Jim Mashek

WKU COACH TYSON HELTON: ‘OUR OFFENSE … PUT US IN SOME BAD SITUATIONS …’

Western Kentucky University’s football season took a decisive turn on Tuesday night at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

Decisively downhill.

Delaware quarterback Nick Minicucci passed for 414 yards and four touchdowns as the Blue Hens dismantled WKU, 35-21, before a paid crowd of 12,147 at The Houch. The defeat leaves Western Kentucky with a 3-5 overall record, including a 2-2 mark in Conference USA, heading into the “100 Miles of Hate” rivalry game against Middle Tennessee State on November 7 in Murfreesboro.

That gives eighth-year WKU head coach Tyson Helton and his team ample time to change the narrative on what’s been a challenging season to date.

WKU’s hopes of making an eighth consecutive appearance in a postseason bowl game were jarred back into reality by Minicucci and his band of Blue Hens receivers.

Minicucci set a school record by opening the game with 18 consecutive completions, and he finished the night with some flashy stats — 32 for 38 passing, four touchdowns and 414 yards without an interception.

WKU’s Brock Glenn, in turn, was most effective as a runner. The 6-foot-2 transfer quarterback from Florida State completed 25 of 37 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted twice.

On the ground, Glenn finished the night with 129 yards rushing on 17 carries.

“Disappointed … I thought we had a lot of opportunities in the game,” Helton said when it was over.

WKU’s defense turned in a fine performance against Sam Houston State on October 14. That’s when the Hilltoppers traveled to Huntsville, Texas, before the WKU defense led the way in a 16-3 victory over the Bearkats. The Tops had their first open date of the season, before squaring off with Delaware, but the Blue Hens were able to move the ball at will.

“It’s back to the drawing board … It’s Western Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky at the end of the day,” senior WKU defensive tackle Mackavelli Malotumau said.

WKU and Delaware traded touchdowns for much of the first half, with the Hilltoppers grabbing a 21-14 lead on Ajay Allen’s 5-yard TD run with 10:52 left in the second quarter. From there, however, it was the Nick Minicucci Show, as he located one receiver after another while passing for 301 yards in the first half alone.

Delaware tied the game at 21, on Viron Ellison’s 5-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter, and the Blue Hens took a 28-21 lead into the half on Minicucci’s 8-yard scoring pass to UD teammate Jo Silver. In the third quarter, Delaware’s Sean Wilson made a terrific grab on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Minicucci, his second TD of the night.

WKU’s offense labored over the final two quarters, and freshman placekicker Karl Campbell had a 42-yard field-goal try hit the left upright before hitting the crossbar and falling harmlessly to the ground. The Houchens-Smith Stadium crowd had thinned considerably, by that point, and the Hilltoppers’ defense seemed to run out of gas down the stretch.

WKU coach Tyson Helton was quick to credit Minicucci, the preseason Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year. Delaware improved to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in C-USA play.

“He’s a good football player,” Helton said. “He made his plays, he was accurate with the football … we got pressure, but we couldn’t contain him (on rollout passes) … Our offense, as a whole, put us in some bad situations.

“The biggest thing for us, offensively, is we have to take care of the football.”

The Hilltoppers will return to the practice field on Thursday with an eye cast toward their traditional rival, Middle Tennessee State University. Western Kentucky has won its last seven games against the Blue Raiders, all under Helton. MTSU (4-3, 2-1 in Conference USA) has already defeated Delaware, taking a 33-30 victory over the Blue Raiders on October 13.

MTSU will play host to Kennesaw State (1-6, 0-3 in C-USA) on Wednesday night, and the league will return to Saturday games in November.

With the Tops still having league-leading Liberty (6-1, 3-0) and Jacksonville State (5-2, 3-0) on the docket.

“The extra days (before the road trip to MTSU) give us an opportunity to get better,” Helton said. “MTSU is a good football team. This is a rivalry game.”