{"id":18148,"date":"2025-10-13T17:12:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T17:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?p=18148"},"modified":"2025-10-14T11:31:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T11:31:42","slug":"tops-on-tuesday-night-wku-football-continues-promising-season-with-fiu-matchup-at-houchens-smith-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?p=18148","title":{"rendered":"TOPS ON TUESDAY NIGHT\/WKU football continues promising season with FIU matchup at Houchens-Smith Stadium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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WKU’s MAVERICK McIVOR HAS GIVEN
THE HILLTOPPERS’ PASSING GAME
A SENSE OF STABILITY.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WKU OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR RICK BOWIE: ‘I PROMISE YOU, THERE’s A<\/strong> LOT OF AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT …’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Every October, for the last few college football seasons, Western Kentucky University moves into the ‘mid-week phase’ of Conference USA competition after four or five games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hilltoppers transitioned into “Weeknight Football” last week, on the road against C-USA newcomer Delaware, and that game in Newark, Delaware took place on a Friday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s when scores of high school football teams across the country were knockin’ heads and trying to get a head start into the stretch run of regular-season play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media types would usually ask Tyson Helton, the Hilltoppers’ seventh-year head coach, about the move to weeknight games, and he never misses a beat. Helton points out that Western Kentucky gets unprecedented television exposure when the Hilltoppers play on Tuesday or Wednesday night, and WKU has a high-profile matchup — at least for the Tops — in Tuesday night’s home game against Florida International University at Houchens-Smith Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CDT and will be televised by ESPNU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Western Kentucky (5-1, 3-0 in Conference USA) stands alone at the top of the conference standings, one game ahead in the win column over the likes of Kennesaw State (4-2, 2-0) and Jacksonville State (3-3, 2-0) heading into Tuesday night’s tilt against the FIU Panthers (2-3, 0-1). The Tops haven’t played since October 3, but it might seem a little longer, what with their success against C-USA opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hilltoppers knocked off C-USA newcomers Missouri State University and Delaware by a combined eight points, heading into the matchup against the Panthers under the lights at The Houch. Oddsmakers have made Western Kentucky a 7.5-point favorite, and high rollers might be rolling their eyes on that one …<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WKU has gone 5-1 against the point spread this season, starting with their 41-24 victory over C-USA newcomer Sam Houston State on August 23 at Houchens-Smith Stadium. With graduate transfer quarterback Maverick McIvor guiding the Hilltoppers’ offense, they’ve become an attractive team for TV at the halfway point of the regular season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WKU SEVENTH-YEAR COACH TYSON HELTON
HAS COMPILED A 37-13 RECORD AGAINST
CONFERENCE USA OPPONENTS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WKU’s MACKAVELLI MALOTUMAU,
A TRANSFER FROM NEVADA,
HAS GIVEN THE HILLTOPPERS
A STEADY RUN STOPPER.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WKU PLACEKICKER JOHN CANNON HAS
CONNECTED ON 9 OF 10 FIELD-GOAL ATTEMPTS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WKU QUARTERBACK MAVERICK McIVOR.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Which is fine, no doubt, with WKU coach Tyson Helton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeknight games can affect the attendance numbers, but Helton is looking at the big picture, looking to raise the Hilltoppers’ national profile for high school recruits and college players in the NCAA Transfer Portal alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We had a good bye week, got some extra work in,” Helton said last Thursday at his weekly press conference. “(We) got to focus on ourselves. We’ve got to try to correct some of the things we need to get better at. It’s a good FIU football team that’s coming in, to play us. They’re a big, physical football team and we need to play very, very well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It will be great to be back home, after being on the road for two consecutive games. We’re looking forward to being on national TV, on a Tuesday night. It should be fun.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, a victory for the home team would help in that regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WKU’s K.D. HUTCHINSON HAS 26 RECEPTIONS
FOR 304 YARDS AND THREE TOUCHDOWNS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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BACKUP QB RODNEY TISDALE JR.
