Hilltoppers Fall To Delaware

WKU Athletics Media Release

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Football lost to Delaware 35-21 on Tuesday at Houchens-Smith Stadium. The Hilltoppers fall to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in Conference USA with the loss to the Fightin’ Blue Hens (4-4 overall, 2-2 CUSA).

HOW IT HAPPENED

• WKU got on the board first, scoring on the game’s opening drive. The Hilltoppers marched down the field 75 yards in eight plays and capped off the drive with a 2-yard pass from Brock Glenn to CC Ezirim to take a 7-0 lead at the 11:37 mark of the opening frame.
• Delaware responded on the ensuing drive and tied the game with a 17-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-7 with 6:43 to play in the first quarter.
• The Hilltoppers retook the lead with a 1-yard touchdown run from Zion Taylor to cap off a seven-play, 75-yard drive that was highlighted by a 45-yard pass from Glenn to Moussa Barry. The touchdown gave WKU a 14-7 lead with 3:41 to play in the opening period.
• Delaware scored off a 21-yard reception to tie the game 14-14 at the 12:42 mark in the second quarter, capping off a 9-play, 78-yard drive.
• After a 61-yard rush by Glenn, Ajay Allen scored a touchdown off a 5-yard rush to make it a 21-14 WKU lead with 10:52 left in the first half.
• Delaware tied the game back up off a 5-yard touchdown run with 7:25 to play in the second quarter.
• The Blue Hens took the lead off an 8-yard reception, making it 28-21 with 59 seconds left in the first half.
• Delaware scored the only touchdown of the second half on a 40-yard reception with 4:20 to play in the third quarter, and neither team scored in the fourth quarter of the 35-21 decision.

NOTABLES

• WKU falls to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in CUSA play with the loss.
• The Hilltoppers fall to 1-3 all-time against Delaware.
• WKU falls to 2-1 at home this season, after entering the game with wins in 13 of the last 15 games played at Houchens-Smith Stadium.
• WKU’s team captains for the game were tight end Coleson Arends, linebacker Westen Ard and linebacker Elijah Rumph.
• Announced attendance for the game was 12,147.
• WKU finished with 477 yards of offense in the game – 245 passing and 232 rushing. It was the second-highest total yardage in a game for the Hilltoppers this season, trailing only the 596 posted against Mercyhurst on Sept. 26.
• Tuesday’s game was the first this season WKU scored touchdowns on its first two drives.
• Quarterback Brock Glenn threw for 224 yards and one touchdown on 25-37-2 passing. He added 129 yards rushing on 17 attempts. It is the first time a WKU quarterback has rushed for over 100 yards in a single game since Kawaun Jakes rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries on Nov. 7, 2009, against Troy.
• Ajay Allen finished second on the team in rushing with 73 yards on 12 carries, with one touchdown. Allen now has six touchdowns this season, which is a team high.
• Zion Taylor’s touchdown in the first quarter was his second touchdown this season and his first rushing touchdown.
• CC Ezirim’s touchdown in the first quarter was his first as a Hilltopper and the second of his college career.
• Nine different WKU players caught passes in the game, and eight different players posted multiple receptions. Receiver Jonathan Stafford Jr. and running back Jaden McGill each recorded five catches to lead the team, while Moussa Barry posted a team-best 80 yards receiving.
• Stafford now has a team-leading 46 receptions for 433 yards this season. Stafford moved into second place in program history in receptions for a freshman, passing Easton Messer, who had 42 catches during the 2023 season. Stafford trails only Malachi Corley on the list. Corley caught 73 passes during the 2021 season. Stafford moved into fifth place among freshmen in program history for receiving yards in a season, passing Nicholas Norris, who had 431 yards receiving in 2013. Stafford trails Corley (691 yards; 2021), Jay Davis (612 yards; 1968), Messer (484 yards; 2023) and Cedric Jones (471 yards; 1984) on the list. Stafford has posted at least five receptions in the last six games – the longest streak by a WKU true freshman over the last 30 years.
• Twelve different WKU players recorded multiple tackles in the game, led by nine each from linebackers Jaylen Wester and Westen Ard.
• WKU recorded one sack in the game, with half credit to Mackavelli Malotumau and Zeiqui Lawton. The Hilltoppers had five tackles for loss, with a team-best two from Malotumau.
• Dave Herard forced and recovered a fumble in the first quarter. It was the second forced fumble of his college career and his first at WKU. It was his fourth fumble recovery overall and second with the Hilltoppers.

QUOTABLES

• “I thought we had plenty of opportunities in the game — we didn’t capitalize on them. Guys battled hard. That was a good football team… quarterback’s a good player. They made their plays when they needed to make them, and we didn’t. We’ll go back to the drawing board. We got a great opportunity to move forward, and we got to get ready for Middle Tennessee.” – Head Coach Tyson Helton, on the loss against Delaware.
• “We’ve got to take advantage of our opportunities better. We left a lot of things out there on the field. Missed a couple plays and assignments. Overall we’ve got to clean it up in terms of execution. We have an opportunity to clean up the mistakes that we have from this game. We’ll identify what we need to work on, and once we get that cleaned up we’ll be ready for our next opportunity.” – Wide Receiver Jonathan Stafford Jr., on the loss against Delaware.
• “Just headed back to work. It’s Western Kentucky versus Western Kentucky at the end of the day. It starts in practice, we’ve got to come back ready to work.” – Defensive Tackle Mackavelli Malotumau, on the loss against Delaware.

NEXT UP

The Hilltoppers will return to Saturday games, beginning with a Saturday, Nov. 7, game at Middle Tennessee. Kickoff at Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT.