU has shown they can live up to the challenge.

Defense

I’ve mentioned WKU’s defense in this column a lot recently, but I feel like yet again they were too good to leave out. 

Aside from a few big plays – which have really been the only glaring downfall this season – that resulted in touchdowns, WKU held the Bearkats offense to only 14 points. They averaged 31 points per game beforehand. 

The defense has yet to allow over 21 points a game in Conference USA play. WKU has only allowed over 21 to one opponent this entire year, Alabama.

“I like it that way. Defense wins championships,” Helton said. “Anytime our backs are against the wall, anythings happening, they go out there, create turnovers and get stops.” 

The Bye Week

If you told me before the season that WKU would be 5-2 heading into the second bye week I wouldn’t be surprised.

Outside of the two Power 4 games, WKU’s schedule lined up to where a 5-2 mark seemed very possible.

But if you told me that WKU would be 5-2 with a stellar defense and a good – and improving – offense under Caden Veltkamp, I’d be ecstatic. 

Around the exact same time last season, the Hilltoppers were watching a Jacksonville State kick sail through the uprights, handing WKU their first conference loss of the year. While that loss did not totally derail the year, a loss against Liberty the next week seemed to throw the C-USA championship hopes off the tracks. 

This year, the Hilltoppers have their entire season ahead of them after their first big conference test. WKU has not made a C-USA championship since 2021 and has not won a C-USA championship in the Helton era.

Maybe it’s the immaturity of a young college journalist who wants to see his tuition payments go to something exciting, but this year feels different.

Sports Reporter Jake McMahon can be reached at michael.mcmahon480@topper.wku.edu

GAME ONE

To begin set one Louisiana Tech jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead before the Hilltoppers were able to gain control. The Bulldogs and Hilltoppers traded points back and forth before the Hilltoppers jumped to a 19-16 lead which ultimately led to WKU winning set one 25-18.

WKU came out firing in the second set pulling out to a 5-0 lead behind senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox. The Bulldogs closed the gap to make it a 10-7. Despite Louisiana Tech closing the gap the swings from WKU were too much for Techs defense and WKU took set two 25-14.

Much like in the first set the Bulldogs and Hilltoppers traded points before WKU was able to pull away late in the set making it a 23-17 lead. The Hilltoppers put the set and match away after two back-to-back aces from Cox made it 25-17.

GAME TWO

The first set was close throughout, with neither team leading by more than three. WKU looked to get something going with the set tied 17-17, and Kenadee Coyle led the charge as the Hilltoppers scored eight out of the next 11 points. 

The Hilltoppers jumped out to a big lead in the second set and never looked back, dominating with a 25-10 win. Louisiana Tech only trailed 6-4 early, but the Hilltoppers dominated by out-scoring the Bulldogs 19-6 for the remainder of the match. 

Louisiana Tech fought back in the final set, leading early 14-13. But the Hilltoppers went on another run with five straight points by Kenadee Coyle to set the tone for the rest of the match. WKU would win 25-19, sweeping Louisiana Tech for the second time on the weekend. 

Freshman outside hitter Alivia Skidmore had a dominant showing, with 19 kills in the match. Coyle and Cox added on with nine kills. It was a full team effort as defensive specialist Abby Schaefer led the defense with 12 digs. 

The Hilltoppers will look to continue their 13-game win streak next weekend as they take on the UTEP miners in a doubleheader.

Sports Reporter Austin Ricer can be reached at Austin.rice714@topper.wku.edu

Sports Reporter Peyton Reid can be reached at Peyton.reid502@topper.wku.edu

Liberty came into the game second in Conference USA at 4-1-1, with their only loss to first place FIU.  The Flames managed 17 shot attempts and five shots on goal, and were turned away on all five.  The Flames lead the conference in shot attempts and are tied for first in goals scored.

“We had a game plan tonight. They have some very good attacking players and we felt like we needed to shut those players down,” Head Coach Jason Neidell said. “I thought our players did an excellent job of understanding and executing their individual roles and understanding our game plan as a team. We executed defensively very well tonight. I thought we were really disciplined in what we did.”

The Hilltoppers managed five shot attempts and just one shot on goal, held away from the goal by the Liberty defense.  This is the third straight game WKU has not scored a goal.

Senior goalkeeper Maddie Davis recorded five saves in the game.  It’s her fifth clean sheet of the season and 13th of her career.

The Hilltoppers move to 3-7-4 (1-2-4 C-USA).  With just two games before the C-USA Tournament, WKU sits eighth in the conference.

