HCU Huskies face tough game against Western Kentucky

Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vida Loco Photography, Copyright 2023, All Rights Reserved

By Chris Price
Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 9, 2023) The HCU Huskies are hitting the road this Saturday under the leadership of head coach Braxton Harris, and they're gearing up for a challenging matchup against FBS and Conference USA rival, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers The game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

The Huskies are entering this contest with high spirits following a dominant season opener that saw them trounce Arkansas Baptist 66-0. This victory not only marked the third-highest point total in the program's history. The team showcased their prowess by accumulating an impressive 473 yards of total offense while holding the Buffaloes to just 132 yards.

Redshirt freshman Champ Dozier (#1, shown above) emerged as a star, rushing for 97 yards and three touchdowns, earning him the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week accolade. Jesse Valenzuela also made a big impact, averaging 20.7 yards per carry with 62 yards on three carries. Quarterbacks Colby Suits and Justin Fomby were in sync, completing 16 of 20 passes for 232 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Defensively, junior linebacker Josh Ferguson was a force to be reckoned with, tallying 3.5 tackles for loss, including an eight-yard sack. All-American linebacker Rodney Dansby led the team with 10 tackles, and Jalyx Hunt had a memorable moment with his first career "airfat" (an interception returned for a touchdown).

On the other side, Western Kentucky is coming off a solid 41-24 victory over South Florida, with senior quarterback Austin Reed leading the charge. 

Western Kentucky's Lucky Jackson named SERVPRO First Responder Bowl MVP

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

DALLAS, TEXAS (December 30, 2019) Western Kentucky wide receiver Lucky Jackson (shown right) caught 17 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown as the Hilltoppers downed the Western Michigan Broncos 23-20 at the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas.

The red-shirt senior, who hails from Lexington, Kentucky, caught a five-yard pass from quarterback Ty Storey for the last touchdown of the game. As a result of his play, Jackson was named the game's Most Valuable Player. 

The First Responder Bowl was the first bowl game the Hilltoppers had played in Texas. They are now 4-2 in bowl games since joining the FBS ranks in 2009.  Western Kentucky and Western Michigan had played 15 times previously, with the Broncos coming out on top 11 times. All previous games were contested between 1923 and 1947.

The Hilltoppers finish the 2019 season with a 9-5 record

Western Kentucky makes first bowl trip to Texas for SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

By Chris Price
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

DALLAS, TEXAS (December 30, 2019) The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are headed to Dallas, Texas to face the Western Michigan Broncos in the 2019 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on December 30, 2019 at SMU's Gerald J Ford Stadium.

The Hilltoppers are making their sixth bowl appearance since 2012 after it’s 2012 Little Caesars Bowl appearance ended a drought dating back to 1975, which they lost in the NCAA Division II National Championship Game. WKU is 7-4 all-time in bowl games and 3-2 in the FBS era. 

Tyson Helton, in his first season as a head coach, was named the C-USA Coach of the Year. With a win, Helton would help the program earn its ninth win of the year to equal the total of 2017 and 2018 wins combined. Helton joins his father, Kim Helton, as the only father-son duo to be named Coach of the Year in the C-USA’s 25-year history in any sport. 

Junior defensive end DeAngelo Malone was named the 2019 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year. Malone racked up 21.0 tackles for loss (11th in the nation) with 11.5 sacks. Malone averages 7.5 total tackles per game. 

Senior quarterback Ty Storey earned the 2019 C-USA Newcomer of the Year honor after tossing 12 touchdowns, 2,209 yards and just five interceptions. Topping his former squad Arkansas in November, he was 22-of-32 on the way to being named the Manning Award National Quarterback of the Week, a first in program history.

Western Kentucky, Western Michigan to meet in SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

DALLAS, TEXAS (December 29, 2019) On Monday, December 30, the final football game of the decade at SMU's Gerald J. Ford Stadium (shown left) will see the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky University. (8-4, 6-2 C-USA) facing off the Broncos of Western Michigan (7-5, 5-3 MAC) in the 2019 Servpro Frist Responder Bowl. 

This the first First Responder Bowl to be played at SMU's stadium. The previous nine contests were all contested at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas. It is not the first bowl game ever played in Ford Stadium, however. The 2010 and 2011 Armed Forces Bowl games were played at SMU while renovations to TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium were made. The 2018 contest, scheduled between Boston College and Boise State, was cancelled due to weather. It is believed to be the first bowl game cancelled after kickoff.

WKU and Western Michigan are meeting for the first time since 1947. The programs have met 15 times prior, with Western Michigan leading the all-time series 11-3-1.  Neither team has ever played in the city of Dallas prior to the bowl. Western Michigan did play in the 2017 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The Broncos were selected as an at-large as the highest ranked College Football Playoff (CFP) Group of Five team. Western Michigan dropped a 24-16 decision to Wisconsin in that contest.

This is the third time that Western Michigan has played a bowl game in the state of Texas. In addition to earning a trip to the 2017 Cotton Bowl, where the team lost 24-16 to Wisconsin, the Broncos also played in the Texas Bowl in Houston in 2008. WMU lost 38-14, to hometown Rice in that contest. In all, Western Michigan is 1-8 all time in bowl games

This marks WKU’s first bowl game played in the state of Texas. The Hilltoppers are 3-2 in its previous five all-time bowl appearances since joining the FBS ranks in 2009.

The WKU Hilltoppers and Western Michigan Broncos have played 15 times previously, and Western Michigan leads the series 11-3-1. The teams have not played in 72 years, however, as all 15 games were played between 1923-47. Ironically, WMU athletic teams were once known as the Hilltoppers, a reference to the school’s location on top of Prospect Hill, but changed their nickname in 1939 to the Broncos to avoid confusion with teams of other schools such as WKU.

This is the latest date that the SERVPRO First Responder game has been played since the 2013 contest was played between North Texas and UNLV on Jan. 1, 2014. All 10 games have been played between Dec. 26 and Jan. 2.

Kickoff is set for 11:30 a.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN.