2020 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

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2020 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers wordmark.svg
ConferenceConference USA
DivisionEast Division
2020 record5–7 (4–3 C-USA)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBryan Ellis (2nd season)
Co-offensive coordinatorRyan Aplin (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorClayton White (4th season)
Co-defensive coordinatorMaurice Crum Jr. (1st season)
Home stadiumHouchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
(Capacity: 22,113)
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 Conference USA football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Marshall xy   4 1     7 3  
Florida Atlantic   4 2     5 4  
Western Kentucky   4 3     5 7  
Charlotte   2 2     2 4  
Middle Tennessee   2 4     3 6  
FIU   0 3     0 5  
West Division
UAB xy$   3 1     6 3  
UTSA   5 2     7 5  
Louisiana Tech   4 2     5 5  
North Texas   3 4     4 6  
Rice   2 3     2 3  
Southern Miss   2 4     3 7  
UTEP   0 4     3 5  
Championship: UAB 22, Marshall 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, Old Dominion opted out of the season.

The 2020 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team (WKU) represented Western Kentucky University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers played their home games at the Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky, as members of the East Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by second-year head coach Tyson Helton.

Previous season[]

The Hilltoppers finished the 2019 regular season 9–4, 6–2 in CUSA which they tied for second in the East Division with Marshall. The team was invited to play in the First Responder Bowl against Western Michigan, where the Hilltoppers took their ninth win of the season.[1]

Preseason[]

Award watch lists[]

Listed in the order that they were released

Award Player Position Year
TBD

CUSA media days[]

The CUSA Media Days will be held virtually for the first time in conference history.[2]

Preseason All-CUSA teams[]

To be released

Schedule[]

Western Kentucky announced its 2020 football schedule on January 8, 2020.[3] The 2020 schedule consists of 6 home and 5 away games in the regular season.

The Hilltoppers had games scheduled against Indiana and Old Dominion, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5][6]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 127:00 p.m.at Louisville*ACCNL 21–3511,179
September 1911:00 a.m.Liberty*ESPNUL 24–304,276
October 34:00 p.m.at Middle TennesseeESPN3W 20–176,500
October 106:30 p.m.Marshall
  • Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
StadiumL 14–384,428
October 1712:30 p.m.at UABStadiumL 14–3711,098
October 243:00 p.m.Chattanooga*
  • Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
ESPN3W 13–103,905
October 319:15 p.m.at No. 11 BYU*ESPNL 10–416,843
November 75:00 p.m.at Florida AtlanticStadiumL 6–105,292
November 142:30 p.m.Southern Miss
  • Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
CBSSNW 10–73,815
November 211:00 p.m.FIU
  • Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
ESPN3W 38–213,823
December 611:00 a.m.CharlotteESPN3W 37–19714
December 262:30 p.m.vs. Georgia State*ESPNL 21–395,128
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to game
  • All times are in Central time
Schedule Source:[7][8]

Game summaries[]

at Louisville[]

Western Kentucky at Louisville
1 234Total
Hilltoppers 7 077 21
Cardinals 7 2170 35
  • Date: September 12, 2020
  • Location: Cardinal Stadium
    Louisville, KY
  • Game start: 7:05 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 3 minutes
  • Game attendance: 11,179
  • Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Rainy • Wind: SSW 5 MPH
  • Referee: J. Flanagan
  • TV announcers (ACC Network): Roy Philpott (play–by–play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), Eric Wood (sideline reporter)
    
Pregame line Over/under
LOU –13 55[9]
Statistics Western Kentucky Louisville
First downs 12 22
Total yards 248 487
Rushing yards 119 144
Passing yards 129 343
Turnovers 1 2
Time of possession 27:27 32:33
Team Category Player Statistics
Western Kentucky Passing Tyrrell Pigrome 10/23, 129 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Tyrrell Pigrome 17 carries, 68 yards
Receiving Jahcour Pearson 5 receptions, 67 yards
Louisville Passing Malik Cunningham 19/34, 343 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Javian Hawkins 19 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Dez Fitzpatrick 4 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD

Liberty[]

Liberty at Western Kentucky
1 234Total
Flames 10 776 30
Hilltoppers 0 1077 24
     
Pregame line Over/under
WKU –14.5 51.5[10]
Statistics Liberty Western Kentucky
First downs 27 19
Total yards 487 291
Rushing yards 354 110
Passing yards 133 181
Turnovers 0 0
Time of possession 34:59 25:01
Team Category Player Statistics
Liberty Passing Malik Willis 13/21, 133 yards
Rushing Malik Willis 21 carries, 168 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving CJ Yarbrough 2 receptions, 53 yards
Western Kentucky Passing Tyrrell Pigrome 18/25, 181 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing Tyrrell Pigrome 14 carries, 74 yards
Receiving Mitchell Tinsley 6 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD

at Middle Tennessee[]

Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky
1 234Total
Hilltoppers 0 1037 20
Blue Raiders 0 1007 17
  • Date: October 3, 2020
  • Location: Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
    Murfreesboro, TN
  • Game start: 4:05 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 3 minutes
  • Game attendance: 6,500
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Sunny & Nice • Wind: ESE 1 MPH
  • Referee: Rodney Burnette
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Jake Rose (play–by–play) and Jeremy Kellem (analyst)
    
Pregame line Over/under
WKU –7 52.5[11]
Statistics Western Kentucky Middle Tennessee
First downs 21 18
Total yards 326 319
Rushing yards 138 102
Passing yards 188 217
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 31:35 28:25
Team Category Player Statistics
Western Kentucky Passing Tyrrell Pigrome 21/36, 188 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Tyrrell Pigrome 16 carries, 55 yards
Receiving Xavier Lane 7 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD
Middle Tennessee Passing Asher O'Hara 23/33, 217 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Asher O'Hara 25 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jarrin Pierce 9 receptions, 65 yards

Marshall[]

Marshall at Western Kentucky
1 234Total
Thundering Herd 14 141010 48
Hilltoppers 0 077 14
  • Date: October 10, 2020
  • Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
    Bowling Green, KY
  • Game start: 6:36 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 2 hours and 57 minutes
  • Game attendance: 4,428
  • Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy • Wind: E 6 MPH
  • Referee: Billy Williams
  • TV announcers (FOX Sports): Chris Hassel (play–by–play) and AJ Hawk (analyst)
    
Pregame line Over/under
MARSH –6.5 43[12]
Statistics Marshall Western Kentucky
First downs 17 15
Total yards 343 294
Rushing yards 181 85
Passing yards 162 209
Turnovers 0 3
Time of possession 34:41 25:19
Team Category Player Statistics
Marshall Passing Grant Wells 16/22, 162 yards
Rushing Brenden Knox 15 carries, 107 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving Broc Thompson 4 receptions, 94 yards
Western Kentucky Passing Kevaris Thomas 9/18, 148 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Kevaris Thomas 7 carries, 30 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Xavier Lane 4 receptions, 74 yards

at UAB[]

Western Kentucky at Alabama–Birmingham
1 234Total
Hilltoppers 7 700 14
RV Blazers 10 14103 37
  • Date: October 17, 2020
  • Location: Legion Field
    Birmingham, AL
  • Game start: 12:36 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 55 minutes
  • Game attendance: 11,098
  • Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: E 3 MPH
  • Referee: Joe Lehring
  • TV announcers (FOX Sports): Chris Hassel (play–by–play) and AJ Hawk (analyst)
      
Pregame line Over/under
UAB –11.5 44[13]
Statistics Western Kentucky UAB
First downs 15 17
Total yards 250 358
Rushing yards 88 217
Passing yards 162 141
Turnovers 4 2
Time of possession 28:33 31:27
Team Category Player Statistics
Western Kentucky Passing Kevaris Thomas 16/35, 162 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing Jakairi Moses 6 carries, 41 yards
Receiving Joshua Simon 6 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD
UAB Passing Bryson Lucero 15/31, 141 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing DeWayne McBride 10 carries, 131 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Austin Watkins Jr. 7 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD

Chattanooga[]

