2021 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

2021 Conference USA football standings
	East Division
	West Division
	Championship: UTSA 49, Western Kentucky 41
	$ – Conference champion; x – Division champion/co-champions; y – Championship game participant; As of December 14, 2021; Rankings from CFP Rankings

2021 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
2021 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
C-USA East Division champion
C-USA Championship Game, L 41–49 vs. UTSA
Boca Raton Bowl, vs. Appalachian State
Conference	Conference USA
	East Division
2021 record	8–5 (7–1 C-USA)
Head coach	Tyson Helton (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Zach Kittley (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Bryan Ellis (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Air raid
Defensive coordinator	Maurice Crum Jr. (2nd season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium; (Capacity: 22,113)

The 2021 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represents Western Kentucky University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers play their home games at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and compete in the East Division of Conference USA (CUSA). The team is coached by third-year head coach Tyson Helton.

Previous season

The Hilltoppers finished the 2020 regular season 5–7 and 4–3 in C–USA play to finish in third in the East Division. They were invited to play in the LendingTree Bowl, which they lost to Georgia State.[1]

Schedule

Western Kentucky announced its 2021 football schedule on January 27, 2021.[2][3] The 2021 schedule consists of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:00 p.m.	UT Martin*	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	ESPN+	W 59–21	16,236
September 11	11:00 a.m.	at Army*	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	CBSSN	L 35–38	25,989
September 25	7:00 p.m.	Indiana*	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	CBSSN	L 31–33	25,171
October 2	6:30 p.m.	at No. 17 Michigan State*	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	FS1	L 31–48	70,075
October 9	6:00 p.m.	UTSA	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	Stadium	L 46–52	15,243
October 16	2:30 p.m.	at Old Dominion	S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA	ESPN3	W 43–20	16,418
October 23	6:00 p.m.	at FIU	Riccardo Silva Stadium Miami, FL	ESPN+	W 34–19	0
October 30	3:00 p.m.	Charlotte	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	ESPN+	W 45–13	16,763
November 6	2:30 p.m.	Middle Tennessee	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY (100 Miles of Hate)	Stadium	W 48–21	15,022
November 13	1:00 p.m.	at Rice	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN+	W 42–21	17,883
November 20	11:00 a.m.	Florida Atlantic	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	Stadium	W 52–17	10,477
November 27	2:30 p.m.	at Marshall	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV	CBSSN	W 53–21	19,134
December 3	6:00 p.m.	at UTSA	Alamodome San Antonio, TX (C-USA Championship Game)	CBSSN	L 41–49	41,148
December 18	10:00 a.m.	vs. Appalachian State*	FAU Stadium Boca Raton, FL (Boca Raton Bowl)	ESPN
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:[2][4]

Game summaries

UT Martin

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –24.0	58.5

Statistics	UT Martin	Western Kentucky
First downs	22	25
Total yards	396	587
Rushing yards	201	109
Passing yards	195	478
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	33:30	26:30

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UT Martin	Passing	Keon Howard	20/43, 195 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Peyton Logan	7 carries, 75 yards
	Receiving	Colton Dowell	6 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	28/35, 424 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Kye Robichaux	9 carries, 44 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterens	7 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TDs

at Army

Western Kentucky at Army

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	0	14	0	21	35
• Black Knights	0	21	7	10	38

Date: September 11, 2021
Location: Michie Stadium
West Point, NY
Game start: 10:30 a.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 19 minutes
Game attendance: 25,989
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: WSW 6 MPH
Referee: Matt Overton
TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Jason Horowitz (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst), and Tina Cervasio (sideline reporter)

Pregame line	Over/under
ARMY –6.0	51.5

Statistics	Western Kentucky	Army
First downs	22	23
Total yards	477	416
Rushing yards	42	339
Passing yards	435	77
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	20:22	39:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	28/40, 435 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	8 carries, 33 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterens	9 receptions, 171 yards, 2 TDs
Army	Passing	Christian Anderson	5/6, 77 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Christian Anderson	22 carries, 119 yards
	Receiving	Braheam Murphy	1 reception, 40 yards, 1 TD

Indiana

Indiana at Western Kentucky

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hoosiers	14	9	3	7	33
Hilltoppers	0	14	10	7	31

Date: September 25, 2021
Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
Bowling Green, KY
Game start: 7:02 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 42 minutes
Game attendance: 25,171
Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: NNW 3 MPH
Referee: Kevin Randall
TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst), and Jenny Dell (sideline reporter)

