2022 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
New Orleans Bowl champion
ConferenceConference USA
Record9–5 (6–2 C-USA)
Head coach
Co-offensive coordinatorBen Arbuckle (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinatorJosh Crawford (1st season)
Offensive schemeAir raid
Defensive coordinatorTyson Summers (1st season)
Base defense3–3–5
Home stadiumHouchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
2022 Conference USA football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
UTSA y$  8 –0   11 –3  
North Texas y  6 –2   7 –7  
Western Kentucky  6 –2   9 –5  
Middle Tennessee  4 –4   8 –5  
UAB  4 –4   7 –6  
Florida Atlantic  4 –4   5 –7  
Rice  3 –5   5 –8  
UTEP  3 –5   5 –7  
FIU  2 –6   4 –8  
Charlotte  2 –6   3 –9  
Louisiana Tech  2 –6   3 –9  
Championship: UTSA 48, North Texas 27
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2022 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University as a member of Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by head coach Tyson Helton, who was coaching his fourth season with the team. The Hilltoppers played their home games at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The team was led on offense by quarterback Austin Reed who joined the team in 2022 via the NCAA transfer portal.[1] Through the first two games, Reed had 550 passing yards, ranking third in the nation.[2]

Preseason

C-USA media day

The Conference USA media day was held on July 27 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Hilltoppers were represented by head coach Tyson Helton, tight end Joey Beljan, and defensive end Juwuan Jones.[3] The Hilltoppers were predicted to finish third in the conference's preseason poll.[4]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team
1UTSA
2UAB
3WKU
4Florida Atlantic
5North Texas
6UTEP
7Charlotte
8Middle Tennessee
9Louisiana Tech
10Rice
11FIU

Roster

2022 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR 0 Jaylen Hall GS
WR 1 Craig Burt Jr. Sr
RB 3 Jakairi Moses  Jr
WR 4 Michael Mathison Jr
WR 5 Dakota Thomas So
TE 6 Joshua Simon  So
WR 7 Daewood Davis  Sr
RB 8 Kye Robichaux So
WR 9 Josh Sterns So
QB 10 Caden Veltkamp Fr
WR 11 Malachi Corley So
QB 12 Turner Helton Fr
QB 13 Darius Ocean  Fr
WR 15 K. D. Hutchinson Fr
QB 16 Austin Reed GS
WR 17 Dalvin Smith  So
WR 18 Denzil Aleeyne So
RB 19 Javy Bunton  Fr
RB 21 L. T. Sanders Fr
RB 22 Davion Ervin-Poindexter  Jr
WR 23 Kendall Abdur-Rahman  So
RB 37 Zavione Wood  Fr
OL 50 Wesley Horton  Fr
OL 51 Luke Slusher Fr
OL 52 Marshall Jackson  Fr
OL 53 Rusty Staata  Jr
OL 58 Evan Wibberley Fr
OL 64 Vincent Murphy  So
OL 67 Hayden Todd Fr
OL 68 Colt Jackson So
OL 71 Wyatt Anderson Fr
OL 72 Colten Cable Jr
OL 73 Wes Dorsey  So
OL 74 Michael Ondelacy  So
OL 75 Gunner Britton  Jr
OL 76 Mark Goode So
OL 77 David Ndukwe So
OL 78 Quantavious Lesue So
OL 79 Cameron Stage  Jr
WR 80 Easton Messer Fr
TE 81 Dane Saltarelli  Jr
WR 82 Jax Cooper Fr
TE 83 Alex Williams  Fr
WR 85 Tomi Mustapha  Fr
WR 86 TeeJay Taylor  So
TE 87 River Helms  Fr
TE 89 Joey Beljam  Jr
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DT 0 Lorenzo Hernandez GS
LB 1 Jaden Hunter  Sr
DB 2 A. J. Brathwaite Jr.  Jr
LB 3 Jaques Evans So
LB 4 Niko Cooper  Jr
DB 5 Rome Weber  Jr
DB 6 T. J. Springer  So
DB 7 Tre Shaw  Sr
LB 8 Matthew Flint  Jr
DB 9 Dominique Bradshaw  Sr
LB 10 Desmyn Baker Jr
DB 11 Talique Allen  Fr
DB 12 Kahlef Hailassie  Jr
DT 13 Terrion Thompson So
DB 14 Davion Williams  Jr
LB 15 Aaron Key  Fr
DB 16 Kendrick Simpkins So
DB 17 Travis Collier  Fr
DB 18 C. J. Jones  Sr
DB 19 Virgil Marshall Fr
DB 20 Kaleb Oliver  Sr
DB 21 Upton Stout  Fr
DB 22 Darius Thomas Fr
LB 23 Will Ignont  Sr
LB 24 Derrick Smith  Sr
LB 25 Bryson Washington  Jr
DB 26 Amaari Smith Fr
DB 27 Kiwon Harris  Jr
LB 28 Ely George So
LB 29 Dezmion Roberson  Fr
DB 30 Xavier Shaw  Fr
DB 31 Anthony Brackenridge Fr
LB 32 Kylan Guidry So
LB 33 Eli Jones Fr
DE 34 Juwuan Jones  Sr
DT 35 Mike Allen  Sr
DB 37 Maximus Pulley  Fr
LB 38 A. J. Yasilli Fr
DB 40 B. J. Wagner  Fr
DB 41 Alex Ford Fr
LB 42 Trent Zappe Fr
DB 43 Manny Moss Fr
DT 44 Dareon Goodrum Jr
LB 45 Nathan Griffin So
LB 50 Luke Burton Fr
DE 55 Dante Walker  So
DE 88 Jake Jackson Fr
DT 90 Keaton Law Fr
DT 91 Chase Jones  Fr
DE 92 Marcus Patterson Fr
DE 93 Reid Jamerson Fr
DE 95 Deante McCray Fr
DT 97 Darius Shipp Sr
DT 98 Hosea Wheeler So
DT 99 Brodric Martin  Sr
 Special teams They
Pos.#NameClass
K 20 Lucas Carneiro Fr
LS 40 Zach Lassiter  Sr
K 44 Bryden Narveson  Jr
K 46 Cory Munson Jr
P 47 Tom Ellard Fr
K 49 Nolan McCord  Fr
LS 52 Trey Naughton Fr
LS 59 Jake Bowman So
P 94 Wes Pahl  Fr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Ben Arbuckle (Co-Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks)
  • Josh Crawford (co-offensive coordinator / Wide receivers)
  • Zach Lankford (co-offensive coordinator / Offensive line)
  • Tyson Summers (Defensive coordinator)
  • Andy Larussa (special teams coordinator / tight ends)
  • Kenny Baker (defensive line)
  • Enrique Davis (running backs)
  • Keynodo Hudson (defensive backs)
  • Michael Hutchings (outside linebackers)
  • Travis Cunningham (Middle linebackers)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 23, 2022

