TOPPERS ROUTED 63-28 BY WILDCATS

On the third play of the game Bobby Rainey broke free for a 59 yard touchdown run to give the Hilltoppers a 7-0 lead. Then the Wildcats’ offense reeled off five straight touchdown drives, throw in a 50 yard touchdown on a punt return by Randall Cobb and we have a blowout. It is a different week but it is the same story for the Hilltoppers with good offensive run production and an uninspired defensive effort.

Performance Breakdown for the Hilltoppers:

- The offense needs to expand their passing game with Kawaun Jakes accounting for a dismal 97 yards and 1 touchdown through the air. Most of those yards came in garbage time against the Wildcats’ defensive second string in the 4th quarter.

- The return game showed some flash with a Willie McNeal 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter. However, the punt coverage needs to tighten up as they allowed a 50-yard touchdown return to Randall Cobb. On that return it was clear the punt coverage for the Hilltoppers over ran a short punt which allowed Cobb all kinds of daylight to run.

- Speaking of short punts, Hendrix Brakefield averaged a mere 32.3 yards per punt which created a short field opportunities for the Wildcats.

- Getting pressure on the quarterback is something this 4-3 defense has not been able to accomplish so far this year. The defense made Mike Hartline look like a Heisman candidate as he went 16-20 for 213 yards and 3 touchdowns.

- Tackling continues to haunt the Hilltopper defense as Kentucky scored on five straight offensive drives after WKU gained a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

- Another monster day for Bobby Rainey with 184 yards on 22 carries with 2 touchdowns. The Tops had 284 yards of total offense and if my math serves me correctly, Rainey was 64.7% of the offense. He is establishing himself as an early favorite for Sun Belt Player of the Year.

- As impressive as Rainey has been I would like to see other running backs like Keshawn Simpson, Avery Hibbitt, and Braxston Miller step up and make plays. It is going to make opposing defenses easy to game plan WKU if Rainey continues to account for 70% of the production.