American college football season
The 2021 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Hilltoppers played their home games at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky , and competed in the East Division of Conference USA (CUSA). The team was coached by third-year head coach Tyson Helton .
Schedule [ edit ] Western Kentucky announced its 2021 football schedule on January 27, 2021.[1] [2] The 2021 schedule consists of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season.
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance 7:00 p.m. UT Martin * ESPN+ W 59–2116,236 September 11 11:00 a.m. at Army * CBSSN L 35–3825,989 September 25 7:00 p.m. Indiana * Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY CBSSN L 31–3325,171 October 2 6:30 p.m. at No. 17 Michigan State * FS1 L 31–4870,075 October 9 6:00 p.m. UTSA Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY Stadium L 46–5215,243 October 16 2:30 p.m. at Old Dominion ESPN3 W 43–2016,418 October 23 6:00 p.m. at FIU ESPN+ W 34–190 October 30 3:00 p.m. Charlotte Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY ESPN+ W 45–1316,763 November 6 2:30 p.m. Middle Tennessee Stadium W 48–2115,022 November 13 1:00 p.m. at Rice ESPN+ W 42–2117,883 November 20 11:00 a.m. Florida Atlantic Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY Stadium W 52–1710,477 November 27 2:30 p.m. at Marshall CBSSN W 53–2119,134 6:00 p.m. at UTSA CBSSN L 41–4941,148 December 18 10:00 a.m. vs. Appalachian State * ESPN W 59–3815,429
Schedule Source: [1] [3] Game summaries [ edit ] UT Martin [ edit ] Tennessee–Martin at Western Kentucky 1 2 3 4 Total Skyhawks 7 7 0 7 21 • Hilltoppers 7 21 14 14 56
Scoring summary 1 11:04 UTM Keon Howard 2-yard rush (Tyler Larco kick)(10 plays, 75 yards, 3:56) UTM 7–0 04:09 WKU Daewood Davis 73-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(2 plays, 75 yards, 0:41) TIE 7–7 2 14:56 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 10-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(6 plays, 55 yards, 2:36) WKU 14–7 09:31 WKU Jerreth Sterns 22-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(6 plays, 59 yards, 2:40) WKU 21–7 01:43 WKU Malachi Corley 8-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(12 plays, 79 yards, 4:58) WKU 28–7 00:10 UTM Colton Dowell 27-yard pass from Keon Howard (Tyler Larco kick)(6 plays, 85 yards, 1:27) WKU 28–14 3 12:51 WKU Jerreth Sterns 7-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(5 plays, 53 yards, 2:09) WKU 35–14 11:10 WKU Joshua Simon 45-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(2 plays, 47 yards, 0:48) WKU 42–14 03:02 WKU Brayden Narveson 30-yard field goal(12 plays, 68 yards, 5:06) WKU 45–14 4 14:17 WKU Joshua Simon 3-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(4 plays, 57 yards, 2:01) WKU 52–14 07:22 UTM Keon Howard 9-yard rush (Tyler Larco kick)(14 plays, 75 yards, 6:54) WKU 52–21 05:36 WKU Craig Burt Jr. 54-yard pass from Carson Baker (Brayden Narveson kick)(3 plays, 65 yards, 1:41) WKU 59–21
Pregame line Over/under WKU –24.0 58.5
Statistics UT Martin Western Kentucky First downs 22 25 Total yards 396 587 Rushing yards 201 109 Passing yards 195 478 Turnovers 2 1 Time of possession 33:30 26:30
Team Category Player Statistics UT Martin Passing Keon Howard 20/43, 195 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Peyton Logan 7 carries, 75 yards Receiving Colton Dowell 6 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 28/35, 424 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT Rushing Kye Robichaux 9 carries, 44 yards Receiving Jerreth Sterns 7 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TDs
At Army [ edit ] Western Kentucky at Army 1 2 3 4 Total Hilltoppers 0 14 0 21 35 • Black Knights 0 21 7 10 38
