A STEP BACKWARD AGAINST TOLEDO.
WKU COACH TYSON HELTON: ‘I’M BIG ON TURNING THE PAGE, WIN OR LOSE …’
Two weeks ago, Western Kentucky’s football team made its first road trip of the season, and pretty much nothing went right in a 45-21 loss to the Toledo Rockets at the Glass Bowl.
Seventh-year WKU coach Tyson Helton and his staff came back to Bowling Green and went to work, with an open date before Saturday night’s home game against Nevada at Houchens-Smith Stadium. WKU (2-1 overall) will square off with the Wolfpack (1-2), with a chance to get back into the win column before the Tops resume Conference USA play with a road trip to C-USA newcomer Missouri State.
“I thought the guys worked really hard (during the open date week), and tried to correct the issues that came up in the last game against Toledo,” Helton said. “We’ll see if we can get them corrected. The guys were great, they love the work …
“I’m big on turning the page, whether you win or lose. After a game, I’m not one to dwell on the past. So I’d like to think our team has that mentality, too, as well as our coaching staff.”
A 50-33 OVERALL RECORD
IN SIX-PLUS SEASONS AT WKU.
HAS TWICE BEEN NAMED
C-USA’s PLAYER OF THE WEEK.
The Hilltoppers opened the season with double-digit victories over visiting Sam Houston State — there were four lead changes before WKU prevailed, 41-24, over the Bearkats on August 23 — and North Alabama, which was not particularly competitive in a 55-6 defeat one week later. Toledo, on the other hand, seemed anxious to put last year’s 26-21 loss to the Hilltoppers behind them, and they did just that.
“We were aided by a hot start,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said afterward. “(The defense produced) two turnovers. In any sport, when you can turn points off those turnovers, it’s massive.
“We were able to ride that wave.”
The early WKU turnovers allowed Toledo (2-1 overall) bolt to a 14-0 lead. The Hilltoppers trailed 31-7 at halftime and never recovered.
“If you can’t stop the run,” Helton said, “it’s going to be a hard day at the park, and obviously we didn’t (stop the run) versus Toledo.”
FIRST SEASON AS WKU’s
CO-DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR.
304 YARDS RUSHING
IN THE LOSS TO TOLEDO.
HAS GONE 4-FOR-4 ON
FIELD-GOAL ATTEMPTS.
WKU senior defensive tackle Mackavelli Molotumau, who happens to be a transfer from Nevada, could be critical along those lines. Toledo amassed 304 yards rushing to leave the Hilltoppers’ defense in the dust in their last outing.
“These guys (Nevada) can run the football … We took that (Toledo) loss as a team,” WKU co-defensive coordinator Davis Merritt said. “That’s on all of us …”
Rick Bowie, the Tops’ first-year offensive coordinator, was quick to fall on the sword, too.
“You miss a week of preparation if you’re constantly looking in the rear-view mirror,” Bowie said. “We’ve turned the page. You’ve got to protect the football, if you want to be efficient, offensively.”
SPENT TWO SEASONS AT NEVADA.
WKU quarterback Maverick McIvor and Bowie arrived in Bowling Green, together, in January. The first-year WKU duo put up some impressive numbers at Abilene Christian University, an FCS school that competes in the fledgling United Athletic Conference. At WKU, McIvor has passed for 941 yards and 10 touchdowns in three games, while throwing just a single interception.
“Offensively, we have to be able to be explosive,” WKU head coach Tyson Helton said. “Mav (McIvor) had pretty good time (to throw against Toledo) … The offensive staff has done a good job of recognizing what we need to do. We need to continue to get better in the run game, too.
“That’s a point of emphasis for us.”
Nevada opened the season against tradition-rich Penn State at Happy Valley, and the Wolfpack was anything but happy after the Nittany Lions rolled to a 46-11 victory in State College, Pennsylvania. Nevada bounced back with a 20-17 home victory over Sacramento State, another FCS member, before dropping a 14-13 decision to Middle Tennessee State, the Hilltoppers’ longtime rival going back to the Ohio Valley Conference days.
The Hilltoppers are a double-digit favorite over the Wolfpack. Former WKU wide receiver Dakota Thomas is playing for Nevada, after a single season at Southern Miss.
“It’s great to be back and playing at home, and our guys are looking forward to it,” Helton said. “We’ve had two weeks to prepare (for the game) and hopefully we can put it all together.”
IS OFF TO A PROMISING START.
ON THE COUCH QUITE
LIKE PIPER, TRUST ME …