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

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.”

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. 

The predictions were voted on by each league’s 10 head coaches. WKU mens received 85 points, just two behind Louisiana Tech’s 87. The Hilltoppers received two first place votes. 

The Lady Toppers received 61 points behind FIU’s 73, Liberty’s 88 and first place MTSU’s 99. 

C-USA also announced the Preseason All-Conference Honorees. Senior guard Don McHenry and graduate forward Tyrone Marshall Jr. were both named to the list. Senior guard Alexis Mead was named to the C-USA Women’s Basketball Preseason Team. 

The men’s team will get an unofficial start to the season in a charity exhibition against UAB on Sunday, Oct. 27 at Diddle Arena. The Hilltoppers first official game is a home game against Wichita State on Nov. 4. 

The Lady Toppers have a home exhibition against Lee University on Oct. 29 and will officially start the year at Indiana State on Nov. 4. 

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

The Miners head into Thursday after a tough start to the season. UTEP is 0-5 and 0-2 in Conference USA play. Perez-Navarro said the reason for the slow start is that UTEP is “trying to rebuild with figures that are still adapting to the FBS [Football Bowl Subdivision] world.”

“[Head Coach] Scotty Walden, it’s his first gig as an FBS coach. He came from Austin Peay… that’s an FCS school. He still needs to adapt,” Perez-Navarro said. 

He also said key players for the Miners, such as wide receiver Trey Goodman and “Miner back” Kam Thomas, who both made the move to UTEP from Austin Peay along with Walden, are guys that have not fully adapted to the FBS level. 

Perez-Navarro said a solution to UTEP’s problems would be getting the “offense in a rhythm.” The Miners are averaging only 15.8 points per game, a mark that sits at 125th in FBS and last in C-USA. UTEP sits at 113th in FBS in total yards per game, averaging 322 yards per contest. 

On the other side of the ball, the Miner defense is allowing 32.6 points and a staggering 239 rushing yards a game, a mark that is fourth worst in FBS. However, Perez-Navarro said the overwhelming offensive struggle is something that has skewed the stats of a UTEP defense that has looked “phenomenal” in his eyes. 

“Those yards, they aren’t a direct representation of the on the field product,” he said. “I think the main story here is that the defense has just gassed itself out because they haven’t been given enough adequate time and rest.”

Perez-Navarro blamed some of the offensive struggles on the lack of a true starting quarterback. Cade McConnell and Skyler Locklear have both started for UTEP this year. Locklear has thrown for 710 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions on 104 attempts. McConnell has thrown for 444 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions on 64 attempts. 

McConell started for the Miners last week against Sam Houston and went for 204 yards, a touchdown and a pick. Locklear did not play against the Bearkats. 

“When you’re flip flopping back and forth between quarterbacks, obviously, it’s a situation which no coach likes to be in. It’s a hard situation to adjust your offense too,” Perez-Navarro said.

Perez-Navarro said that he would not be surprised if UTEP kept the game close. For the Miners to pull off the upset against the Hilltoppers, he said the UTEP defense would have to stay energized, the Miner offense would have to turn red zone opportunities into points and Walden would have to manage the clock better than he did in UTEP’s close loss against FCS Southern Utah. 

WKU football released their uniforms for next Thursdays red-out game against UTEP with a X post Wednesday, featuring the beloved mascot’s eyes on red helmets. The headgear will be paired with red uniforms and red pants.

Last year’s position-specific Big Red helmets garnered over 11 million social media impressions according to a press release from WKU football. According to the press release, this is the first time the Hilltopers will wear red helmets since the mid-2000’s.

Kickoff for WKU’s game against UTEP is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be the first in a month-long stretch of weekday games.

The Miners will transition on July 1, 2026 according to a press release from UTEP Athletics. 

UTEP will be the seventh team to leave C-USA since 2023 as Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UTSA and UAB all left the league and joined the American Athletic Conference.

Since 2023, C-USA has added five universities including Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State, Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State. The conference is set to add Delaware and Missouri State in 2025. 

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

WKU football took Boston College to the wire Saturday, but ultimately fell short, 21-20, in nauseating fashion.

Here are my thoughts on WKU’s loss at Boston College, if you can bear to relive it. 

Defense Continues to Shine

After an amazing performance at home against Toledo, I was concerned a tough road game against Boston College would stunt any momentum the WKU defense gathered against the Rockets.

But I’ll be the first to say – and I’ll say it loudly – that I was wrong. 

The Hilltoppers held the run-heavy Eagles to 111 yards rushing, the second lowest mark BC has had all year. And while BC was victim to a last minute quarterback change, WKU held backup Grayson James to 168 yards through the air. 

This performance is the first time WKU has allowed 21 points or less in back-to-back games since Nov. 12, 2022, a game that saw WKU beat Rice 45-10. 

As quarterback Caden Veltkamp continues to settle into his new role, it’s vital that the defense continues to play at this level, especially headed into Conference USA play. 

Veltkamp looked better but still hasn’t fully settled as a starter

It’s been two games of Veltkamp at the helm and I’d say his starts have been a bit underwhelming. 