Scoring summary 2 14:51 ARMY Tyrell Robinson 24-yard rush (Cole Talley kick)(10 plays, 62 yards, 4:50) ARMY 7–0 11:30 ARMY Braheam Murphy 40-yard pass from Christian Anderson (Cole Talley kick)(4 plays, 53 yards, 1:55) ARMY 14–0 10:40 WKU Jerreth Sterns 72-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Naverson kick)(3 plays, 75 yards, 0:50) ARMY 14–7 02:07 ARMY Jakobi Buchanan 1-yard rush (Cole Talley kick)(16 plays, 75 yards, 8:33) ARMY 21–7 00:30 WKU Bailey Zappe 10-yard rush (Brayden Naverson kick)(6 plays, 75 yards, 1:37) ARMY 21–14 3 08:57 ARMY Anthony Adkins 3-yard rush (Cole Talley kick)(10 plays, 75 yards, 6:03) ARMY 28–14 4 10:31 ARMY Jakobi Buchanan 13-yard rush (Cole Talley kick)(14 plays, 71 yards, 9:15) ARMY 35–14 08:05 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 21-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 2:26) ARMY 35–21 04:58 WKU Jerreth Sterns 14-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(6 plays, 63 yards, 1:23) ARMY 35–28 01:52 ARMY Cole Talley 31-yard field goal(7 plays, 30 yards, 3:05) ARMY 38–28 00:22 WKU Adam Cofield 2-yard rush (Brayden Narveson kick)(9 plays, 75 yards, 1:30) ARMY 38–35
Pregame line Over/under ARMY –6.0 51.5
Statistics Western Kentucky Army First downs 22 23 Total yards 477 416 Rushing yards 42 339 Passing yards 435 77 Turnovers 1 1 Time of possession 20:22 39:38
Team Category Player Statistics Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 28/40, 435 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT Rushing Noah Whittington 8 carries, 33 yards Receiving Jerreth Sterns 9 receptions, 171 yards, 2 TDs Army Passing Christian Anderson 5/6, 77 yards, 1 TD Rushing Christian Anderson 22 carries, 119 yards Receiving Braheam Murphy 1 reception, 40 yards, 1 TD
Indiana [ edit ] Indiana at Western Kentucky 1 2 3 4 Total • Hoosiers 14 9 3 7 33 Hilltoppers 0 14 10 7 31
Scoring summary 1 10:15 IU Stephen Carr 1-yard rush (Charles Campbell kick)(11 plays, 79 yards, 4:45) IU 7–0 05:02 IU Michael Penix Jr. 1-yard rush (Charles Campbell kick)(11 plays, 81 yards, 4:50) IU 14–0 2 14:27 WKU Adam Cofield 1-yard rush (Brayden Narveson kick)(15 plays, 77 yards, 5:29) IU 14–7 09:49 IU Charles Campbell 46-yard field goal(13 plays, 46 yards, 4:34) IU 17–7 02:42 IU Charles Campbell 37-yard field goal(13 plays, 56 yards, 4:55) IU 20–7 00:55 WKU Daewood Davis 25-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(7 plays, 72 yards, 1:42) IU 20–14 00:00 IU Charles Campbell 25-yard field goal(8 plays, 68 yards, 0:55) IU 23–14 3 13:13 WKU Dalvin Smith 13-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(5 plays, 76 yards, 1:40) IU 23–21 09:10 IU Charles Campbell 48-yard field goal(9 plays, 44 yards, 4:03) IU 26–21 05:53 WKU Brayden Narveson 34-yard field goal(11 plays, 59 yards, 3:17) IU 26–24 4 04:27 IU Stephen Carr 1-yard rush (Charles Campbell kick)(14 plays, 86 yards, 6:19) IU 33–24 02:43 WKU Malachi Corley 19-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 1:44) IU 33–31
Pregame line Over/under IU –9.5 63
Statistics Indiana Western Kentucky First downs 35 24 Total yards 507 458 Rushing yards 134 93 Passing yards 373 365 Turnovers 0 0 Time of possession 38:34 21:26
Team Category Player Statistics Indiana Passing Michael Penix Jr. 35/53, 373 yards Rushing Stephen Carr 25 carries, 109 yards, 2 TDs Receiving Peyton Hendershot 7 receptions, 100 yards Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 31/44, 365 yards, 3 TDs Rushing Noah Whittington 6 carries, 41 yards Receiving Jerreth Sterns 7 receptions, 82 yards
At Michigan State [ edit ] Western Kentucky at Michigan State 1 2 3 4 Total Hilltoppers 10 6 0 15 31 • No. 17 Spartans 21 21 3 3 48