Schedule

Western Kentucky and Conference USA announced the 2022 football schedule on March 30, 2022.[5][6]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 2711:00 a.m.Austin Peay*
CBSSNW 38–2713,688
September 311:00 p.m.at Hawaii*
SPEC PPVW 49–179,346
September 1711:00 a.m.at Indiana*
BTNL 30–33 OT48,952
September 242:30 p.m.FIU
  • Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
CBSSNW 73–015,127
October 16:00 p.m.Troy*
  • Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
ESPN+L 27–3420,168
October 85:00 p.m.at UTSA
ESPN+L 28–3122,328
October 152:30 p.m.at Middle Tennessee
ESPN+W 35–1714,806
October 217:00 p.m.UAB
  • Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
CBSSNW 20–1716,334
October 292:30 p.m.North Texas
  • Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
StadiumL 13–4017,194
November 511:00 a.m.at Charlotte
CBSSNW 59–710,857
November 121:00 p.m.Rice
  • Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
ESPN+W 45–1010,127
November 193:00 p.m.at Auburn*
SECNL 17–4181,824
November 2611:00 a.m.at Florida Atlantic
CBSSNW 32–31 OT18,376
December 218:00 p.m.vs. South Alabama*
ESPNW 44–2313,456

Game summaries

Austin Peay

1 2 3 4 Total
Governors 10 7 3 7 27
Hilltoppers 7 14 0 17 38
StatisticsAPSUWKU
First downs1919
Total yards319388
Rushing yards163108
Passing yards156280
Turnovers41
Time of possession32:3927:31
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Austin PeayPassingMike DiLiello15/21, 156 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
RushingJosh Samuel20 rushes, 77 yards
ReceivingDrae McCray6 receptions, 90 yards, 2 TD
Western KentuckyPassingAustin Reed20/34, 280 yards, 4 TD, INT
RushingDavion Ervin-Poindexter15 rushes, 49 yards
ReceivingDaewood Davis6 receptions, 124 yards, TD

