As the old saying goes, "winners know how to win." In the case of the Hilltoppers, losers know how to lose, especially when they have a lead. The losing streak now stands at 26 in a row after allowing Louisiana Monroe to score 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to lose 35-30.
RECAP
- The first quarter saw the Hilltoppers come out swinging with an Antonio Andrews reverse pass that connected with Marcus Vasquez for 37 yards. That led to a 25 yard field goal by Casey Tinius for 3-0 WKU lead.
- The defense was playing solid in first half and the Tops were winning the field position battle. With 14:56 to go in the second quarter, Kawaun Jakes hooked up with Marcus Vasquez for a 13 yard touchdown reception to extend the lead to 10-0.
- A botched punt by Louisiana Monroe lead to an incomplete pass on fourth down as the punter tried to save face. WKU took over on the Warhawks 25 yard line which lead to a Bobby Rainey 4 yard touchdown run. The Hilltoppers take a 17-0 lead with 6:35 remaining in the second.
- The Warhawks finally put together a solid drive that ended with a Jyruss Edwards 33 yard touchdown run on a fourth and one conversion. It is a 17-7 Hilltopper lead going into halftime.
- Late in the third quarter Louisiana Monroe gets desperate and attempts a fake punt pass on fourth down that falls incomplete. Once again, the Hilltoppers have great field position taking over on the Warhawks 31 yard line. Throw in an unsportsmanlike penalty and a pass interference penalty on Louisiana Monroe and the Tops are setting pretty on the 2 yard line. Bobby Rainey scores from 2 yards out and with 1:21 to go in the third WKU leads 24-7.
THE 4TH QUARTER MELTDOWN
- Unfortunately for the WKU defense they forgot that there are four quarters in football because their defense got soft and allowed Louisiana Monroe quarterback Kolton Browning to channel his inner Joe Montana. When Browning wasn't hitting receivers in the middle of the field, he was taking off and picking up first downs with his legs.
- Kolton Browning connects with Luther Ambrose on a 22 yard touchdown reception with 14:20 left in the fourth quarter. WKU 24, ULM 14.
- After a stalled drive by the Hilltoppers, the Warhawks convert two fourth down plays that lead to a Frank Gooden 2 yard touchdown run. WKU 24, ULM 21.
- Three and out by the WKU offense and ULM takes the ball and drives right down the field and score on a Jyruss Edwards six yard touchdown run. ULM 28, WKU 24 with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter.
- The Hilltopper offense responded with no sense of urgency as they huddled after every play on the drive allowing precious seconds to tick away. In the end the clock did not matter as Kawaun Jakes dropped back and threw a pick to ULM's Robert Nelson who took it to the house for a 65 yard touchdown return.
- As Nelson crossed the goal line the boo birds rained down on L.T. Smith Stadium as fans were frustrated with the offensive effort. ULM 35, WKU 24.
- WKU finally puts together a drive as Jakes hooked up with Willie McNeal for a 13 yard touchdown pass. The two point conversion fails and it’s a 35-30 Louisiana Monroe lead.
- The Warhawks recover the onside kick and this epic collapse is over!
NOTES
- I have feeling that the coaching staff will practice on hurry up offensive drills throughout the next week. With 3:35 left in the game and needing a touchdown to win, the offense huddled up after every play that allowed 15-20 seconds to tick off the clock.
- Will we see Matt Pelesasa under center next weekend? Kawaun Jakes finished 13-21 for 131 yards with two touchdowns. That crucial interception late in the game will not help boost the coaching staff's confidence in his play during pressure situations.
- Bobby Rainey continues to be the bright spot for this offense, rushing for 174 yards on 32 carries and scoring two touchdowns.
- The defensive unit put in a great effort, for three quarters. It seems like they installed the prevent defense for the entire fourth quarter and allowed a red shirt freshman quarterback to pick them apart.
- The security staff lined up by the stands late in the third quarter anticipating the Hilltopper fans storming the field after breaking the streak. If you are looking for excuses as to why we lost you could point to the security staff for early crowd control alignment, they obviously failed to scout this game and realize who was playing.