Scoring summary 1 13:32 MSU Jayden Reed 88-yard punt returned (Matt Coghlin kick)(3 plays, 2 yards, 1:28) MSU 7–0 08:26 MSU Kenneth Walker III 5-yard rush (Matt Coghlin kick)(7 plays, 80 yards, 3:59) MSU 14–0 05:04 WKU Brayden Narveson 37-yard field goal(11 plays, 56 yards, 3:22) MSU 14–3 03:54 MSU Jayden Reed 46-yard pass from Payton Thorne (Matt Coghlin kick)(4 plays, 75 yards, 1:10) MSU 21–3 02:57 WKU Joey Beljan 4-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(3 plays, 65 yards, 0:57) MSU 21–10 2 11:42 WKU Brayden Narveson 29-yard field goal(13 plays, 61 yards, 4:53) MSU 21–13 09:10 MSU Kenneth Walker III 5-yard rush (Matt Coghlin kick)(6 plays, 68 yards, 2:27) MSU 28–13 06:51 WKU Brayden Narveson 35-yard field goal(8 plays, 58 yards, 2:19) MSU 28–16 02:39 MSU Kenneth Walker III 3-yard rush (Matt Coghlin kick)(9 plays, 66 yards, 4:06) MSU 35–16 00:41 MSU Payton Thorne 12-yard rush (Matt Coghlin kick)(6 plays, 31 yards, 0:53) MSU 42–16 3 00:43 MSU Matt Coghlin 21-yard field goal(14 plays, 96 yards, 5:49) MSU 45–16 4 13:13 WKU Jerreth Sterns 28-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Bailey Zappe two-point conversion pass to Mitchell Tinsley)(9 plays, 75 yards, 2:30) MSU 45–24 08:24 WKU Joey Beljan 1-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(7 plays, 55 yards, 2:28) MSU 45–31 04:46 MSU Matt Coghlin 20-yard field goal(12 plays, 72 yards, 3:38) MSU 48–31
Pregame line Over/under MSU –10.5 66.5
Statistics Western Kentucky Michigan State First downs 31 26 Total yards 560 519 Rushing yards 72 192 Passing yards 488 327 Turnovers 1 0 Time of possession 29:35 30:25
Team Category Player Statistics Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 46/64, 488 yards, 3 TDs Rushing Noah Whittington 7 carries, 37 yards Receiving Jerreth Sterns 17 receptions, 186 yards, 1 TD Michigan State Passing Payton Thorne 20/30, 327 yards, 1 TD Rushing Kenneth Walker III 24 carries, 126 yards, 3 TDs Receiving Jalen Nailor 8 receptions, 128 yards
UTSA at Western Kentucky 1 2 3 4 Total • Roadrunners 14 14 14 10 52 Hilltoppers 10 14 13 9 46
Scoring summary 1 14:13 UTSA De'Corian Clark 30-yard pass from Frank Harris (Hunter Duplessis kick)(3 plays, 75 yards, 0:47) UTSA 7–0 10:11 WKU Brayden Narveson 34-yard field goal(8 plays, 54 yards, 3:56) UTSA 7–3 05:03 UTSA Tykee Ogle-Kellogg 15-yard pass from Frank Harris (Hunter Duplessis kick)(14 plays, 75 yards, 5:08) UTSA 14–3 00:49 WKU Jerreth Sterns 3-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(12 plays, 58 yards, 4:04) UTSA 14–10 2 11:22 WKU Adam Cofield 10-yard rush (Brayden Narveson kick)(8 plays, 74 yards, 3:26) WKU 17–14 08:25 UTSA Frank Harris 23-yard pass from Joshua Cephus (Hunter Duplessis kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 2:57) UTSA 21–17 04:47 WKU Dalvin Smith 33-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(9 plays, 82 yards, 3:32) WKU 24–21 00:40 UTSA Oscar Cardenas 11-yard pass from Frank Harris (Hunter Duplessis kick)(3 plays, 32 yards, 0:32) UTSA 28–24 3 12:46 WKU Malachi Corley 24-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(3 plays, 24 yards, 0:52) WKU 31–28 10:38 UTSA De'Corian Clark 18-yard pass from Frank Harris (Hunter Duplessis kick)(6 plays, 75 yards, 2:08) UTSA 35–31 06:06 UTSA Joshua Cephus 3-yard pass from Frank Harris (Hunter Duplessis kick)(7 plays, 57 yards, 3:55) UTSA 42–31 00:50 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 40-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (two-point rush conversion attempt failed)(3 plays, 95 yards, 0:33) UTSA 42–37 4 10:01 UTSA Hunter Duplessis 35-yard field goal(10 plays, 57 yards, 5:49) UTSA 45–37 08:04 WKU Jerreth Sterns 20-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (two-point pass conversion attempt failed)(7 plays, 75 yards, 1:57) UTSA 45–43 06:39 UTSA De'Corian Clark 43-yard pass from Frank Harris (Hunter Duplessis kick)(4 plays, 75 yards, 1:25) UTSA 52–43 04:22 WKU Brayden Narveson 27-yard field goal(10 plays, 66 yards, 2:17) UTSA 52–46
Pregame line Over/under WKU –3.5 71
Statistics UTSA Western Kentucky First downs 32 35 Total yards 564 670 Rushing yards 192 147 Passing yards 372 523 Turnovers 2 2 Time of possession 29:56 30:04
Team Category Player Statistics UTSA Passing Frank Harris 28/38, 349 yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT Rushing Sincere McCormick 23 carries, 120 yards Receiving De'Corian Clark 7 receptions, 160 yards, 3 TDs Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 38/60, 523 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT Rushing Adam Cofield 9 carries, 65 yards, 1 TD Receiving Jerreth Sterns 16 receptions, 195 yards, 2 TDs
