Western Kentucky’s season has been building to this moment.
The Hilltoppers host a team their players consider their arch-rival in the final game of the regular season with a spot in the Conference USA championship game on the line.
WKU senior kicker Garrett Schwettman called the Tops’ (9-2 overall, 7-0 C-USA) showdown with Marshall (9-2, 6-1) on Friday “one of those games that you live for when you come here.
“I mean, the East championship on the line, going to the conference championship on the line, both teams 9-2, it’s something to really look forward to, especially coming off last year with us going down there and pulling out an upset,” Schwettman said. “This is just one of those games that all of our guys are excited for.
“We had a couple games marked on our schedule that we couldn’t wait for and this was probably the biggest one.”
The Hilltoppers host the Thundering Herd at 11 a.m. Friday in Houchens-Smith Stadium with their long-stated goal of a conference title at stake.
Since becoming a full-time FBS member in 2009, WKU has taken plenty of positive steps – going from 2-10 in 2010 to 7-5 in ’11, earning a bowl bid in ’12, winning a bowl game in ’13, beating Southeastern Conference teams in ’12 and ’13 and this season.
The one box the Tops haven’t checked is winning a conference title. They came close in 2011, going 7-1, but finished second in the Sun Belt Conference to Arkansas State.
This is the closest they’ve come since then. Beat Marshall and WKU earns the right to host the C-USA championship game Dec. 5.
Win that and the Hilltoppers have accomplished the feat they’ve been shooting for all season.
“We’ve worked all summer, all spring, all camp,” redshirt junior safety Branden Leston said. “Everything we’ve done is for this game to get to a conference championship to reach our main goal.”
Beyond what’s at stake, WKU-MU is a matchup that promises to bring some emotion carried over from last season.
It was Black Friday 2014 when the Toppers went to Huntington, W.Va., as an underdog to an 11-0 Herd team gunning for an undefeated season.
Eight Brandon Doughty touchdown passes and one Doughty-to-Willie McNeal two-point conversion pass later, WKU had knocked off Marshall 67-66 in overtime.
Hilltopper coach Jeff Brohm said he expects fewer points this time, but similar drama.
“I expect a game similar, in that it will go back and forth,” Brohm said. “It’s going to be close.”
The 2014 contest also included a pregame skirmish and jawing between opposing players throughout the afternoon.
Some of that has spilled into social media this week – Thundering Herd and Hilltopper players have been mixing it up on Twitter.
Marshall middle linebacker Evan McKelvey posted a tweet Monday afternoon comparing WKU to rapper Meek Mill and comparing the Herd to rival rapper Drake.
The comparison was a reference to a summer feud between the two rappers that was widely believed to have been won by Drake.
Leston responded to McKelvey’s tweet by predicting “we gon score 50...maybe 60 AGAIN...”
Leston also posted tweets comparing the Tops’ 58-28 victory against Middle Tennessee this season to the Thundering Herd’s 27-24 loss at MTSU, and saying that Marshall safety Tiquan Lang “can’t guard” WKU receiver Jared Dangerfield.
The safety was asked what made him so confident about the Hilltoppers’ chances Friday.
“Our defense has gotten a lot better and we know our offense is going to score points,” Leston said. “We know we’ve got the best quarterback and some of the best receivers in the nation.
“Our defense is playing a lot, lot better this year, creating turnovers and doing everything we need to do. I think as long as we play our game, we’ll come out on top.”
The primary difference between this year’s Marshall team and last season’s is under center, where freshman Chase Litton has taken over the reins from Rakeem Cato.
Cato threw for more than 14,000 yards and 131 touchdowns in his college career. Litton has been productive in his first season, throwing for 239.7 yards per game with 20 passing touchdowns against five interceptions.
The Thundering Herd also feature a balanced running attack. Five MU backs have rushed for more than 250 yards this season. Devon Johnson leads that bunch with 555 yards and five TDs on the ground.
“They’re going to run the ball,” WKU secondary coach Mike Cassity said. “They’re going to be in the one-back set.
“They’ve got extremely good receivers, a big, physical offensive line. They’ll try to balance it run and pass.”
McKelvey is the Herd’s leading tackler with 104 stops. Safety Taj Letman has intercepted three passes and made 66 tackles, while defensive end Gary Thompson has eight sacks and forced five fumbles.
“They play a very physical brand of football,” WKU offensive line coach Neil Callaway said. “They bring pressure enough to make you have to execute and not make mistakes.
“They’ll play a lot of man coverage and challenge our receivers at the line of scrimmage and try to reroute us and whatnot. They’ve got very good talent, they’re very well coached, so it’ll be a challenge for us.”
Of course the Hilltoppers have plenty of skilled players of their own.
Sixth-year senior quarterback Doughty will be playing his final regular season game at Houchens-Smith Stadium. The prolific QB – who coaches declined to make available to the media this week – is throwing for 346.7 yards per game with 37 TD passes against just six INTs.
Redshirt junior running back Ace Wales is averaging 7.6 yards per carry and has run for six scores. Junior wide receiver Taywan Taylor has caught 68 passes for 104.6 yards per game and 14 touchdowns.
Senior linebacker Nick Holt has made 76 tackles and four sacks, sophomore linebacker T.J. McCollum has notched 88 stops and senior cornerback Wonderful Terry ran an interception back for a touchdown last week.
“It couldn’t be any better,” Cassity said. “It’s the day after Thanksgiving and everybody’s going to be watching the game nationwide. It’s two great programs and it’ll be a good football game.”