I am weary to say that the redshirt sophomore quarterback has been seemingly disappointing as the starter because of the very high expectations he set coming off the bench. Veltkamp threw for a combined 781 yards and 10 touchdowns in last year’s bowl game against Old Dominion and this year’s game against MTSU. 

In his two outings as a starter, he has thrown for 474 yards and three touchdowns. Perhaps the most troubling stat is the four interceptions in the two games. 

However, I am doing my best to take this with a grain of salt. 

Even with the underwhelming play, WKU was a hypothetical score away from a 2-0 start under his reign and a hypothetical score away from being 2-0 against two really solid squads. 

With a bye week and 0-4 UTEP on the horizon, this feels like the perfect stretch for Veltkamp to settle into the starter role headed into conference play. 

Accept the Moral Victories

I know the old cliche of “no moral victories” in sports, but  WKU can and should be proud as they leave Chestnut Hill. 

WKU went into a packed parents weekend environment against a Power 4 team and almost escaped the hostility with a win. 

WKU’s last power conference games were a 63-10 loss to Ohio State and a 63-0 loss against Alabama. I know the Buckeyes and Crimson Tide aren’t exactly comparable to the Eagles – no shade to BC – but to go into a tough environment against a tough team and play a tough game is a feat that had been foreign to Hilltopper teams in the past. 

What’s Next

Unfortunately, the sting from this one may stick with Hilltopper faithful for a bit longer than usual. WKU won’t play another game until Thursday, Oct. 10 when they take on the UTEP Miners.

At the moment, UTEP sits at 0-4 and in last place in C-USA. 

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

“I’d say it’s tough to gauge how much of a drop off there will be offensively, if any,” Sourabh Gokarn, deputy managing editor and football beat writer at the BC Heights, said. “It’s already a very run-heavy offense and I definitely expect that to continue with Tommy out.”

Backup Grayson James will fill in for Castellanos and make his first start as an Eagle. WKU is familiar with James as the former FIU Panther has played in two games against the Hilltoppers, losing both, including a 73-0 shellacking in his lone start against WKU.

In his career, James has 2,347 yards through the air with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

“James came along pretty nicely through the spring and training camp,” Gokarn said. “He’s much bigger than Castellanos and while he doesn’t have the agility Castellanos has, he can still move pretty well and has nice touch on his passes.”

WKU is set to kick off against BC at 11 am.

There are some similarities between the Hilltoppers and Eagles headed into Saturday’s affair as both teams look to improve on a 3-1 record. Gokarn said the key to Boston College’s strong  start is the Eagles’ disciplined play. On the season, BC has committed 14 penalties for 103 yards. 

“I think the biggest key for this team so far is that they’ve found their identity, and I think they’ve stayed true to that identity on the field… . This is a team that plays very, very disciplined. It limits penalties,” Gokarn said. 

Gokarn attributes “100%” of that discipline to first year head coach Bill O’Brien. The former NFL head coach has instilled a very “[New England] Patriots like operation in terms of master discipline,” Gokarn said. 

“I think that’s the Bill O’Brien effect. That’s where you see it the most, the discipline on the field,” he said. “It’s one game at a time, one play at a time… .That seems to be translating on the field with a much more disciplined Boston College team that has been seen in years.”

Along with limiting the penalties, Gokarn said BC has done well controlling the line of scrimmage. Neto Okpala, George Rooks and Donovan Ezeiruaku are guys, Gokarn said, who pose trouble on the defensive line while their offensive line has been a huge factor in BC’s strong run game. The Eagles average 192.5 rush yards per game with guys like Treshaun Ward, Turbo Richard and former Hilltopper Kye Robichaux out of the backfield. 

“That’s, to me, the biggest part of their identity,” Gokarn said. “On both sides of the ball they’ve been winning the battle in the trenches.”

Another similarity between BC and WKU is that both are going into Saturday following a gritty win. For the Eagles, it was a 42-yard touchdown with under two minutes left that was the deciding factor in their win against Michigan State. Gokarn said that even in the win the Eagles “did not play all that great of a game.”

“That was not Boston College’s best performance,” he said. “It was cold. It was rainy and they didn’t really have a lot of the conditions in their favor… but they still pulled it out.”

Gokarn said his best version of Boston College is yet to arrive but when it does it will feature an offense that has unlocked quarterback Thomas Castellanos as a passer. Castellanos has thrown for 10 touchdowns and two interceptions on the season and is averaging only 188 passing yards per game. He has completed 45 of his 70 passing attempts and is eighth in the FBS in passing efficiency.  

While he may have not been fully unlocked as a passer yet, Castellanos has done a lot of damage with his legs. The quarterback has run for 166 yards on the season. 

“Another point of emphasis for Bill O’ Brien, day one of Castellanos has been quick decision making,” Gokarn said. “This is a guy who can make tremendous off schedule plays and make magic happen with the football, but take what the defense is giving you. He’s been able to take the checkdown, take the short pass.”

Defensively, Gokarn said the best version of the Eagles hosts an improved secondary.

“Strong defensive line play has sort of made up for that so far,” he said. “I think they’ve [the secondary] has done a good job tackling, but there’s been a lot of open space for guys.”

Against WKU, Gokarn said BC will look to control the tempo early and said he would not be surprised if the Eagles looked to open up the pass game more. 

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