Jim Mashek

WKU DEFENSE POSTS FIRST SHUTOUT SINCE 2022; TOPS BEGIN C-USA PLAY ON SATURDAY AT MTSU

Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky’s seventh-year head football coach, had several things in mind when the Hilltoppers made their home debut against traditional rival Eastern Kentucky on Saturday evening at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

One of them was finding a solid footing, after taking a 63-0 beating from Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium, heading into Conference USA play, a road game against another traditional rival, Middle Tennessee State, on Saturday night in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The Hilltoppers seemed to understand the task at hand, and they took care of business, and the Colonels, in fairly routine fashion.

First-year WKU starting quarterback T.J. Finley guided the Tops to a 31-0 victory, before a crowd of 16,712, as Western evened its record at 1-1 going into its C-USA opener against MTSU.

“(I’m) really proud of our defense. It’s hard to pitch a shutout,” Helton said. “They don’t come too often, and (WKU defensive coordinator Tyson) Summers, his defensive staff and (their) players did a fantastic job.

“I really thought we moved the ball well on offense … We’ve got to finish drives, got to put the ball in the end zone.”

The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Finley, who has already made stops at LSU (2020), Auburn (2021-22) and Texas State (2023), passed for 351 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown. Finley hit WKU teammate Dalvin Smith for a 12-yard TD pass in the final three minutes, closing the door on the Colonels.

“That was a great game, for us, as far as building chemistry,” Finley said. “… It was a good win for us, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

Tyson Summers’ WKU defense was effective against both EKU quarterbacks, starter Matt Morrissey and backup Cameron Hergott, and the Hilltoppers caught a break when the Colonels’ Patrick Nations plunked a field-goal attempt of 31 yards off the left upright in the third quarter. WKU’s Upton Stout had two tackles for losses, while sophomore teammate Darius Thomas recorded the game’s only sack.

This was one game removed from Alabama racked up 600 yards total offense in a rout of the Hilltoppers on August 31.

“We want the defense to set the tone, always,” Thomas said. “The name of the game is to get (the defense) off the field.”

WKU’s Elijah Young rushed for a team-high 52 yards and two touchdowns, while Eastern’s Joshua Carter and Brayden Latham combined for 185 yards on the ground. The Colonels finished with a significant advantage in time of possession (34:10-25.50), but the Hilltoppers’ defense took a big step after the trampling it took in Tuscaloosa.

“We told (the WKU) defense, all week, we told them, ‘you’ve got this,’ ” Young said.

Even Tyson Helton admitted his WKU defense needed some positive reinforcement after the Alabama experience.

“It was not an easy week. Everybody had a lot to work on,” Helton said. “I was proud of the whole program … Offensively, a lot of players stepped up. T.J. (Finley) had a nice night, managed the game well. Our offensive line did a great job with the pocket, moving the line of scrimmage in the run game.

“It was good, to get this win, and get some momentum for the next week.”