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The Hilltoppers host a team their players consider their arch-rival in the final game of the regular season with a spot in the Conference USA championship game on the line.
WKU senior kicker Garrett Schwettman called the Tops’ (9-2 overall, 7-0 C-USA) showdown with Marshall (9-2, 6-1) on Friday “one of those games that you live for when you come here.
“I mean, the East championship on the line, going to the conference championship on the line, both teams 9-2, it’s something to really look forward to, especially coming off last year with us going down there and pulling out an upset,” Schwettman said. “This is just one of those games that all of our guys are excited for.
“We had a couple games marked on our schedule that we couldn’t wait for and this was probably the biggest one.”
The Hilltoppers host the Thundering Herd at 11 a.m. Friday in Houchens-Smith Stadium with their long-stated goal of a conference title at stake.
Since becoming a full-time FBS member in 2009, WKU has taken plenty of positive steps – going from 2-10 in 2010 to 7-5 in ’11, earning a bowl bid in ’12, winning a bowl game in ’13, beating Southeastern Conference teams in ’12 and ’13 and this season.
The one box the Tops haven’t checked is winning a conference title. They came close in 2011, going 7-1, but finished second in the Sun Belt Conference to Arkansas State.
This is the closest they’ve come since then. Beat Marshall and WKU earns the right to host the C-USA championship game Dec. 5.
Win that and the Hilltoppers have accomplished the feat they’ve been shooting for all season.
“We’ve worked all summer, all spring, all camp,” redshirt junior safety Branden Leston said. “Everything we’ve done is for this game to get to a conference championship to reach our main goal.”
Beyond what’s at stake, WKU-MU is a matchup that promises to bring some emotion carried over from last season.
It was Black Friday 2014 when the Toppers went to Huntington, W.Va., as an underdog to an 11-0 Herd team gunning for an undefeated season.
Eight Brandon Doughty touchdown passes and one Doughty-to-Willie McNeal two-point conversion pass later, WKU had knocked off Marshall 67-66 in overtime.
Hilltopper coach Jeff Brohm said he expects fewer points this time, but similar drama.
“I expect a game similar, in that it will go back and forth,” Brohm said. “It’s going to be close.”
The 2014 contest also included a pregame skirmish and jawing between opposing players throughout the afternoon.
Some of that has spilled into social media this week – Thundering Herd and Hilltopper players have been mixing it up on Twitter.
Marshall middle linebacker Evan McKelvey posted a tweet Monday afternoon comparing WKU to rapper Meek Mill and comparing the Herd to rival rapper Drake.
The comparison was a reference to a summer feud between the two rappers that was widely believed to have been won by Drake.
Leston responded to McKelvey’s tweet by predicting “we gon score 50...maybe 60 AGAIN...”
Leston also posted tweets comparing the Tops’ 58-28 victory against Middle Tennessee this season to the Thundering Herd’s 27-24 loss at MTSU, and saying that Marshall safety Tiquan Lang “can’t guard” WKU receiver Jared Dangerfield.
The safety was asked what made him so confident about the Hilltoppers’ chances Friday.
“Our defense has gotten a lot better and we know our offense is going to score points,” Leston said. “We know we’ve got the best quarterback and some of the best receivers in the nation.
“Our defense is playing a lot, lot better this year, creating turnovers and doing everything we need to do. I think as long as we play our game, we’ll come out on top.”
The primary difference between this year’s Marshall team and last season’s is under center, where freshman Chase Litton has taken over the reins from Rakeem Cato.
Cato threw for more than 14,000 yards and 131 touchdowns in his college career. Litton has been productive in his first season, throwing for 239.7 yards per game with 20 passing touchdowns against five interceptions.
The Thundering Herd also feature a balanced running attack. Five MU backs have rushed for more than 250 yards this season. Devon Johnson leads that bunch with 555 yards and five TDs on the ground.
“They’re going to run the ball,” WKU secondary coach Mike Cassity said. “They’re going to be in the one-back set.
“They’ve got extremely good receivers, a big, physical offensive line. They’ll try to balance it run and pass.”
McKelvey is the Herd’s leading tackler with 104 stops. Safety Taj Letman has intercepted three passes and made 66 tackles, while defensive end Gary Thompson has eight sacks and forced five fumbles.
“They play a very physical brand of football,” WKU offensive line coach Neil Callaway said. “They bring pressure enough to make you have to execute and not make mistakes.
“They’ll play a lot of man coverage and challenge our receivers at the line of scrimmage and try to reroute us and whatnot. They’ve got very good talent, they’re very well coached, so it’ll be a challenge for us.”
Of course the Hilltoppers have plenty of skilled players of their own.
Sixth-year senior quarterback Doughty will be playing his final regular season game at Houchens-Smith Stadium. The prolific QB – who coaches declined to make available to the media this week – is throwing for 346.7 yards per game with 37 TD passes against just six INTs.
Redshirt junior running back Ace Wales is averaging 7.6 yards per carry and has run for six scores. Junior wide receiver Taywan Taylor has caught 68 passes for 104.6 yards per game and 14 touchdowns.
Senior linebacker Nick Holt has made 76 tackles and four sacks, sophomore linebacker T.J. McCollum has notched 88 stops and senior cornerback Wonderful Terry ran an interception back for a touchdown last week.
“It couldn’t be any better,” Cassity said. “It’s the day after Thanksgiving and everybody’s going to be watching the game nationwide. It’s two great programs and it’ll be a good football game.”
http://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/w...cle_3d4f8b15-4d29-55ff-a164-425bcb64dca3.html