At Old Dominion [ edit ] Western Kentucky at Old Dominion 1 2 3 4 Total • Hilltoppers 14 16 3 10 43 Monarchs 0 3 3 14 20
Date: October 16, 2021Location: S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA Game start: 2:35 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutesGame attendance: 16,418Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: SunnyReferee: Kevin VicknairTelevision network: ESPN3 Scoring summary 1 09:16 WKU Malachi Corley 26-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(8 plays, 68 yards, 3:42) WKU 7–0 04:24 WKU Dakota Thomas 9-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(12 plays, 81 yards, 3:30) WKU 14–0 2 05:23 WKU Daewood Davis 15-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(3 plays, 41 yards, 1:02) WKU 21–0 02:23 ODU Nick Rice 44-yard field goal(10 plays, 48 yards, 3:00) WKU 21–3 01:48 WKU Jerreth Sterns 74-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(3 plays, 75 yards, 0:35) WKU 27–3 00:00 WKU Brayden Narveson 20-yard field goal(8 plays, 45 yards, 1:16) WKU 30–3 3 10:37 ODU Nick Rice 38-yard field goal(11 plays, 54 yards, 4:23) WKU 30–6 03:43 WKU Brayden Narveson 31-yard field goal(4 plays, -9 yards, 1:30) WKU 33–6 4 14:55 ODU Elijah Davis 24-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(8 plays, 79 yards, 3:45) WKU 33–13 10:17 ODU Blake Watson 7-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(8 plays, 78 yards, 3:02) WKU 33–20 05:41 WKU Brayden Narveson 41-yard field goal(13 plays, 42 yards, 4:31) WKU 36–20 03:51 WKU Dakota Thomas 17-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(2 plays, 23 yards, 0:38) WKU 43–20
Pregame line Over/under WKU –13.5 67
Statistics Western Kentucky Old Dominion First downs 29 23 Total yards 518 446 Rushing yards 121 119 Passing yards 397 327 Turnovers 1 3 Time of possession 30:39 29:21
Team Category Player Statistics Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 36/54, 397 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT Rushing Adam Cofield 10 carries, 67 yards Receiving Jerreth Sterns 13 receptions, 221 yards, 1 TD Old Dominion Passing Hayden Wolff 26/41, 327 yards, 2 INTs Rushing Blake Watson 22 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD Receiving Ali Jennings III 13 receptions, 172 yards
Western Kentucky at Florida International 1 2 3 4 Total • Hilltoppers 0 17 7 10 34 Panthers 6 6 0 7 19
Date: October 23, 2021Location: Riccardo Silva Stadium University Park, FL Game start: 7:28 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 2 hours and 24 minutesGame attendance: 0Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • Weather: SunnyReferee: Patrick FoyTV announcers (ESPN+ ): A. J. Ricketts (play–by–play) and Cam Lynch (analyst) Scoring summary 1 10:22 FIU Max Bortenschlager 1-yard rush (Chase Gabriel PAT blocked)(12 plays, 75 yards, 4:38) FIU 6–0 2 07:13 WKU Adam Cofield 8-yard rush (Brayden Narveson kick)(8 plays, 80 yards, 2:52) WKU 7–6 07:04 FIU Randall St. Felix 75-yard pass from Max Bortenschlager (two-point pass conversion attempt failed)(1 play, 75 yards, 0:09) FIU 12–7 01:22 WKU Brayden Narveson 23-yard field goal(13 plays, 70 yards, 5:42) FIU 12–10 00:15 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 32-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(5 plays, 80 yards, 0:34) WKU 17–12 3 11:35 WKU Jerreth Sterns 20-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 3:25) WKU 24–12 4 11:08 WKU Jerreth Sterns 1-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(9 plays, 63 yards, 3:52) WKU 31–12 04:08 WKU Brayden Narveson 26-yard field goal(13 plays, 82 yards, 5:20) WKU 34–12 01:39 FIU Shaun Peterson Jr. 3-yard rush (Chase Gabriel kick)(9 plays, 75 yards, 2:29) WKU 34–19
Pregame line Over/under WKU –16.5 78
