{"id":22323,"date":"2026-09-27T19:23:39","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T19:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?p=22323"},"modified":"2026-09-27T19:28:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T19:28:57","slug":"home-cooking-wku-offense-amasses-596-yards-in-52-7-rout-of-fcs-opponent-mercyhurst-c-usa-play-begins-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/?p=22323","title":{"rendered":"HOME COOKING\/WKU offense amasses 596 yards in 52-7 rout of FCS opponent Mercyhurst; C-USA play begins Thursday at New Mexico State"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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WKU QUARTERBACK RODNEY TISDALE, JR.
PASSED FOR 309 YARDS AND FOUR TOUCHDOWNS.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WKU COACH TYSON HELTON: ‘WE’VE GOT MOMENTUM, MOVING FORWARD …’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It started long before kickoff, long before Western Kentucky University’s football team could finally play a home game at Houchens-Smith Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Familiarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limited logistical challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A prohibitive underdog, more or less, in third-year FCS program Mercyhurst (Pa.) on the opposite sideline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hilltoppers put in some frequent flyer miles over the last month or so, traveling to Reno, Nevada, for its opening game before back-to-back road trips to two Top Ten teams, second-ranked Georgia and fourth-ranked Indiana, the defending CFP national championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’ve got a long way to go, in front of us,” WKU linebacker Jaylen Wester said after the Hilltoppers crushed Mercyhurst, 52-7, before a paid crowd of 17,247 at The Houch. “But it was definitely a good vibe, with the fans …We’ve got to put this one away; there’s some things we have to work on.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WKU safety Jaylen Lewis, Wester’s fellow senior in the Hilltoppers’ secondary, was even more succinct. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s just another stepping stone,” Lewis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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VETERAN WKU DEFENDERS JAYLEN WESTER (LEFT)
AND JAYLEN LEWIS AFTER SATURDAY NIGHT’s
52-7 VICTORY OVER MERCYHURST.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WKU’s KARL CAMPBELL CONNECTS
ON A 35-YARD FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WKU COACH TYSON HELTON USED
A TWO-QUARTERBACK SYSTEM
AGAINST MERCYHURST.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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It was a significant one, however, in the aftermath of the blowout losses at the hands of Nevada (49-14), Georgia (70-20) and Indiana (38-0). WKU’s eighth-year head coach, Tyson Helton, used both of his experienced quarterbacks, redshirt sophomore Rodney Tisdale, Jr., and Florida State transfer Brock Glenn, in racking up 596 yards total offense against the outmanned Mercyhurst defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glenn was often used in short-yardage and goal-line situations, but Tisdale, who made a half dozen starts on last year’s 9-4 squad, was ready to shine under the Houchens-Smith lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound QB from Jacksonville, Florida, completed 19 of 23 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns. He was sacked just once, while Glenn passed for two scores and ran for another, sharing the wealth with their Hilltoppers teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The quarterbacks, they did a good job, as a tandem,” Helton said. “We were able to stay in rhythm tonight.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was critical, in Helton’s mind, because the Hilltoppers have a short work week before opening Conference USA play in the Mountain Time Zone, in a Thursday night affair with New Mexico State in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Aggies (1-3 overall) closed their non-conference schedule with a 42-18 loss to their archrival, the University of New Mexico, and they’re looking for their first winning season since Diego Pavia, a Heisman Trophy runner-up at Vanderbilt, led New Mexico State to a 10-5 season, which included a runner-up finish in Conference USA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tisdale and Glenn were operating behind a revamped offensive line, particularly after Karsten Upchurch’s apparent concussion in the final 90 seconds of last weekend’s loss at Indiana. The Hilltoppers provided them solid protection, and Glenn and WKU tailback Ajay Allen helped the Tops collect 201 yards rushing, a far cry from what they’d manage in places such as Indiana and Georgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I felt pretty comfortable out there,” Tisdale said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We know what winning feels like, around here … we all bought in,” Allen added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WKU’s ZION TAYLOR COMPLETES THE SCORING
WITH HIS 72-YARD TOUCHDOWN RECEPTION.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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HILLTOPPERS QB RODNEY TISDALE, JR. (RIGHT)