WKU will travel to Miami, Florida to play the FIU Panthers on Sunday, Oct. 27th.

The game can be watched on ESPN +

Sports Reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at Michael.givner586@topper.wku.edu

The Hilltoppers are coming into their weekend series after surviving two five set matches against the FIU Panthers. Louisiana Tech is coming into the series after being swept twice by UTEP.

The Hilltoppers have a balanced offensive attack with five hitters having triple digit kills with senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox leading the way with 266 kills. The offense is set up by redshirt junior setter Callie Bauer who has nearly reached 800 assists on the season which is the second most assists in NCAA. 

The defense for the Hilltoppers has been superb, spearheaded by sophomore middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele who has racked up 114 blocks which is second in NCAA up to this point.

Louisiana Tech is led by junior outside hitter Giulia Bonifacio who has accumulated 152 kills along with ten service aces so far this year. The defense has been set up by senior middle blocker Charlize Williams who has racked up 79 blocks.

The Hilltoppers have dominated the series against Louisiana Tech as they are 17-7. WKU has not lost since 1999 where Louisiana Tech won in five sets. The last time these two met was last season where the Hilltoppers swept Louisiana Tech in straight sets.

The first match is set for Friday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Sports reporter Peyton Reid can be reached at Peyton.reid502@topper.wku.edu.

The Hilltoppers found themselves in a tight 17-14 contest through three quarters before scoring two touchdowns in just over two minutes and putting the nail in the coffin on a pivotal road win. 

“I thought it was a great team win tonight,” Head Coach Tyson Helton said. “I mean, this is a tough place to go on the road and get a win like we did. The first half was a total back and forth battle, like I expected, and then slowly but surely in the second half we were able to make some big plays.”

WKU took advantage of a few big miscues by the Bearkats throughout the game. Sam Houston missed a kick, had a kick blocked, fumbled a snap and threw an interception. The miscues led to 14 Hilltopper points.

The win brings the Hilltoppers to 3-0 in conference play and 5-2 overall. 

Veltkamp put together another strong performance, throwing for 281 yards and accounting for four total touchdowns. Additionally, it was Veltkamp’s first start of the year without a turnover.

Senior Elijah Young was productive in both the rushing and receiving game for the Hilltoppers. Young went for 97 yards on the ground and 61 yards and a touchdown receiving.

Redshirt sophomore K.D. Hutchinson led the receiving corps with 88 yards and a touchdown.

The Hilltopper defense was once again very good aside from a couple big plays by the opposition. In addition to a blocked field goal, the Hilltoppers came up with their 11th and 12th turnovers of the season. 

First Half

WKU received the opening kickoff and put together an extremely efficient touchdown drive. Veltkamp went 4-5 on the drive for 57 yards and capped off the drive with a 17-yard touchdown to redshirt junior River Helms.

The Hilltoppers quickly got the ball back after forcing a punt, but quickly were forced to punt it back to Sam Houston after a three-and-out. 

Sam Houston was forced to punt their next drive, despite moving past midfield, after being set back by an offensive pass interference. 

The following WKU drive stalled around midfield as well, forcing another punt.

The Bearkats responded with their first scoring drive of the game, opening the second quarter with a 37-yard passing touchdown.

WKU followed with a scoring drive of their own that ended with a 51-yard field goal to make it 10-7.

Sam Houston responded with another big play touchdown on a 50-yard pass. The four play, 73-yard drive made it 14-10. 

WKU answered with a longer touchdown drive that went 75 yards in 13 plays. Young concluded the drive with an 11-yard receiving touchdown to make it 17-14. 

Following a Sam Houston punt, WKU ran the clock out to halftime, despite moving into Sam Houston territory. 

The Hilltoppers did not use their final timeout with their last drive of the half. Time ran out on WKU after a reception at the Sam Houston 18-yard-line.

Second Half

Sam Houston began the second half with a 10-play drive that ultimately ended with a missed field goal.

WKU’s first drive of the second half resulted in a punt despite moving the ball past midfield.

The Bearkats were quickly forced to punt again on their next drive after their starting quarterback Hunter Watson went out with an injury.

WKU followed with another quick punt, giving the Bearkats the back with 22 seconds left in the third quarter.

The next Sam Houston drive began with a 31-yard pass play. The drive ended with no points however as redshirt junior Hosea Wheeler blocked a field goal attempt.

Hutchinson proceeded to give the Hilltoppers a 24-14 lead on the third play of the next drive with a 74-yard receiving touchdown. 