Statistics Western Kentucky FIU First downs 31 18 Total yards 530 290 Rushing yards 148 28 Passing yards 382 262 Turnovers 1 0 Time of possession 33:15 26:45
Team Category Player Statistics Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 39/49, 382 yards, 3 TDs Rushing Adam Cofield 15 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD Receiving Jerreth Sterns 14 receptions, 115 yards, 2 TDs FIU Passing Max Bortenschlager 15/32, 192 yards, 1 TD Rushing D'Vonte Price 15 carries, 86 yards Receiving Randall St. Felix 5 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD
Charlotte [ edit ] Charlotte at Western Kentucky 1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 3 10 0 0 13 • Hilltoppers 14 14 7 10 45
Date: October 30, 2021Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY Game start: 3:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 11 minutesGame attendance: 16,763Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Wet and CloudyReferee: Scott HardinTV announcers (ESPN+ ): Nate Gatter (play–by–play) and Bob Belvin (analyst) Scoring summary 1 11:44 WKU Daewood Davis 11-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(7 plays, 47 yards, 2:19) WKU 7–0 06:39 CLT Jonathan Cruz 37-yard field goal(11 plays, 55 yards, 5:05) WKU 7–3 01:21 WKU Bailey Zappe 2-yard rush (Brayden Narveson kick)(4 plays, 73 yards, 1:29) WKU 14–3 2 13:09 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 13-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(6 plays, 50 yards, 2:20) WKU 21–3 09:40 CLT James Foster 1-yard rush (Jonathan Cruz kick)(7 plays, 75 yards, 3:29) WKU 21–10 03:06 CLT Jonathan Cruz 56-yard field goal(5 plays, 37 yards, 2:10) WKU 21–13 01:27 WKU Jerreth Sterns 21-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(5 plays, 75 yards, 1:39) WKU 28–13 3 02:04 WKU Dalvin Smith 9-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(8 plays, 69 yards, 2:46) WKU 35–13 4 12:28 WKU Brayden Narveson 35-yard field goal(8 plays, 17 yards, 2:52) WKU 38–13 05:09 WKU Noah Whittington 1-yard rush (Brayden Narveson kick)(6 plays, 60 yards, 3:09) WKU 45–13
Pregame line Over/under WKU –19.5 71.5
Statistics Charlotte Western Kentucky First downs 17 29 Total yards 319 469 Rushing yards 190 76 Passing yards 129 393 Turnovers 2 2 Time of possession 33:44 26:16
Team Category Player Statistics Charlotte Passing James Foster 12/24, 129 yards, 1 INT Rushing Calvin Camp 7 carries, 60 yards Receiving Shadrick Byrd 1 reception, 53 yards Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 33/45, 393 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs Rushing Noah Whittington 10 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD Receiving Jerreth Sterns 10 receptions, 89 yards, 1 TD
Middle Tennessee [ edit ] Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky 1 2 3 4 Total Blue Raiders 7 7 0 7 21 • Hilltoppers 21 10 17 0 48
Scoring summary 1 11:49 MTSU DJ England-Chisolm 45-yard pass from Nick Vattiato (Zeke Rankin kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 3:11) MTSU 7–0 10:21 WKU Daewood Davis 17-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(7 plays, 68 yards, 1:22) TIE 7–7 06:09 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 5-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(2 plays, 19 yards, 0:36) WKU 14–7 02:07 WKU Beanie Bishop 43-yard interception returned (Brayden Narveson kick)(3 plays, -1 yards, 1:34) WKU 21–7 2 09:08 MTSU Yusuf Ali 36-yard pass from Nick Vattiato (Zeke Rankin kick)(5 plays, 52 yards, 1:38) WKU 21–14 05:24 WKU Brayden Narveson 35-yard field goal(9 plays, 54 yards, 3:38) WKU 24–14 03:35 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 10-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(2 plays, 10 yards, 0:09) WKU 31–14 3 11:21 WKU Daewood Davis 28-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(7 plays, 74 yards, 3:39) WKU 38–14 09:18 WKU Bailey Zappe 8-yard rush (Brayden Narveson kick)(4 plays, 33 yards, 1:16) WKU 45–14 07:38 WKU Brayden Narveson 43-yard field goal(4 plays, 4 yards, 0:57) WKU 48–14 4 13:35 MTSU Frank Peasant 5-yard rush (Zeke Rankin kick)(3 plays, 16 yards, 1:04) WKU 48–21