PLAYED EXTENSIVELY AGAINST
NORTH ALABAMA IN AUGUST.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WKU OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR RICK BOWIE
IS LOOKING FOR MORE EFFICIENCY
IN THE RED ZONE AND IN GOAL-LINE SITUATIONS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WKU OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR RICK BOWIE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WKU will play host to an hourlong concert, on the campus’ South Lawn, before Tuesday’s game. Country\/hip hop artist Blanco Brown will take the stage at about 5:30 p.m., which should certainly help boost the attendance at the 24,000-seat Houchens-Smith Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hilltoppers QB Maverick McIvor, the son of former University of Texas quarterback Rick McIvor, has made a significant impact in his first six games with the Tops. McIvor has completed 151 of 223 passes (68 percent) for 1,704 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s been intercepted just twice, and has been named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week three times, in six games, in victories over Sam Houston State, North Alabama and Delaware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Helton, the Hilltoppers have led C-USA in virtually every passing category over the last four seasons. Whether it was Austin Reed, now a journeyman NFL quarterback, Caden Veltkamp — the former South Warren High School star now calls the plays at Florida Atlantic University — or McIvor, the Tops have been adept at slinging it around the yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hilltoppers haven’t opened a season with four consecutive Conference USA victories since 2015, when they claimed the league championship under former coach Jeff Brohm. Brohm is in his third season as the head coach with the University of Louisville. The Tops could match that feat with a victory over Florida International.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McIvor arrived at The Hill with his former offensive coordinator at Abilene Christian University, the personable Rick Bowie, and Helton has first-year co-defensive coordinators in Davis Merritt and Da’Von Brown, who also monitor specific position groups during game week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bowie is a bit of a perfectionist, so he’s fit right in with what Helton is trying to accomplish on offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There’s been a lot of meat left on the bone each week,” Bowie said. “Whether that’s a touchdown in the red area, or being more efficient on third down, I promise you, there’s a lot of areas of improvement. Coach (Helton) touched on it … the season’s a marathon. We’ve got a long way to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’re pretty excited, about coaching this group, to try to get the very best our of each player, every single day.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First-year WKU co-defensive coordinator Da’Von Brown is taking a similar approach, especially with Florida International checking in with a 1-5 overall record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I understand the swagger, and the energy, those (FIU) guys play with,” Brown said. “You look at the scoreboard, and you think, this team is not a really good team, but you watch that tape … man, this is a really good team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Their guys are physical, they’re in the Top Five in the FBS in explosive runs past 20 yards.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WKU’s GEORGE HART III
HAD A BREAKOUT GAME
IN A WIN OVER NEVADA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WKU’s DEFENSE HAS DELIVERED
SOME BIG HITS AND PLENTY
OF RESOURCEFULNESS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WKU’s DA’VON BROWN SAYS
FIU HAS A ‘PHYSICAL’ OFFENSE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Florida International, WKU will have one last mid-week game, a road trip to tangle with Louisiana Tech on October 21 in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech, which is leaving Conference USA for the Sun Belt Conference after the 2025-26 academic year, stands at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in C-USA play. Kennesaw State clobbered the Bulldogs, 35-7, last week in Kennesaw, Georgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hilltoppers have outscored their first six opponents, 110-54, in the second half this season, including a 55-16 margin in the second half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WKU’s Da’Von Brown, for one, is taking nothing for granted with the FIU Panthers on their way to Bowling Green. The Hilltoppers have posted an 11-6 record, all time, against the Panthers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’m from Florida, so I know the swagger that’s going to walk in this building, and try to beat us, now,” Brown said. “Our mindset is to go out there and make sure we execute at a high level.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE HILLTOPPERS ARE 3-0
IN HOME GAMES THIS SEASON.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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REST IN PEACE, THE BRILLIANT
AND VERSATILE THESPIAN
DIANE KEATON (1946-2025).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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LAST WEEK’s THREE-DAY ROAD TRIP HAS
PIPER A TAD SKEPTICAL ABOUT MY MOVEMENTS …<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WKU OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR RICK BOWIE: ‘I PROMISE YOU, THERE’s A LOT OF AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT …’ Every October, for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,1,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hsfootball","category-potpourri","category-wkusports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18148"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18174,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18148\/revisions\/18174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}