Pregame line	Over/under
IU –9.5	63

Statistics	Indiana	Western Kentucky
First downs	35	24
Total yards	507	458
Rushing yards	134	93
Passing yards	373	365
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	38:34	21:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana	Passing	Michael Penix Jr.	35/53, 373 yards
	Rushing	Stephen Carr	25 carries, 109 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Peyton Hendershot	7 receptions, 100 yards
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	31/44, 365 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	6 carries, 41 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterens	7 receptions, 82 yards

at Michigan State

Western Kentucky at Michigan State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hilltoppers	10	6	0	15	31
• No. 17 Spartans	21	21	3	3	48

Date: October 2, 2021
Location: Spartan Stadium
East Lansing, MI
Game start: 6:40 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 59 minutes
Game attendance: 70,075
Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: S 6 MPH
Referee: Mark Kluczynski
TV announcers (Big Ten Network): Joe Beninati (play-by-play), Jeremy Leman (analyst), and Michelle McMahon (sideline reporter)

Pregame line	Over/under
MSU –10.5	66.5

Statistics	Western Kentucky	Michigan State
First downs	31	26
Total yards	560	519
Rushing yards	72	192
Passing yards	488	327
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	29:35	30:25

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	46/64, 488 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	7 carries, 37 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterens	17 receptions, 186 yards, 1 TD
Michigan State	Passing	Payton Thorne	20/30, 327 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Kenneth Walker III	24 carries, 126 yards, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Jalen Nailor	8 receptions, 128 yards

UTSA

Texas–San Antonio at Western Kentucky

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Roadrunners	14	14	14	10	52
Hilltoppers	10	14	13	9	46

Date: October 9, 2021
Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
Bowling Green, KY
Game start: 6:06 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 39 minutes
Game attendance: 15,243
Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny and Clear • Wind: 5-10 MPH
Referee: Kevin Randall
TV announcers (Stadium): Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Sherdrick Bonner (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –3.5	71

Statistics	UTSA	Western Kentucky
First downs	32	35
Total yards	564	670
Rushing yards	192	147
Passing yards	372	523
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	29:56	30:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UTSA	Passing	Frank Harris	28/38, 349 yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Sincere McCormick	23 carries, 120 yards
	Receiving	De'Corian Clark	7 receptions, 160 yards, 3 TDs
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	38/60, 523 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Adam Cofield	9 carries, 65 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterens	16 receptions, 195 yards, 2 TDs

at Old Dominion

Western Kentucky at Old Dominion

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hilltoppers	14	16	3	10	43
Monarchs	0	3	3	14	20

Date: October 16, 2021
Location: S.B. Ballard Stadium
Norfolk, VA
Game start: 2:35 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes
Game attendance: 16,418
Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny
Referee: Kevin Vicknair
Television network: ESPN3

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –13.5	67

Statistics	Western Kentucky	Old Dominion
First downs	29	23
Total yards	518	446
Rushing yards	121	119
Passing yards	397	327
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	30:39	29:21

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	36/54, 397 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Adam Cofield	10 carries, 67 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterens	13 receptions, 221 yards, 1 TD
Old Dominion	Passing	Hayden Wolff	26/41, 327 yards, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Blake Watson	22 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Ali Jennings III	13 receptions, 172 yards

at FIU

Western Kentucky at Florida International

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hilltoppers	0	17	7	10	34
Panthers	6	6	0	7	19

Date: October 23, 2021
Location: Riccardo Silva Stadium
University Park, FL
Game start: 7:28 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 2 hours and 24 minutes
Game attendance: 0
Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Sunny
Referee: Patrick Foy
TV announcers (ESPN+): A. J. Ricketts (play–by–play) and Cam Lynch (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –16.5	78

Statistics	Western Kentucky	FIU
First downs	31	18
Total yards	530	290
Rushing yards	148	28
Passing yards	382	262
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	33:15	26:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	39/49, 382 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Adam Cofield	15 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterens	14 receptions, 115 yards, 2 TDs
FIU	Passing	Max Bortenschlager	15/32, 192 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	D'vonte Price	15 carries, 86 yards
	Receiving	Randall St. Felix	5 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD

Charlotte

Charlotte at Western Kentucky

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	3	10	0	0	13
• Hilltoppers	14	14	7	10	45

Date: October 30, 2021
Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
Bowling Green, KY
Game start: 3:05 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 11 minutes
Game attendance: 16,763
Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Wet and Cloudy
Referee: Scott Hardin
TV announcers (ESPN+): Nate Gatter (play–by–play) and Bob Belvin (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –19.5	71.5