Pregame line Over/under WKU –17.5 66.5
Statistics Middle Tennessee Western Kentucky First downs 19 19 Total yards 349 352 Rushing yards 123 71 Passing yards 226 281 Turnovers 7 0 Time of possession 33:02 26:58
Team Category Player Statistics Middle Tennessee Passing Nick Vattiato 24/41, 205 yards, 2 TDs, 5 INTs Rushing Frank Peasant 18 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD Receiving DJ England-Chisolm 3 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 29/50, 281 yards, 4 TDs Rushing Noah Whittington 17 carries, 67 yards Receiving Jerreth Sterns 11 receptions, 110 yards
At Rice [ edit ] Western Kentucky at Rice 1 2 3 4 Total • Hilltoppers 7 21 0 14 42 Owls 0 0 7 14 21
Date: November 13, 2021Location: Rice Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 1:05 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutesGame attendance: 17,883Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 7 MPH Referee: Scott HardinTV announcers (ESPN+ ): David Saltzman (play–by–play) and Taylor McHargue (analyst) Scoring summary 1 02:56 WKU Kye Robichaux 2-yard rush (Brayden Narveson kick)(7 plays, 97 yards, 3:00) WKU 7–0 2 10:12 WKU Kye Robichaux 13-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(5 plays, 39 yards, 2:18) WKU 14–0 07:36 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 65-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(2 plays, 70 yards, 0:34) WKU 21–0 06:19 WKU Dalvin Smith 7-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(2 plays, 34 yards, 0:32) WKU 28–0 3 03:16 RICE Cedric Patterson III 23-yard pass from Jake Constantine (Christian VanSickle kick)(8 plays, 80 yards, 3:44) WKU 28–7 4 14:56 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 9-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(10 plays, 77 yards, 3:15) WKU 35–7 11:44 RICE Khalan Griffin 7-yard rush (Christian VanSickle kick)(9 plays, 75 yards, 3:12) WKU 35–14 08:18 WKU Joey Beljan 5-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(2 plays, 23 yards, 0:35) WKU 42–14 00:55 RICE Juma Otoviano 2-yard rush (Christian VanSickle kick)(6 plays, 37 yards, 1:13) WKU 42–21
Pregame line Over/under WKU –19.0 61.5
Statistics Western Kentucky Rice First downs 27 25 Total yards 587 504 Rushing yards 92 124 Passing yards 495 380 Turnovers 4 5 Time of possession 24:20 35:40
Team Category Player Statistics Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 34/42, 482 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT Rushing Kye Robichaux 12 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD Receiving Mitchell Tinsley 10 receptions, 198 yards, 2 TDs Rice Passing Jake Constantine 28/50, 380 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs Rushing Ari Broussard 15 carries, 60 yards Receiving August Pitre III 9 receptions, 113 yards
Florida Atlantic [ edit ] Florida Atlantic at Western Kentucky 1 2 3 4 Total Owls 3 7 7 0 17 • Hilltoppers 14 17 7 14 52
Scoring summary 1 10:52 WKU Jerreth Sterns 1-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(6 plays, 87 yards, 2:16) WKU 7–0 05:41 FAU Morgan Suarez 35-yard field goal(11 plays, 33 yards, 5:11) WKU 7–3 04:13 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 8-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(3 plays, 50 yards, 1:20) WKU 14–3 2 13:34 WKU Joey Beljan 3-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(9 plays, 79 yards, 3:52) WKU 21–3 07:58 FAU Teja Young 62-yard interception returned (Morgan Suarez kick)(6 plays, 43 yards, 2:50) WKU 21–10 03:15 WKU Malachi Corley 3-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(9 plays, 80 yards, 4:36) WKU 28–10 01:35 WKU Brayden Narveson 26-yard field goal(6 plays, 28 yards, 1:38) WKU 31–10 3 05:34 FAU Joey Mitchell 9-yard pass from N'Kosi Perry (Morgan Suarez kick)(9 plays, 62 yards, 3:36) WKU 31–17 01:59 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 27-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(5 plays, 61 yards, 1:57) WKU 38–17 4 12:15 WKU Joey Beljan 7-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(7 plays, 56 yards, 2:40) WKU 45–17 04:16 WKU Jakairi Moses 7-yard rush (Brayden Narveson kick)(10 plays, 83 yards, 5:32) WKU 52–17