The Bearkats fumbled a snap on their next drive, giving WKU the ball back at the Sam Houston 24-yard line.

Veltkamp proceeded to rush it in from 19 yards out to give the Hilltoppers a 31-14 lead.

Sam Houston drove into Hilltopper territory with their next drive before turning it over on downs.

After a punt by WKU, redshirt junior Upton Stout ended any chance of a comeback with an interception.

The Hilltoppers will have another bye week next week before returning home to face Kennesaw State on Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. CT.

“This is the time of the year where you need these wins, when you go on the road,” Helton said.“It says a lot about our football team, and we get to recover a little bit, we get a bye so that’s good. We got some bumps and bruises guys need to heal but sitting in a good position.”

Sports Reporter Camden Bush can be reached at camden.bush770@topper.wku.edu.

In their first year in the Football Bowl Subdivision, Sam Houston went 3-9. Five of those nine losses, however, came within one score including their 28-23 road loss to the Hilltoppers in late November. Foster said the tagline for the Bearkats throughout the offseason was “we lost five games on five plays.”

In their second year in FBS, the Bearkats have quickly turned the corner starting 5-1. 

He said that all of the change for the Bearkats can be credited to the work Sam Houston did on endurance and stamina over the offseason.

“They’ve really boiled it down from doing stuff in the weight room and trying to win the day on each play and find those five plays,” Foster said. “Ultimately, it’s paid off for them this year.”

On the field, Sam Houston has done most of their damage with the run game. The Bearkats have the 11th best rushing offense in FBS, averaging 228.8 rushing yards a game. A lot of the Sam Houston rushing success has come from quarterback Hunter Watson who leads the Bearkats in rushing with 370 yards. 

“Watson in there at quarterback has been key for that running game,” Foster said.

He also said that the Bearkats have “four running backs that could be starters on this team.”

“That’s just been pivotal, because even in late games, they could flip to somebody else who could have probably started the game,” Foster said.

Jay Ducker and DJ McKinney have been the two standout backs for Sam Houston this season. The duo is tied with 348 total yards. Ducker has five rushing touchdowns to McKinney’s two. 

While he complemented Watson and the Bearkats’ ability to run the ball, he said that Watson “does make some mistakes” including some in the passing game.

“If Western can stop the run game and force him to throw, it could get a little interesting,” Foster said. “But also, I have all the faith in the world that Hunter Watson can complete passes.”

Watson has thrown for 859 yards on the season with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. 

Defensively, Foster said the Bearkat secondary has stepped up, allowing 208 passing yards a game which is good for third best in Conference-USA. Defensive backs Isaiah Cash and Caleb Weaver are key guys Foster mentioned on the secondary. Cash and Weaver rank first and third in C-USA respectively for pass breakups per game.

Although they have been successful so far this season, he said that this secondary could face a challenge against the air attacking WKU offense. 

“They [Sam Houston] played Hawaii and Hawaii’s a team that’s going to throw it a lot and that secondary really stuck up. But it feels like this Western Kentucky team is more complete on that offensive end,” Foster said. “I could see maybe where these secondary guys are going to be really tested in this one.”

On the stat sheet, WKU and Sam Houston have been similar. Both teams are averaging around 30 points a game and allowing 23 points per game. With the similarities between the two, Foster said he expects the Wednesday night contest is “going to be a really good game that goes down to the end.”

“You got two teams fighting for [a] Conference USA title spot,” Foster said. “I think it’s going to be one of those that goes down to the final play.”

The Hilltoppers and Bearkats both figure to be in contention for the Conference USA title and this matchup will have big stakes in deciding who gets to the conference championship. 

“We’ve got a veteran group, love our team, they get the big picture,” Head Coach Tyson Helton said. “I think they’re excited to play this game, they have a lot of respect for the opponent that they are about to play.”

Both WKU and Sam Houston currently sit 2-0 in conference play and have handily defeated each of their opponents.

WKU has outscored C-USA opponents 93-38 on the season and Sam Houston has outscored C-USA opponents 72-32.

The Hilltoppers will head to Huntsville, Texas on short rest following a Thursday game last week. Wednesday’s matchup will be WKU’s second of three midweek contests in October. 

“I think we’ve been on track,” Helton said. “Guys have been good, nobody has felt rushed or like hey there is a quick turnaround.”

WKU is coming off a bounce-back victory over UTEP after dropping their previous game at Boston College in heartbreaking fashion. 

The Hilltoppers receiving group is coming off a huge week against UTEP and will look to put together another strong week at Sam Houston.

