HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — After trailing 14-0 through the game’s first 22 minutes, WKU Football responded by scoring 36 consecutive points and went on to roll to a 53-21 victory at Marshall on Saturday afternoon. Quarterback Bailey Zappe threw for 328 yards and four touchdown passes, pushing his season total to 52 and eclipsing Brandon Doughty’s 49 in 2014, becoming the all-time single-season record holder in WKU program and Conference USA history.
The Hilltoppers notched their seventh-straight win in Conference USA play and claimed the East Division Championship outright. WKU – 8-4 overall, 7-1 in league games – earned a berth in the C-USA Championship Game against West Division winner UTSA. The Hilltoppers will look to avenge their lone C-USA loss (a 52-46 defeat in Bowling Green on October 9) on Friday, December 3, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. in the Alamodome. The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.
All seven wins during WKU’s streak have been by at least 15 points, with the average margin of victory at 26.4 points (45.3-to-18.9). The Hilltopper defense has not allowed an opponent to score over 21 points during the stretch, while the offense topped 50 points in back-to-back games to finish the regular season.
WKU out-gained Marshall 485-to-325 – including a 157-to-126 advantage in rushing yards – and held the Herd to only a 3-of-14 conversion rate on third downs. The Hilltopper defense sacked Marshall four times, while the offensive line allowed Zappe to be sacked only once by a Herd defense that came into the contest ranked tied for eighth in the nation with 3.36 sacks per game on the season.
WKU did not turn the ball over once, while forcing two Marshall turnovers – including a 45-yard pick-six by Davion Williams to put (the cherry on top with) the Hilltoppers’ 53rd point on the board with 53 seconds remaining in the game. Special teams also dominated, as kicker Brayden Narveson netted four field goals – of 53, 46, 41 and 39 yards – and Craig Burt, Jr. returned an onside kick attempt 43 yards for a touchdown, right after the Herd brought the score to within 36-21 in the fourth quarter.
Although Marshall did hold the nation’s leading receiver Jerreth Sterns in check with only four receptions for 28 yards, four other Hilltopper wideouts – Daewood Davis, Mitchell Tinsley, Malachi Corley and Dalvin Smith – combined to make 18 catches for 287 yards and four touchdowns.
After trailing 14-6 at halftime, the WKU defense forced a quick three-and-out and the offense responded. Two plays later, Zappe hit Davis in stride for a 47-yard score to bring the Hilltoppers within 14-13. After another Herd punt, Zappe drove WKU down the field and eventually hit Corley for a 14-yard touchdown – his 50th of the season to set the record – and the Hilltoppers’ first lead of the game at 20-14.
WKU would not trail again, as the defense forced three-straight three-and-outs which turned into 10 Hilltopper points that pushed the advantage to 36-14 at the 14:18 mark of the fourth frame. In 30 minutes of game time, WKU went from down 14-0 to ahead 36-14.
Overall, Zappe has now completed 406-of-580 passes (70%) for 4,968 yards, with 52 touchdowns compared to only nine interceptions in 12 games. The 4,968 yards rank 18th all-time in FBS for a single season, while the 52 passing scores are tied for fourth. With 32 more yards, Zappe would become only the sixth FBS quarterback to ever throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in a single season.
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