Chattanooga at Western Kentucky
1 234Total
Mocs 7 030 10
Hilltoppers 3 037 13
  
Pregame line Over/under
WKU –14 53.5[14]
Statistics Chattanooga Western Kentucky
First downs 13 14
Total yards 225 254
Rushing yards 135 122
Passing yards 90 132
Turnovers 0 2
Time of possession 32:21 27:39
Team Category Player Statistics
Chattanooga Passing Drayton Arnold 9/23, 90 yards
Rushing Ailym Ford 25 carries, 92 yards
Receiving Tyron Arnett 2 receptions, 30 yards
Western Kentucky Passing Tyrrell Pigrome 4/8, 73 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Gaej Walker 17 carries, 88 yards
Receiving Mitchell Tinsley 4 receptions, 46 yards

at BYU[]

Western Kentucky at Brigham Young
1 234Total
Hilltoppers 3 070 10
No. 11 Cougars 14 2133 41
  • Date: October 31, 2020
  • Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium
    Provo, UT
  • Game start: 8:20 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 9:20 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 6,843
  • Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 0 MPH
  • Referee: Kevin Hassell
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Beth Mowins (play–by–play), Kirk Morrison (analyst), and Stormy Buonantony (sideline reporter)
     
Pregame line Over/under
BYU –31 52.5[15]
Statistics Western Kentucky BYU
First downs 12 22
Total yards 248 487
Rushing yards 119 144
Passing yards 129 343
Turnovers 1 2
Time of possession 27:27 32:33
Team Category Player Statistics
Western Kentucky Passing Tyrrell Pigrome 19/30, 106 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Gaej Walker 17 carries, 75 yards
Receiving Xavier Lane 3 receptions, 31 yards
BYU Passing Zach Wilson 18/22, 224 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Tyler Allgeier 16 carries, 95 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Dax Milne 5 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD

at Florida Atlantic[]

Western Kentucky at Florida Atlantic
1 234Total
Hilltoppers 0 033 6
Owls 0 037 10
  • Date: November 7, 2020
  • Location: FAU Stadium
    Boca Raton, FL
  • Game start: 5:35 p.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 2 hours and 53 minutes
  • Game attendance: 5,292
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Rainy and Windy • Wind: E 20 MPH
  • Referee: Jon Noli
  • TV announcers (FOX Sports): Chris Hassel (play–by–play) and A. J. Hawk (analyst)
  
Pregame line Over/under
FAU –7 38[16]
Statistics Western Kentucky Florida Atlantic
First downs 16 18
Total yards 257 273
Rushing yards 94 165
Passing yards 163 108
Turnovers 0 1
Time of possession 33:49 26:11
Team Category Player Statistics
Western Kentucky Passing Tyrrell Pigrome 19/39, 163 yards
Rushing Gaej Walker 17 carries, 78 yards
Receiving Xavier Lane 7 receptions, 60 yards
Florida Atlantic Passing Nick Tronti 7/16, 108 yards
Rushing Javion Posey 9 carries, 60 yards, 1 TD
Receiving TJ Chase 3 receptions, 47 yards

Southern Miss[]

Southern Miss at Western Kentucky
1 234Total
Golden Eagles 0 007 7
Hilltoppers 7 30 10
Pregame line Over/under
WKU –7.5 45[17]
Statistics Southern Miss Western Kentucky
First downs 13 19
Total yards 221 304
Rushing yards 154 121
Passing yards 67 183
Turnovers 0 0
Time of possession 25:18 34:42
Team Category Player Statistics
Southern Miss Passing Trey Lowe 6/14, 67 yards
Rushing Kevin Perkins 8 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Antoine Robinson 2 receptions, 25 yards
Western Kentucky Passing Tyrrell Pigrome 19/30, 183 yards
Rushing Jakairi Moses 12 carries, 40 yards
Receiving Xavier Lane 5 receptions, 90 yards

FIU[]

Florida International at Western Kentucky
1 234Total
Panthers 7 608 21
Hilltoppers 0 101414 38
     
Pregame line Over/under
WKU –7 42[18]
Statistics FIU Western Kentucky
First downs 17 13
Total yards 268 278
Rushing yards 121 157
Passing yards 147 121
Turnovers 2 0
Time of possession 33:51 26:09
Team Category Player Statistics
FIU Passing Max Bortenschlager 8/18, 106 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing D'Vonte Price 24 carries, 100 yards
Receiving JJ Holloman 2 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD
Western Kentucky Passing Tyrrell Pigrome 14/25, 121 yards
Rushing Gaej Walker 17 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Mitchell Tinsley 3 receptions, 28 yards

at Charlotte[]