Last week redshirt sophomore Easton Messer had 106 yards, senior Kisean Johnson had 82 yards, graduate Michael Mathison had three touchdowns and redshirt senior Dalvin Smith had a touchdown. 

Helton sees room for improvement on the defensive side of the ball despite allowing only 17 points last week.

“I feel like we got tested last week in some of those scenarios against UTEP,” Helton said. “We turned a 60-yard touchdown loose defensively. I think that was a learning lesson, we didn’t take good angles defensively.”

The Hilltoppers will face off against a much more explosive offense this week against Sam Houston. The Bearkats have scored over 30 points in all but one of their games this season. 

Sam Houston enters the game as 2.5 point favorites, according to ESPN, after winning four straight. 

Wednesday’s matchup will be nationally televised on ESPN2 and will kickoff at 6 p.m. CT. 

The Hilltoppers were tormented by the Blue Raider defense, being denied on all four shot-on -goal attempts and missing all 11 shots.  The Hilltoppers committed nine fouls in the game.

“Give credit to MTSU,” Head Coach Jason Neidell said. “We played a really good MTSU team tonight who went at us in the second half and was very clinical when it mattered most.”

The Blue Raiders hit on two of their 22 shot attempts, with one in the 27th minute and the other in the 54th minute.  MTSU managed 10 shots on goal, with senior goalkeeper Maddie Davis managing eight saves in the match, just one save shy of her career high.

The loss drops WKU to 3-7-3 (1-2-3 C-USA).

“We will regroup to welcome another really good Liberty team next week,” Neidell said.“We have our backs up against the wall and will be ready.”

The Hilltoppers will return to Bowling Green to play Liberty on Saturday, Oct. 19th at 6pm.

Sports reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at Michael.givner586@topper.wku.edu

In the first game of the weekend the Panthers took the Hilltoppers to the limit in five sets, however WKU was able to escape the five set thriller and take game one.

In the second game of the two game weekend series FIU took the Hilltoppers to five sets once again where WKU was able to escape winning both of the games this weekend.

The two games marked the first time since the beginning of Conference USA play that WKU was taken to five sets.

GAME ONE

To begin the first set, the Hilltoppers and Panthers traded points back and forth before a huge scoring run from WKU led by five kills from sophomore middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele gave WKU a 24-17 lead. Despite a small run from FIU, WKU put the set away 25-17.

In the second set the Hilltoppers jumped out to an early 6-2 lead after multiple attack errors from the Panthers. FIU could get nothing going as the hitters from WKU were too much. The Hilltoppers put the set away 25-14 after four kills from freshman outside hitter Faith Young.

The Panthers were in a win or go home scenario in the third set. FIU appeared to have WKU figured out as they came out firing. Led by sophomore outside hitter Courtney O’Brien, FIU took a 20-15 lead. WKU had an answer thanks to senior right side hitter Kenadee Coyle giving WKU a 22-20 lead. Despite this FIU had an answer and took the third set 25-23.

FIU started where they left off in the third set, jumping out to a huge 21-13 lead by O’Brien and freshman outside hitter Jillian Huckabey. The Hilltoppers tried to answer, going on a four point scoring run to make it 24-19, but the Panthers put it away 25-19.

The Hilltoppers looked to avoid the reverse sweep against FIU and did just that. Despite the two teams trading blows the attack errors from the Panthers paid dividends as the Hilltoppers closed the set and the match in five sets.

GAME TWO

FIU dominated the first set, taking it 25-14. Senior outside hitter Kaylee Cox and freshman pin hitter Alivia Skidmore led the offense with three kills each. Redshirt junior setter Callie Bauer and Coyle added three digs a piece. 

The difference between the first and second sets was staggering. The Hilltoppers dominated on defense to pull even with a 25-19 win. The defense held the Panthers to a .000 hitting percentage. Young led with three kills, along with Cox and Coyle. 

The Hilltoppers kept the momentum going with a close win in set three, pulling ahead 25-16. Cox dominated with six kills, while Coyle and Young added a block apiece. A breakout performance from junior libero Callahan Weigandt with two service aces added on a great team performance. 

Skidmore set the tone for the fourth set, taking over with four kills and a solo block, and senior outside hitter Katie Howard led the back row with three digs. The Hilltoppers got off to a fast start, leading by as much as seven early on. However, three separate scoring runs of at least three points by FIU was the difference, as the Panthers clawed their way back to take the set 25-21, sending the game to a fifth set. 

FIU led early in the final set 2-0, but the Hilltoppers took over with an 8-2 run and never looked back, taking the set 15-9 and avoiding the upset. Van De Wiele led with two blocks, and Cox added a solo block. 

The Hilltoppers will be back in action at E.A. Diddle Arena to face off against Louisiana Tech on Friday, Oct. 18 at 6pm.

Let me rephrase.

In his opening statement after WKU football’s blowout 44-17 win against conference opponent UTEP, Helton said the Hilltoppers “need to get a lot better and need to get a lot better real fast in every area.”

“This is the time of year you gotta be really critical of yourself. I’m not getting down on anybody. I think you’ll pull anybody in this room [and] they’ll say the same thing,” Helton said. 

If a coach ever says there is nothing more that needs to be improved with his squad than he’s in the wrong profession. But when your coach says there is a lot of work that needs to be done after a 27-point conference win, you got to be pretty darn excited about what this team will look like when they get better.

Here are my thoughts about WKU’s 44-17 win against UTEP. 

Defense Still rolling

For the first time in a few weeks my pessimistic self snuck back into the picture following a 76-yard touchdown on UTEP’s second offensive drive.

“They’re back,” he said. “The big-play prone Western defense is back like they had never left.”

After the two-play, 80-yard drive, UTEP’s offensive possessions for the rest of the first half went as follows:

Five plays, 24 yards gained, interception.

Three plays, seven yards gained, punt.

Three plays, 12 yards lost, punt.

Six plays, 22 yards gained, turnover on downs. 

WKU continued their domination in the second half, allowing only a field goal in the final 30 minutes of the game. 

“I think we played well. We obviously got things we need to clean up,” Defensive tackle Dallas Walker said. “Going into practice this week we are going to focus on all the little things that we missed out there today. I think we just did a good job flying to the ball and playing with good effort.”

Hanging on for dear life, that same pessimistic self yells that this UTEP team was one of, if not the worst offense WKU has played. But no, there are no stats that will deter me from enjoying this current WKU defense. You play who’s on your schedule, and WKU’s defense continued a great stretch of performances Thursday night. 

WKU gave up only 178 yards through the air and allowed only 3.7 yards per carry. The defense also forced an interception and three turnovers on downs.

The Big Red People Eaters tied season highs in tackles for loss with eight and sacks with three. 

Thursday’s game marked the first time WKU has held three straight opponents to 21 points or less since Oct. 30, 2021. That team went the last seven regular season games without allowing over 21 points. 

Balanced offense

It’s weird to me that I’m talking about a WKU offense and the first thing I’m going to mention is the run game, but UTEP came into Thursday’s contest with one of the worst run defenses in the country and the Hilltoppers exposed it. 

WKU finished the game with 218 total rushing yards. Six Hilltoppers ran for 16 yards or more as it wasn’t just the backs getting it done. The Hilltoppers got the receivers involved with a few end-arounds to pick up those yards with the running game. It was exciting, fun and led to an offense that “at times was really explosive,” Helton said.  

The fun-to-watch offense carried itself into the passing game. Quarterback Caden Veltkamp had his best start as a Hilltopper throwing for 264 yards, three touchdowns and an interception off a deflection. He also found plenty of his weapons in the game, completing passes to seven Hilltoppers. Receivers Easton Messer and Kisean Johnson both went for over 80 yards. 

Helton was right during the postgame, noting that the offense was sloppy at times. The offense allowed three sacks, went 6-14 on third down and Veltkamp’s interception did come inside the redzone. 

But Helton was also right that there were “a lot of really really good things.” Things that will have to be really really good for WKU to compete for a conference title. 

What’s Next

“This is the time of year you gotta be really critical of yourself. I’m not getting down on anybody, I think you’ll pull anybody into this room [and] they’ll say the same thing,” Helton said. “We are extremely happy to get this win, everybody’s excited, but when we come to work tomorrow we got to turn that page and get back to work for Sam Houston.”

If you would have told me before the season that on Oct. 16, WKU would be traveling to face a top-2 team in Conference USA, I would have bet my house that it would be Liberty. My second best guess would be Jacksonville State or the slightly less probable solution that WKU thought a mid-season Red and White game was an excellent idea.

Never did I think next Wednesday’s bout against Sam Houston would hold this much importance. 

But in an incredible story Sam Houston has turned their three-win season from last year into a 5-1 start. 

The Bearkats host the number three offense in defense in C-USA and have outscored their opponents 191-143.

It’s No. 3 against No. 2 in C-USA and it’s two teams who look prime to compete for a conference title in December. 

Buckle up.