Hilltoppers clinch bowl eligibility in dominant win over UTSA
By golly, they’ve done it. Don’t ask me how, but they’ve done it. The Hilltoppers are bowl eligible once again – for the fourth time in a row – after running the UTSA Roadrunners out of Bowling Green, by taking a 28-0 lead into halftime and closing the game strong with a 45-7 final.
Even with the 45 points put up on the board, the Tops’ didn’t play a very good game offensively. Half of the WKU touchdowns came on big plays – plays of 54, 47 and 67 yards – and didn’t truly drive down the field until the opening score of the third quarter, a drive that went for 81 yards and was capped off by a Brandon Doughty touchdown pass to Jared Dangerfield. D-Squared would connect twice in the game.
How many times have we said this before, but the bright spot was actually the Tops’ defense, as they held UTSA to 239 total yards of offense, and did a great job of constantly putting pressure on Austin Robinson. A lot of the defensive success was due in part to the horrendous play of the Roadrunner offense, but still, the Tops’ defense took what UTSA gave them to work with and did wonders with it.
Jeff Brohm really wanted Leon Allen to continue from last week and be the workhorse, but the Runners quickly figured him out, and the C-USA record holder only ran for 68 yards on 14 carries. Doughty however had himself quite the day, throwing for 346 yards and five touchdowns, finding Dangerfield twice, but favored Willie McNeal more than anyone else tonight. McNeal had seven receptions for 105 yards and another acrobatic touchdown catch.
The Roadrunner offense set the pace of this game, and as opposed to the up-tempo feel Hilltopper fans are used to, it was a slowwww game, finally coming to an end with the Tops on the winning side.
The season will conclude this coming Friday at Marshall, but the real fun comes with the Tops becoming bowl eligible! They’re the fifth C-USA team to become eligible, with UAB losing today to the Herd and MTSU still plays tonight against FAU.