Western Kentucky at Charlotte
1 234Total
Hilltoppers 3 141010 37
49ers 0 0712 19
  • Date: December 6, 2020
  • Location: Jerry Richardson Stadium
    Charlotte, NC
  • Game start: 11:05 a.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 13 minutes
  • Game attendance: 714
  • Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C) • Weather: Sunny and Clear • Wind: 0 MPH
  • Referee: Jonathan Noli
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Bobby Rosinski (play–by–play) and Reggie Walker (analyst)
      
Pregame line Over/under
CHAR –2 46[19]
Statistics Western Kentucky Charlotte
First downs 21 18
Total yards 436 308
Rushing yards 218 89
Passing yards 218 219
Turnovers 0 1
Time of possession 29:59 30:01
Team Category Player Statistics
Western Kentucky Passing Tyrrell Pigrome 18/27, 218 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Gaej Walker 19 carries, 98 yards
Receiving Dakota Thomas 5 receptions, 78 yards
Charlotte Passing Chris Reynolds 14/34, 205 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Tre Harbinson III 16 carries, 80 yards
Receiving Victor Tucker 8 receptions, 111 yards

vs. Georgia State (LendingTree Bowl)[]

Georgia State vs. Western Kentucky
1 234Total
Panthers 7 2039 39
Hilltoppers 7 077 21
  • Date: December 26, 2020
  • Location: Ladd–Peebles Stadium
    Mobile, AL
  • Game start: 2:30 p.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 26 minutes
  • Game attendance: 5,128
  • Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SE 4 MPH
  • Referee: Mike Cuttone
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Couzens (play–by–play), Jay Walker (analyst), Dawn Davenport (sideline reporter)
      
Pregame line Over/under
GSU –3 50[20]
Statistics Georgia State Western Kentucky
First downs 27 14
Total yards 484 284
Rushing yards 227 104
Passing yards 257 180
Turnovers 1 3
Time of possession 35:02 24:58
Team Category Player Statistics
Georgia State Passing Cornelious Brown IV 16/30, 232 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Destin Coates 23 carries, 117 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Cornelius McCoy 5 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD
Western Kentucky Passing Tyrrell Pigrome 17/33, 180 yards, 2 INTs
Rushing C. J. Jones 5 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Joshua Simon 4 receptions, 84 yards

References[]

  1. ^ "Western Kentucky vs. Western Michigan". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  2. ^ "Conference USA to hold virtual football media days due to COVID-19". ktsm.com. May 5, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  3. ^ "Hilltopper Football 2020 Schedule Features 6 Home Games, 9 Bowl Teams". Western Kentucky University Department of Athletics. January 8, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  4. ^ Myerberg, Paul. "Big Ten football reduces season schedule to only conference games, maybe setting stage for others to follow". USA TODAY. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  5. ^ "ACC Announces Plans for Football and Fall Olympic Sports". TheACC.com. July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  6. ^ "Old Dominion postponing football and fall sports". The Virginian Pilot. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  7. ^ "2020 Football Schedule". Western Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  8. ^ "2020 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  9. ^ "WKU Hilltoppers vs Louisville Cardinals". Odds Shark. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Liberty Flames vs WKU Hilltoppers". Odds Shark. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  11. ^ "WKU Hilltoppers vs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders". Odds Shark. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Marshall Thundering Herd vs WKU Hilltoppers". Odds Shark. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  13. ^ "WKU Hilltoppers vs UAB Blazers". Odds Shark. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Chattanooga Mocs vs WKU Hilltoppers". Odds Shark. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  15. ^ "WKU Hilltoppers vs BYU Cougars". Odds Shark. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  16. ^ "WKU Hilltoppers vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  17. ^ "Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs WKU Hilltoppers". Odds Shark. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  18. ^ "FIU Panthers vs WKU Hilltoppers". Odds Shark. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  19. ^ "Western Kentucky vs. Charlotte odds, line: 2020 college football picks, Week 14 predictions from proven model". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  20. ^ "WKU Hilltoppers vs Georgia State Panthers". Odds Shark. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
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