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Steve Roberts/WKU Athletics
Football
Game 3
WKU (2-0, 0-0 C-USA) at Indiana (2-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
day – Saturday, September 17
kick off: 11 a.m. CT
Location: Bloomington, Ind. (Memorial Stadium)
See: Big Ten Network
Listen: WKLX (SAM 100.7 FM) and WWKU (ESPN Radio 102.7 FM) in Bowling Green.
Social: @WKUFootball | @WKUSports
Game Notes: WKU | Indiana
Game Day Information: Live statistics
Notes and quotations
- Western Kentucky and Indiana have met on the gridiron a total of four times with the Hoosiers victorious in all four meetings. The Hilltoppers came close to knocking off Indiana at home a season ago, but couldn’t come away late with a 33-31 win in late September.
- When the Hilltoppers and Hoosiers square off in 2021, WKU set a new school record with 25,171 fans packed into Houchins-Smith Stadium on the Hill. Indiana’s Memorial Stadium has a capacity of 52,626 fans, so this year’s game could draw even more spectators.
- WKU running back. Davion Ervin-Poindexter After suiting up for the Hoosiers a season ago, they will wear a different shade of red for this year’s meeting between WKU and Indiana. Ervin-Poindexter played for Indiana from 2019-2021, seeing action for the Hoosiers in his final two seasons with the team. The Merrillville, Ind. native played in a game against the Hilltoppers a season ago but did not record any stats. So far this year, Ervin-Poindexter has carried the ball 24 times for 90 yards and a touchdown. His best performance was in WKU’s final game at Hawaii, where he had 42 yards and a score.
- Since joining the FBS ranks in 2007, WKU has seen success against various Power Five opponents, but has yet to win against a Big Ten team. Topps will look for their first Big Ten win Saturday at Bloomington. In addition to the four meetings with Indiana, WKU has faced Illinois twice (2014, 2017), Wisconsin once (2018) and Michigan State in the year since moving to college football’s top tier. Topps’ last game against a member of the Big Ten Conference as an FCS program was in 2001 when they traveled to Wisconsin and fell to the Badgers by a score of 24-6.
- In addition to running back Davion Ervin-PoindexterWKU linebacker Nathan Griffin The other Hilltopper is from Indiana State. Griffin is from St. Leon where he was a four-year starter at East Central HS. During that time, he led the team to a 43-9 record and totaled 182 tackles (113 solo, 69 assisted) throughout his career with eight sacks, seven interceptions, three fumble recoveries and three fumble recoveries.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to go play a good Indiana team. I know our guys are excited and looking forward to that opportunity.”
–Tyson Helton In this week’s game against Indiana
“It’s a new season. Both teams have new teams, new guys playing for them. They’re a good football team. They’re doing a great job. If you watch all three phases, they look really good and beautiful. It’s strong in all three phases, so it’s going to be our best game to win.” “It will definitely take. But our guys are really excited about the opportunity. We had a close one last year. If we can play well, I think we can match. Good luck to them.”
-Helton about last year’s game against Indiana being in this year’s game
I watched both of their games, again, they’re a good team, they’re doing a good job. They plan you well. They’ve got players on both sides of the ball. So it’s definitely going to be a challenge for us, but we’re excited about the opportunity.
– Helton on what he saw on film while watching Indiana
“Fours can get to the quarterback quickly. They don’t have to pressure. And when they do pressure, they do a good job of hiding blitzes to match the guard. Fours do a great job and if you only have fours in front of you, they help you in coverage. That’s a big challenge for our offensive line this week. It’s going to be some of those one-on-one matchups. It’s three-techniques on the edge and inside and all that stuff. Our guys have done a good job in the first two games, but this is definitely a real test for our offensive line.”
– Helton Indiana on the defensive line
The past tense
In its first visit to Hawaii, WKU came out on top in dominant fashion with a 49-17 score. The defense forced six turnovers on the night, including two interceptions Caleb Oliver And choose six courtesy Juwan Jones. Offensive, quarterback Austin Reed He led the way for Topps by throwing for 271 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 43 yards and an additional score.
About Indiana
The Hoosiers are 2-0 entering Saturday’s contest and beat Idaho 35-22. Connor Bazalak has thrown for 527 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions in the team’s two wins, giving up the Indiana football. Running back Shawn Shivers leads the ground attack with 183 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Cam Camper and DJ Matthews Jr. are Indiana’s leading receivers with 199 yards and 160 yards and two touchdowns, respectively. Defensively, linebacker Cam Jones leads the team with 19 total tackles, including one sack and one fumble recovery. The Hoosiers are coached by Tom Allen, who is in his seventh season at the helm of the program and owns an overall record of 34-38.
A series of stories
WKU trails the all-time series with Indiana 0-4. The Hilltoppers and Hoosiers last met a season ago when Indiana visited Bowling Green and won 33-31 in a game that came down to the final minute. WKU set a new attendance record at Hodchens-Smith Stadium in that game with 25,171 fans.
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