Western Kentucky and Marshall will meet Friday with the Conference USA East Division title on the line.
Simply put, it’s the biggest contest of the year so far for the Hilltoppers. And they want a crowd befitting of such a game.
“Without question, this is the game we’ve been shooting for,” WKU coach Jeff Brohm said. “It’s a championship game to us.
“... To get these guys on our home turf, we’re excited about it. ... We’re hopeful that anything we can do to find an edge will help us win the game.”
The Tops (9-2 overall, 7-0 C-USA) are hosting the Thundering Herd (9-2, 6-1) at 11 a.m. Friday. The game takes place before noon during students’ Thanksgiving break and on a day that marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
WKU has been making a push to fill Houchens-Smith Stadium despite those obstacles, selling tickets online for $10 and promoting the game as a Black Friday “Blackout,” with fans encouraged to wear black.
A sellout would be the first of the year for the Hilltoppers.
“We know it’s the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, you’re going to be shopping, but you can shop all weekend,” redshirt junior left tackle Forrest Lamp said. “We’d appreciate if you came out and cheered loud.”
WKU has averaged 18,312 fans in attendance for its first four games. That average is second-best in program history so far, just behind the 18,334 the Tops drew in 2013 and ahead of the 17,415 the program averaged in 2012.
The Toppers’ biggest crowd this season was the 20,320 fans who came out to watch their 56-14 drubbing of Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 26.
That crowd was still short of the 22,113-fan capacity or the record attendance mark of 23,252 set during WKU’s 2012 win against Southern Mississippi.
“We love playing at home, and we have a great fan base,” Brohm said. “Yes, we want everyone to come out and enjoy a great, tough, good football matchup with a lot riding on it.
“It’s a holiday weekend, and I know some families will be together, but we’d love to see everybody out there, into the game rooting us on.”
Games after Thanksgiving have traditionally been a tough sell for the Hilltoppers.
WKU played home games the Saturday after the holiday each year from 2011-13. They drew crowds of 14,417 (Arkansas State, 2013), 11,074 (North Texas, ’12) and 15,432 (Troy, ’11).
Any of those crowds would likely be a disappointment Friday considering that, with a win, the Tops can seal a bid to host next week’s C-USA Championship Game and play for their first conference title.
Marshall had 23,576 fans at Joan C. Edwards Stadium for last season’s Black Friday meeting, and WKU wants a similar number from its fans, Lamp said.
“It’s extremely important,” he said. “You come out here and you see the stands half-empty, it absolutely kills you. We’re 9-2, we’re having a great year, come out and support us, you know. We would really appreciate it.”
Leston hopes to relive 2014
Branden Leston had his breakout game against Marshall one year ago. The safety, then a redshirt sophomore, intercepted three passes and made eight tackles – second-most on the team – in a 67-66 overtime WKU win.
There wasn’t much defense played in a game that featured 133 points and 1,446 yards of total offense. But his three picks allowed the Hilltoppers to get just enough defensive stops to pull out a victory.
“It was exciting,” Leston said. “Coaches put me in the right position, and I just had to make the plays when they were there.”
Leston said his favorite memory of that afternoon wasn’t any of his defensive plays, but the final snap of the game – a two-point conversion pass from Brandon Doughty to Willie McNeal to seal the upset.
“That was one of the most exciting games, best feelings I’ve ever had winning that game,” Leston said, “seeing that touchdown Doughty threw to (Jared) Dangerfield and then seeing that two-point conversion to win it all.”
This season Leston has made 79 tackles, second-most on the team. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Clearwater, Fla., native doesn’t have any interceptions this year, but he’s broken up two passes and recovered a fumble.
His biggest improvement has come in tackling, secondary coach Mike Cassity said.
If the linebacker misses his tackle then it’s one-on-one with the safety,” Cassity said. “When you make those tackles you look really good, and if you don’t you look really, really bad.
“... I’ve sat in many a home and said, ‘Your son’s going to make SportsCenter one way or another.’ ”
Leston is part of a WKU defense that’s giving up 24.7 points and 406.5 yards per game. Those figures rank 51st and 73rd, respectively, out of 128 FBS teams.
Last year the Hilltoppers ranked 124th and 123rd in those categories. Those numbers also aren’t bad considering WKU is outscoring teams 312-119 in the first half, causing opponents to have to throw the ball to have to catch up.
Leston chalked that improvement up to experience, as the Tops returned most of their defensive starters from a year ago.
WKU also added to its defensive ranks with the additions of UAB transfers Jontavius Morris (defensive tackle) and T.J. McCollum (linebacker). Presbyterian transfer Nick Newton became eligible, too, and has been a contributor at linebacker.
“Our defense is playing a lot, lot better this year, creating turnovers and doing everything we need to do,” Leston said.
Higbee’s progress continues
Brohm said Wednesday that his staff hasn’t tried to overwork tight end Tyler Higbee this week in practice.
But he was still optimistic about the redshirt senior being able to play Friday for the first time since injuring his knee last month at North Texas.
“He’s worked hard to get back,” Brohm said. “You see an improvement every day.
“At the same time we don’t want to overdo it with him. We want to make sure he’s ready for the game, and that’s important for us.”