Pregame line Over/under WKU –11.5 64
Statistics Florida Atlantic Western Kentucky First downs 18 35 Total yards 301 608 Rushing yards 25 100 Passing yards 276 508 Turnovers 3 3 Time of possession 24:39 35:21
Team Category Player Statistics Florida Atlantic Passing N'Kosi Perry 19/28, 213 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs Rushing Johnny Ford 13 carries, 48 yards Receiving Je'Quan Burton 7 receptions, 80 yards Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 39/49, 470 yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs Rushing Noah Whittington 9 carries, 46 yards Receiving Mitchell Tinsley 9 receptions, 164 yards, 2 TDs
At Marshall [ edit ] Western Kentucky at Marshall 1 2 3 4 Total • Hilltoppers 0 6 23 24 53 Thundering Herd 7 7 0 7 21
Scoring summary 1 07:01 MRSH Grant Wells 1-yard rush (Shane Ciucci kick)(15 plays, 79 yards, 6:58) MRSH 7–0 2 14:22 MRSH Devin Miller 3-yard pass from Grant Wells (Shane Ciucci kick)(9 plays, 57 yards, 3:57) MRSH 14–0 08:05 WKU Brayden Narveson 41-yard field goal(6 plays, 25 yards, 1:56) MRSH 14–3 02:48 WKU Brayden Narveson 46-yard field goal(10 plays, 27 yards, 3:12) MRSH 14–6 3 13:41 WKU Daewood Davis 47-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(2 plays, 58 yards, 0:23) MRSH 14–13 09:10 WKU Malachi Corley 14-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(9 plays, 78 yards, 2:21) WKU 20–14 07:28 WKU Daewood Davis 50-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (two-point pass conversion attempt failed)(1 play, 50 yards, 0:09) WKU 26–14 03:25 WKU Brayden Narveson 53-yard field goal(10 plays, 37 yards, 3:30) WKU 29–14 4 14:18 WKU Dalvin Smith 8-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(9 plays, 78 yards, 3:30) WKU 36–14 12:23 MRSH Shadeed Ahmed 41-yard pass from Luke Zban (Shane Ciucci kick)(6 plays, 75 yards, 1:55) WKU 36–21 12:16 WKU A. J. Brathwaite 43-yard kickoff returned (Brayden Narveson kick)(9 plays, 31 yards, 3:46) WKU 43–21 01:12 WKU Brayden Narveson 39-yard field goal(11 plays, 21 yards, 7:18) WKU 46–21 00:53 WKU Davion Williams 45-yard interception returned (Brayden Narveson kick)(2 plays, 0 yards, 0:19) WKU 53–21
Pregame line Over/under EVEN 75
Statistics Western Kentucky Marshall First downs 25 20 Total yards 485 325 Rushing yards 157 126 Passing yards 328 199 Turnovers 0 2 Time of possession 30:34 29:26
Team Category Player Statistics Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 24/48, 328 yards, 4 TDs Rushing Noah Whittington 14 carries, 69 yards Receiving Daewood Davis 3 receptions, 105 yards, 2 TDs Marshall Passing Luke Zban 16/25, 123 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Rasheen Ali 24 carries, 99 yards Receiving Corey Gammage 7 receptions, 44 yards
At UTSA (C-USA Championship) [ edit ] Western Kentucky at Texas–San Antonio 1 2 3 4 Total Hilltoppers 10 3 13 15 41 • Roadrunners 14 14 14 7 49
Scoring summary 1 14:04 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 60-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(5 plays, 78 yards, 0:56) WKU 7–0 11:49 UTSA Frank Harris 24-yard rush (Hunter Duplessis kick)(7 plays, 75 yards, 2:15) TIE 7–7 10:07 WKU Brayden Narveson 33-yard field goal(6 plays, 51 yards, 1:42) WKU 10–7 04:59 UTSA Sincere McCormick 2-yard rush (Hunter Duplessis kick)(14 plays, 75 yards, 5:08) UTSA 14–10 2 14:57 WKU Brayden Narveson 34-yard field goal(15 plays, 59 yards, 5:02) UTSA 14–13 11:50 UTSA Brenden Brady 6-yard rush (Hunter Duplessis kick)(9 plays, 75 yards, 3:07) UTSA 21–13 09:10 UTSA Sincere McCormick 65-yard rush (Hunter Duplessis kick)(1 play, 65 yards, 0:11) UTSA 28–13 3 11:13 UTSA Zakhari