PULLED AWAY IN THE SECOND HALF.
WINLESS HILLTOPPERS WILL PLAY FIRST HOME GAME OF THE SEASON ON SATURDAY NIGHT
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana — Western Kentucky University’s bear of an opening three-game stretch has finally gone into hibernation.
The Hilltoppers are still looking for their first victory of the season.
Western Kentucky and fourth-ranked Indiana were scoreless, heading into the second quarter of Saturday’s game at Memorial Stadium, but the Hoosiers seemed to be laying in wait, ready to pounce on just about any miscue that they encountered.
And the Hilltoppers couldn’t do much to stop the onslaught, as Indiana rolled to a 38-0 victory on Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 54,695.
Western Kentucky (0-3) will finally play its first home game of the season, when the Hilltoppers welcome FCS newcomer Mercyhurst (Pa.) University to Houchens-Smith Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Tops are intent on putting their first three games, lopsided road defeats at the hands of Nevada (49-14), second-ranked Georgia (70-20) and Indiana, the defending national champion, in the proverbial rear-view mirror.
“We’ve got to get back to the drawing board … look ourselves in the mirror,” WKU defensive tackle Mackavelli Malotomau said when it was over.
AND TRANSFER QB BROCK GLENN
AFTER SATURDAY’s GAME.
SCORES JUST BEFORE HALFTIME.
TO A TURNOVER ON DOWNS
IN THE THIRD QUARTER.
WKU quarterback Brock Glenn, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound junior, made his first start since transferring from Florida State University. Eighth-year WKU head coach Tyson Helton said Glenn and sophomore Rodney Tisdale, Jr., were both “dinged up,” adding that they’ll both be evaluated before Saturday’s game against Mercyhurst.
Glenn and the WKU offense put together a scoring threat in the first quarter, reaching the Indiana 6-yard line on a completion to senior wideout Quincy Burroughs. But the Tops would get no closer than the 3-yard line, with Helton choosing to eschew the field-goal attempt in a scoreless game late in the first quarter.
The Hoosiers’ defense chased Glenn out of the pocket, forcing him to put it up for grabs before the ball fell incomplete in the end zone.
At that point, the Indiana offense moved 97 yards in 12 plays, scoring the game’s first points on Josh Hoover’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Davion Chandler with 9:51 left in the first half.
“You’ve got (the ball) down there. Field goals weren’t going to win the game,” Helton said.
GOT TO PLAY A COMPLETE GAME …’
USUALLY HAD PLENTY OF TIME IN THE POCKET.
Western Kentucky’s defense came up with a couple stops in the second quarter, but junior QB Brock Glenn was intercepted on a rollout pass in the final 90 seconds before halftime. The Hoosiers would extend their lead to 14-0 on Lee Beebe’s 1-yard touchdown run with 37 seconds left in the first half.
“We broke the huddle quick (on the fourth-down interception) … I left the ball a little too high,” Glenn said.
The Hilltoppers couldn’t stop the bleeding after the break.
“The interception right before the half was tough,” Helton said. “You’ve got to bounce back … We couldn’t sustain in the second half. That’s what I was disappointed in …”
Josh Hoover’s second touchdown pass of the game, a deep ball to IU wideout Charlie Becker, covered 79 yards while lifting the Hoosiers to a 24-0 lead with 10:43 left in the first half. At that point, the Hoosiers started to assert themselves as you would expect from a 44-point betting favorite looking to remain unbeaten in three games.
“As a team, we faded down the stretch,” Helton said. “We’ve got to play a complete game …”
WKU offensive lineman Karsten Upchurch, a senior tackle from Starkville, Mississippi, sustained an injury in the game’s final five minutes and was treated on the field for an extensive period of time. Upchurch was the lone returning starter on the WKU offensive line this season, and Helton said he hadn’t gotten an update from the WKU medical staff on his condition.
TO INDIANA BACK TURBO RICHARDS.
WAS INJURED LATE IN THE GAME.
The Hilltoppers returned to Bowling Green via team buses late Saturday night, and junior WKU quarterback Brock Glenn was ready to turn the page and get ready for next Saturday’s home game against Mercyhurst.
Mercyhurst, a private Catholic university in Erie, Pennsylvania, takes a 1-3 record into its game with WKU. The Lakers claimed their first victory of the season on Saturday, defeating Glenville State (West Virginia), 49-20. It will mark the first time the schools have met in football.
“We’re ready to play in front of our fans, and try to put on a show,” Glenn said.
Oddsmakers have yet to establish a point spread for Saturday’s game.
