Another Fourth Quarter Collapse

Paducah, KY native Corey Robinson carved up the Hilltopper defense going 26 of 39 for 304 yards and 2 touchdowns. Robinson completed a 47 yard bomb to wide out Chip Reeves with 12:39 left in the game that broke a 14-14 tie. The final score was Troy 28, WKU 14.

Trying to figure out why the David Elson coaching regime did not heavily recruit this kid? He only set the national record with 91 touchdown passes his senior season at Lone Oak and he lives in your state.

Bobby Rainey once again put in a stellar performance with 27 rushes for 157 yards, accounting for both Hilltopper touchdowns.

On the flip side, Kawaun Jakes continues to be consistently inconsistent going 10 of 23 for only 81 yards. Really, just 81 yards! The quarterback situation needs to be assessed during the off season. WKU cannot depend on Bobby Rainey to be 85% of the offense every game.

The defense had another hard time putting together a complete game effort, playing well for three quarters but collapsing in the fourth.

The season ends with a record of 2-10, better than 0-12!

Hilltoppers Epic Collapse In The Fourth

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.

WKU vs. ULM Preview

The Warhawks (2-3, 1-1) are in town this Saturday coming off a big Sun Belt Conference win against Florida Atlantic. The Hilltoppers (0-5, 0-1) are looking to rebound from a tough road loss to Florida International after coming back from a 21-0 deficit early in the game. Will the nation's longest losing streak finally come to an end?

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

- The Warhawks are lead offensively by redshirt freshman quarterback Kolton Browning, who is coming off a 25-41 for 282 yards and one touchdown performance against FAU. Will the WKU defensive front rise up and apply pressure on Browning and force the freshman into making mistakes?

- Speaking of quarterbacks, it will be interesting to see how Kawaun Jakes will play after coach Taggart pointed out missed opportunities on his behalf in the first half against Florida International. Beware of a Matt Pelesasa appearance if Jakes plays poorly.

- The Warhawks have struggled with their running attack so far this season and the Hilltopper defense has been horrible against the run. Something has to give. If WKU allows over 200 yards rushing against ULM then there will be plenty of reason to worry for Big Red Nation.

- Special teams will be a factor in the battle for field position as WKU Punter Hendrix Brakefield has averaged over 43 yards per punt in the last two games. The Hilltoppers will have to clamp down on Warhawks all purpose threat Luther Ambrose and Jyruss Edwards.

- After the nightmare first quarter last weekend the Hilltoppers main focus will be getting off to a better start. If WKU can build an early lead, that will build a confidence boost for these players who are frustrated and simply tired of losing, especially to Sun Belt teams. I am sensing a breakthrough this weekend.

- My prediction: WKU 24, Louisiana Monroe 17

WKU Comes Up Short Against Panthers

The losing streak stands at 25 in a row now after a comeback surge by the Hilltoppers comes up short, as Kawaun Jakes' pass to Willie McNeal was broken up in the end zone by FIU's Dez Johnson on fourth down.

RECAP

- The Hilltoppers continue their struggles on defense giving up 240 rushing yards on the day. The FIU offense was able to put together touchdown drives of 73, 97, and 60 yards in the first 22 minutes.

- The offense responded well after being down 21-0, relying on Kawaun Jakes to get them back in the game through the air. Jakes finished 14 of 31 passing for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns. He struggled with his completion percentage and Coach Taggart noted that he missed some easy completions during post game.

- The Panthers defense locked in on the Hilltoppers running game, allowing only 2.6 yards per rush attempt. They also held Bobby Rainey to 94 yards on 28 carries with his longest run being only 12 yards.

- WKU missed a scoring opportunity with three seconds to go in the first half as coach Taggart elected to go for a touchdown instead of a chip shot field goal inside the FIU 5 yard line. Jakes pass sailed over Jack Doyle's head and they go into halftime down 21-7.

- I understand the play call, you score a touchdown and have a ton of momentum so I have no problem with coach Taggart making that decision. However, I would have kicked the field goal and got three points.

- The Tops could not take advantage of FIU's mental mistakes, the Panthers accounted for 16 penalties totaling 135 yards.

- The important factor coming out of this game is that the Hilltoppers did not quit when they were down 21-0 early in this game. Jakes accuracy is not great but he played well, made some good throws, and showed poise in the comeback attempt.

- When the Hilltoppers put together a complete game on both sides of the ball the nation's longest losing streak will come to an end. Louisiana Monroe comes to town next Saturday, let's see if we can put it all together and get a win.