Franklin 14-yard pass from Frank Harris (Hunter Duplessis kick)(2 plays, 14 yards, 0:45) UTSA 35–13 10:16 UTSA Sincere McCormick 17-yard rush (Hunter Duplessis kick)(1 play, 17 yards, 0:08) UTSA 42–13 08:17 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 12-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(8 plays, 66 yards, 1:59) UTSA 42–20 03:01 WKU Jerreth Sterns 13-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (two-point pass conversion attempt failed)(7 plays, 53 yards, 2:17) UTSA 42–26 4 11:01 WKU Kye Robichaux 1-yard rush (Bailey Zappe two-point pass conversion to Jerreth Sterns)(5 plays, 71 yards, 1:10) UTSA 42–34 06:18 UTSA De'Corian Clark 28-yard pass from Frank Harris (Hunter Duplessis kick)(10 plays, 75 yards, 4:43) UTSA 49–34 03:58 WKU Jerreth Sterns 34-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(9 plays, 72 yards, 2:20) UTSA 49–41
Pregame line Over/under WKU –3.0 74.5
Statistics Western Kentucky UTSA First downs 26 28 Total yards 568 556 Rushing yards -9 304 Passing yards 577 252 Turnovers 3 0 Time of possession 23:16 36:44
Team Category Player Statistics Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 36/59, 577 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs Rushing Noah Whittington 4 carries, 15 yards Receiving Jerreth Sterns 10 receptions, 179 yards, 2 TDs UTSA Passing Frank Harris 19/28, 218 yards, 2 TDs Rushing Sincere McCormick 36 carries, 204 yards, 3 TDs Receiving Zakhari Franklin 6 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD
Vs. Appalachian State (Boca Raton Bowl) [ edit ] Western Kentucky vs. Appalachian State 1 2 3 4 Total • Hilltoppers 14 17 21 7 59 Mountaineers 14 10 7 7 38
Scoring summary 1 13:14 WKU Jerreth Sterns 1-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(8 plays, 74 yards, 1:46) WKU 7–0 3:25 ASU Malik Williams 36-yard pass from Chase Brice (Chandler Staton kick)(6 plays, 63 yards, 2:58) Tie 7–7 3:11 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 75-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(1 play, 75 yards, 00:14) WKU 14–7 1:11 ASU Jalen Virgil 60-yard pass from Chase Brice (Chandler Staton kick)(5 plays, 76 yards, 2:00) Tie 14–14 2 11:48 WKU Brayden Narveson 24-yard field goal(7 plays, 64 yards, 1:21) WKU 17–14 8:57 ASU Dashaun Davis 33-yard pass from Chase Brice (Chandler Staton kick)(5 plays, 61 yards, 2:51) ASU 21–17 6:54 WKU Joey Beljan 5-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 2:03) WKU 24–21 2:55 ASU Chandler Staton 28-yard field goal(8 plays, 64 yards, 3:59) Tie 24–24 00:29 WKU Jerreth Sterns 10-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(8 plays, 78 yards, 2:26) WKU 31–24 3 12:49 WKU Noah Wittington 86-yard run (Brayden Narveson kick)(1 play, 86 yards, 00:12) WKU 38–24 5:56 WKU Mitchell Tinsley 2-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(11 plays, 73 yards, 4:38) WKU 45–24 5:38 ASU Christian Wells 62-yard pass from Chase Brice (Chandler Staton kick)(1 play, 62 yards, 00:18) WKU 45–31 2:42 WKU Jerreth Sterns 37-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(6 plays, 75 yards, 2:56) WKU 52–31 4 9:40 WKU Kye Robichaux 2-yard run (Brayden Narveson kick)(2 plays, 2 yards, 00:09) WKU 59–31 1:55 ASU Anderson Castle 9-yard run (Chandler Staton kick)(7 plays, 69 yards, 2:17) WKU 59–38
Pregame line Over/under WKU –1.0 68
Statistics Western Kentucky Appalachian State First downs 24 27 Total yards 609 637 Rushing yards 251 215 Passing yards 358 422 Turnovers 4 1 Time of possession 31:12 28:48
Team Category Player Statistics Western Kentucky Passing Bailey Zappe 33/47, 422 yards, 6 TD Rushing Noah Wittington 7 carries, 150 yards, 1 TD Receiving Jerreth Sterns 13 receptions, 184 yards, 3 TD Appalachian State Passing Chase Brice 15/23, 317 yards, 4 TD, INT Rushing Camerun Peoples 13 carries, 101 yards Receiving Christian Wells 4 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD
References [ edit ]
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