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WKU Football Returns to C-USA Action with the Hilltoppers Trekking to San Antonio

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Football

After opening conference play against FIU, then pausing for a week to host Troy, WKU will resume Conference USA competition Saturday with a road trip to UTSA. The Hilltoppers enter a stretch of six-straight C-USA games with a 1-0 record in league play after defeating FIU 73-0 in a record-setting performance to open their conference slate.

The Hilltoppers and Roadrunners last met in the 2021 Conference USA Championship game with UTSA taking home the league title behind a 49-41 victory. Bailey Zappe threw for 577 yards and four touchdowns that night, with Jerreth Sterns catching 10 of those passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns.Current Hilltoppers Daewood Davis and Malachi Corley combined for eight catches and 95 yards.

Last season's conference championship was not the only meeting between the Tops and 'Runners in 2021. UTSA served as WKU's Conference USA opener, and the two teams provided an entertaining shootout at Houchens-Smith Stadium. Bailey Zappe threw for 523 yards and five touchdowns that night, but it was the Roadrunners who walked away from Bowling Green with the victory that night, 52-46.

Saturday's contest between the Hilltoppers and Roadrunners will be a battle of two of the best passing offenses in the entire country. UTSA enters Saturday as the number one passing offense in America, averaging 365.8 yards per game. The 'Runners average 9.1 yards per pass attempt and 13.4 yards per completion. WKU is not far behind as they are ranked the number five passing offense in the nation behind quarterback Austin Reed. The Hilltoppers average 353.2 passing yards per contest with 8.3 yards per passing attempt and 11.7 yards per completion. WKU's quarterbacks have combined to throw 18 touchdowns on the year while UTSA's have tossed 14.

The fourth all-time meeting between the Hilltoppers and Roadrunners on Saturday may be the last for quite some as UTSA prepares to leave Conference USA for The American Athletic Conference for the 2023 college football season. All three meetings between WKU and UTSA were Conference USA contests as the two schools have never met at nonconference opponents.

Former WKU quarterback Bailey Zappe made his NFL with the New England Patriots Sunday afternoon. Zappe threw for 99 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first rookie QB from his draft class to throw a touchdown.

"Back in conference play, we're really excited. Going on the road against a really good UTSA team. Probably the most talented team in our conference. They're doing a great job averaging 500 yards a game and picking up right where they left off last year. It's going to be a very challenging game, but a game we look forward to. It should be a good matchup, and we're looking forward to getting going."

-Tyson Helton on a big matchup at UTSA

 

"He's grown so much. I've watched him from a young, talented, kind of a raw player, to a just a true polished quarterback. He has full command of the offense. You can see they're allowing him to do a lot of different things now. Really, you're just trying to contain him more than anything."

-Helton on UTSA quarterback Frank Harris

 

"Big up front. Really big. Talented, quick-twitch and get after the passer. Last week with Troy they were able to get some push on us with the offensive line, so it will be another big challenge for our offensive line this week. We've got to do a good job of protecting the quarterback, and the run lanes have got to be there for us. We've got to be able to move the line of scrimmage."

-Helton on playing against the UTSA defense

LAST TIME OUT

In a hard-fought battle that came down to the last possession, WKU fell to Troy 34-27. Despite over 400 yards passing and three touchdowns from quarterback Austin Reed, the Hilltoppers came up one touchdown short of extending the game. Wide receiver Michael Mathison had a career game with 160 yards and a touchdown, and Derrick Smith led the defense by recording both a sack and an interception.

ABOUT UTSA

The Roadrunners were selected as the Conference USA preseason favorite after winning the league in 2021. Quarterback Frank Harris leads UTSA with 1,724 passing yards on the season and 12 touchdowns. Jamal Ligon is UTSA's top tackler with 38 on the season. The Roadrunners are coached by Jeff Traylor, who is in his third season at the helm of the program. UTSA is 22-9 under his leadership.

SERIES HISTORY

WKU and UTSA have met three times with the Roadrunners holding a 2-1 advantage. The two schools met twice a season ago in the regular season and in the Conference USA Championship game. UTSA won both meetings. The Hilltoppers won the first meeting in series history in 2014.