Statistics	Charlotte	Western Kentucky
First downs	17	29
Total yards	319	469
Rushing yards	190	76
Passing yards	129	393
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	33:44	26:16

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Charlotte	Passing	James Foster	12/24, 129 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Calvin Camp	7 carries, 60 yards
	Receiving	Shadrick Byrd	1 reception, 53 yards
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	33/45, 393 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	10 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterens	10 receptions, 89 yards, 1 TD

Middle Tennessee

Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blue Raiders	7	7	0	7	21
• Hilltoppers	21	10	17	0	48

Date: November 6, 2021
Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
Bowling Green, KY
Game start: 2:36 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 21 minutes
Game attendance: 15,022
Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C) • Weather: Sunny and Clear
Referee: Joe Lehring
TV announcers (Stadium): Chris Hassel (play–by–play) and Max Starks (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –17.5	66.5

Statistics	Middle Tennessee	Western Kentucky
First downs	19	19
Total yards	349	352
Rushing yards	123	71
Passing yards	226	281
Turnovers	7	0
Time of possession	33:02	26:58

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Middle Tennessee	Passing	Nick Vattiato	24/41, 205 yards, 2 TDs, 5 INTs
	Rushing	Frank Peasant	18 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	DJ England-Chisolm	3 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	29/50, 281 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	17 carries, 67 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterens	11 receptions, 110 yards

at Rice

Western Kentucky at Rice

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hilltoppers	7	21	0	14	42
Owls	0	0	7	14	21

Date: November 13, 2021
Location: Rice Stadium
Houston, TX
Game start: 1:05 p.m. CST
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes
Game attendance: 17,883
Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 7 MPH
Referee: Scott Hardin
TV announcers (ESPN+): David Saltzman (play–by–play) and Taylor McHargue (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –19.0	61.5

Statistics	Western Kentucky	Rice
First downs	27	25
Total yards	587	504
Rushing yards	92	124
Passing yards	495	380
Turnovers	4	5
Time of possession	24:20	35:40

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	34/42, 482 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Kye Robichaux	12 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Mitchell Tinsley	10 receptions, 198 yards, 2 TDs
Rice	Passing	Jake Constantine	28/50, 380 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs
	Rushing	Ari Broussard	15 carries, 60 yards
	Receiving	August Pitre III	9 receptions, 113 yards

Florida Atlantic

Florida Atlantic at Western Kentucky

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	3	7	7	0	17
• Hilltoppers	14	17	7	14	52

Date: November 20, 2021
Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
Bowling Green, KY
Game start: 11:06 a.m. CST
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 27 minutes
Game attendance: 10,477
Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy
Referee: Rodney Burnette
TV announcers (Stadium): Noah Coslov (play–by–play) and Sherdrick Bonner (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –11.5	64

Statistics	Florida Atlantic	Western Kentucky
First downs	18	35
Total yards	301	608
Rushing yards	25	100
Passing yards	276	508
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	24:39	35:21

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida Atlantic	Passing	N'Kosi Perry	19/28, 213 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Johnny Ford	13 carries, 48 yards
	Receiving	Je'Quan Burton	7 receptions, 80 yards
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	39/49, 470 yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	9 carries, 46 yards
	Receiving	Mitchell Tinsley	9 receptions, 164 yards, 2 TDs

References

"WKU 2020 football season 'not good enough'". Bowling Green Daily News. December 27, 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
"WKU Football release their 2021 schedule". WBKO. January 27, 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
"Hilltopper Football 2021 Full Schedule Released". Western Kentucky University Department of Athletics. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
"2021 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Football Schedule". FBSchedule. Retrieved January 30, 2021.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[bgdn-1] "WKU 2020 football season 'not good enough'". Bowling Green Daily News. December 27, 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2021.

[wbko-2] "WKU Football release their 2021 schedule". WBKO. January 27, 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.

[2021sched-3] "Hilltopper Football 2021 Full Schedule Released". Western Kentucky University Department of Athletics. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.

[4] "2021 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Football Schedule". FBSchedule. Retrieved January 30, 2021.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
Venues	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium (1968–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Eastern Kentucky: Battle of the Bluegrass Middle Tennessee: 100 Miles of Hate Murray State: Battle for the Red Belt
Culture & lore	Big Red "Stand Up and Cheer" Big Red Marching Band One Second of Laterals
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1913 1914 1915 1916 1917–1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
National championship seasons in bold