AND SENIOR RUNNING BACK AJAY ALLEN.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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LOFTON HOWARD, A FORMER
GREENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL STAR,
SCORED HIS FIRST WKU TOUCHDOWN.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Tisdale and his receivers put on a show against the Mercyhurst secondary, striking for one big play after another as Western Kentucky raced to a 31-0 lead at halftime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tisdale found WKU teammate Nigel Johnson on a deep pattern to the left sideline, and Johnson made the catch before breaking away for a 72-yard touchdown reception with 11:41 left in the first quarter. From there, Tisdale and Glenn would both take snaps in getting the Tops into the red zone, before freshman placekicker Karl Campbell drilled a 35-yard field goal, extending the WKU lead to 10-0 late in the first quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tisdale got the ball to sophomore WKU wideout Cameron Flowers for a 23-yard touchdown pass in the opening moments of the second quarter, before the Hilltoppers’ Jaylen Wester made a sensational defensive play behind the line of scrimmage, forcing a punt and a change of possession midway through the second quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tisdale hit freshman wideout Jonathan Stafford, Jr., on a quick slant for a 23-yard gain, putting the Hilltoppers at the Mercyhurst 1-yard line before backup QB Brock Glenn powered his way into the end zone. That extended the WKU lead to 24-0, and the Hilltoppers weren’t done yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’ve got momentum, moving forward,” WKU coach Tyson Helton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WKU’s Ajay Allen turned a swing pass from Tisdale into a 41-yard touchdown reception with 1:07 left in the first half, and the fireworks continued after the break. Senior WKU wideout Quincy Burroughs had a 20-yard TD catch in the opening moments of the third quarter, before Hilltoppers tight end Lofton Howard — a former Greenwood High School star — scored his first touchdown, on a 3-yard pass from Brock Glenn, a “Tebow Toss” after faking a run into the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glenn showed his arm strength on the final WKU touchdown of the night, hitting Zion Taylor deep on the right sideline before Taylor broke away for a 72-yard score early in the fourth quarter. Third-string WKU quarterback Caleb McMickle took a few snaps in the game’s final five minutes, and the Hilltoppers got back in the win column for the first time since their 27-16 victory over Southern Miss in last year’s R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl last December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We wanted to get some explosive plays, early, to get some momentum,” WKU coach Tyson Helton said. “I felt that kind of kickstarted it for us, and then we never looked back … I like it when we don’t have to punt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Each game takes on its own dynamic … Tonight was an opportunity … We’ve got to make sure that we’re continuing to sharpen the knife.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WKU’s JONATHAN STAFFORD MAKES
A TOUGH CATCH AT THE 1-YARD LINE.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WESTERN KENTUCKY’s TYSON HELTON
HAS COMPILED A 58-39 CAREER RECORD
IN EIGHT SEASONS WITH THE HILLTOPPERS.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The Hilltoppers will practice Monday and Tuesday before catching a flight to New Mexico on Wednesday, and they’ll square off with the Aggies in a Thursday night game to be televised by the CBS Sports Network. Their next home game, against Missouri State (1-3 overall) will also take place on a Thursday night, on October 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I definitely think we got our swagger back,” WKU linebacker Jaylen Wester said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It might come in handy when the Hilltoppers arrive in the Land of Enchantment for their Conference USA debut later this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WESTERN KENTUCKY’s OFFENSE
WAS ABLE TO STAY ON THE ATTACK
IN THEIR 52-7 ROUT OF THE LAKERS.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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PIPER IS DEFINITELY READY
TO GO TO THE DOG PARK …<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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WKU COACH TYSON HELTON: ‘WE’VE GOT MOMENTUM, MOVING FORWARD …’ It started long before kickoff, long before Western Kentucky University’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,19,1,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hsfootball","category-nationalsports","category-potpourri","category-wkusports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22323","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=22323"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22341,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22323\/revisions\/22341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimmashek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}