The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Higbee has 31 catches for 463 yards and six touchdowns this season.
http://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/w...cle_8c3e9940-3fcc-5c61-942a-c6968135ff48.html
Simply put, it’s the biggest contest of the year so far for the Hilltoppers. And they want a crowd befitting of such a game.
“Without question, this is the game we’ve been shooting for,” WKU coach Jeff Brohm said. “It’s a championship game to us.
“... To get these guys on our home turf, we’re excited about it. ... We’re hopeful that anything we can do to find an edge will help us win the game.”
The Tops (9-2 overall, 7-0 C-USA) are hosting the Thundering Herd (9-2, 6-1) at 11 a.m. Friday. The game takes place before noon during students’ Thanksgiving break and on a day that marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
WKU has been making a push to fill Houchens-Smith Stadium despite those obstacles, selling tickets online for $10 and promoting the game as a Black Friday “Blackout,” with fans encouraged to wear black.
A sellout would be the first of the year for the Hilltoppers.
“We know it’s the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, you’re going to be shopping, but you can shop all weekend,” redshirt junior left tackle Forrest Lamp said. “We’d appreciate if you came out and cheered loud.”
WKU has averaged 18,312 fans in attendance for its first four games. That average is second-best in program history so far, just behind the 18,334 the Tops drew in 2013 and ahead of the 17,415 the program averaged in 2012.
The Toppers’ biggest crowd this season was the 20,320 fans who came out to watch their 56-14 drubbing of Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 26.
That crowd was still short of the 22,113-fan capacity or the record attendance mark of 23,252 set during WKU’s 2012 win against Southern Mississippi.
“We love playing at home, and we have a great fan base,” Brohm said. “Yes, we want everyone to come out and enjoy a great, tough, good football matchup with a lot riding on it.
“It’s a holiday weekend, and I know some families will be together, but we’d love to see everybody out there, into the game rooting us on.”
Games after Thanksgiving have traditionally been a tough sell for the Hilltoppers.
WKU played home games the Saturday after the holiday each year from 2011-13. They drew crowds of 14,417 (Arkansas State, 2013), 11,074 (North Texas, ’12) and 15,432 (Troy, ’11).
Any of those crowds would likely be a disappointment Friday considering that, with a win, the Tops can seal a bid to host next week’s C-USA Championship Game and play for their first conference title.
Marshall had 23,576 fans at Joan C. Edwards Stadium for last season’s Black Friday meeting, and WKU wants a similar number from its fans, Lamp said.
“It’s extremely important,” he said. “You come out here and you see the stands half-empty, it absolutely kills you. We’re 9-2, we’re having a great year, come out and support us, you know. We would really appreciate it.”
Leston hopes to relive 2014
Branden Leston had his breakout game against Marshall one year ago. The safety, then a redshirt sophomore, intercepted three passes and made eight tackles – second-most on the team – in a 67-66 overtime WKU win.
There wasn’t much defense played in a game that featured 133 points and 1,446 yards of total offense. But his three picks allowed the Hilltoppers to get just enough defensive stops to pull out a victory.
“It was exciting,” Leston said. “Coaches put me in the right position, and I just had to make the plays when they were there.”
Leston said his favorite memory of that afternoon wasn’t any of his defensive plays, but the final snap of the game – a two-point conversion pass from Brandon Doughty to Willie McNeal to seal the upset.
“That was one of the most exciting games, best feelings I’ve ever had winning that game,” Leston said, “seeing that touchdown Doughty threw to (Jared) Dangerfield and then seeing that two-point conversion to win it all.”
This season Leston has made 79 tackles, second-most on the team. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Clearwater, Fla., native doesn’t have any interceptions this year, but he’s broken up two passes and recovered a fumble.
His biggest improvement has come in tackling, secondary coach Mike Cassity said.
If the linebacker misses his tackle then it’s one-on-one with the safety,” Cassity said. “When you make those tackles you look really good, and if you don’t you look really, really bad.
“... I’ve sat in many a home and said, ‘Your son’s going to make SportsCenter one way or another.’ ”
Leston is part of a WKU defense that’s giving up 24.7 points and 406.5 yards per game. Those figures rank 51st and 73rd, respectively, out of 128 FBS teams.
Last year the Hilltoppers ranked 124th and 123rd in those categories. Those numbers also aren’t bad considering WKU is outscoring teams 312-119 in the first half, causing opponents to have to throw the ball to have to catch up.
Leston chalked that improvement up to experience, as the Tops returned most of their defensive starters from a year ago.
WKU also added to its defensive ranks with the additions of UAB transfers Jontavius Morris (defensive tackle) and T.J. McCollum (linebacker). Presbyterian transfer Nick Newton became eligible, too, and has been a contributor at linebacker.
“Our defense is playing a lot, lot better this year, creating turnovers and doing everything we need to do,” Leston said.
Higbee’s progress continues
Brohm said Wednesday that his staff hasn’t tried to overwork tight end Tyler Higbee this week in practice.
But he was still optimistic about the redshirt senior being able to play Friday for the first time since injuring his knee last month at North Texas.
“He’s worked hard to get back,” Brohm said. “You see an improvement every day.
“At the same time we don’t want to overdo it with him. We want to make sure he’s ready for the game, and that’s important for us.”
The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Higbee has 31 catches for 463 yards and six touchdowns this season.
http://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/w...cle_8c3e9940-3fcc-5c61-942a-c6968135ff48.html