At Hawaii

1 2 3 4 Total
Hilltoppers 0 21 7 21 49
Rainbow Warriors 3 7 0 7 17
StatisticsWKUHAW
First downs2420
Total yards412360
Rushing yards14194
Passing yards271266
Turnovers26
Time of possession25:5234:08
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Western KentuckyPassingAustin Reed22/31, 271 yards, 3 TD, INT
RushingKye Robichaux7 rushes, 49 yards, TD
ReceivingDaewood Davis5 receptions, 78 yards
HawaiiPassingBrayden Schager22/33, 230 yards, 4 INT
RushingNasjzae Bryant-Lelei13 rushes, 64 yards, TD
ReceivingJalen Walthall3 receptions, 53 yards

At Indiana

1 2 3 4OT Total
Hilltoppers 7 10 7 60 30
Hoosiers 3 7 3 173 33
StatisticsWKUIU
First downs2528
Total yards545484
Rushing yards216120
Passing yards329364
Turnovers21
Time of possession32:2127:39
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Western KentuckyPassingAustin Reed33/43, 329 yards, 2 TD, INT
RushingKye Robichaux14 rushes, 135 yards
ReceivingDaewood Davis5 receptions, 77 yards, TD
IndianaPassingConnor Bazelak33/55, 364 yards, 2 TD
RushingJosh Henderson11 rushes, 65 yards, TD
ReceivingCam Camper8 receptions, 93 yards, TD

FIU

1 2 3 4 Total
Panthers 0 0 0 0 0
Hilltoppers 14 28 17 14 73
StatisticsFIUWKU
First downs1032
Total yards180688
Rushing yards56210
Passing yards124478
Turnovers21
Time of possession30:3229:28
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
FIUPassingGrayson James13/23, 85 yards
RushingLexington Joseph15 rushes, 31 yards
ReceivingNate Jefferson4 receptions, 27 yards
Western KentuckyPassingAustin Reed29/35, 381 yards, 5 TD
RushingL. T. Sanders4 rushes, 73 yards, TD
ReceivingMalachi Corley3 receptions, 125 yards, 2 TD

Troy

1 2 3 4 Total
Trojans 10 3 7 14 34
Hilltoppers 7 10 3 7 27

At UTSA

1 2 3 4 Total
Hilltoppers 7 7 0 14 28
Roadrunners 7 10 7 7 31

At Middle Tennessee

1 2 3 4 Total
Hilltoppers 0 14 14 7 35
Blue Raiders 7 3 0 7 17

UAB

1 2 3 4 Total
Blazers 7 10 0 0 17
Hilltoppers 0 10 10 0 20

North Texas

1 2 3 4 Total
Mean Green 17 3 0 20 40
Hilltoppers 7 6 0 0 13
StatisticsUNTWKU
First downs2523
Total yards541466
Rushing yards196146
Passing yards345320
Turnovers02
Time of possession29:0530:55
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
North TexasPassingAustin Aune20/28, 322 yards, 3 TD
RushingAyo Adeyi10 rushes, 72 yards, TD
ReceivingDamon Ward Jr.4 receptions, 101 yards, TD
Western KentuckyPassingAustin Reed29/49, 320 yards, TD, INT
RushingL. T. Sanders13 rushes, 76 yards
ReceivingMalachi Corley8 receptions, 97 yards

At Charlotte

1 2 3 4 Total
Hilltoppers 21 14 7 17 59
49ers 0 0 7 0 7

Rice

1 2 3 4 Total
Hilltoppers 7 17 7 14 45
Owls 0 7 3 0 10

At Auburn

Game Twelve – Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (7−4) at Auburn Tigers (4−6)
Period 1 2 34Total
Hilltoppers 0 17 0017
Tigers 10 7 101441

at Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, Alabama

  • Date: Saturday, November 19, 2022
  • Game time: 3:01 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Wind: 6 mph NW
  • Game attendance: 81,824
  • Referee: Scott Walker
  • TV announcers (SEC Network): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (analyst), Andraya Carter (sideline reporter)
Statistics WKU AUB
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Western
Kentucky		 PassingAustin Reed26/55, 289 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
RushingMarkese Stepp7 carries, 33 yards
ReceivingMalachi Corley12 receptions, 99 yards
Auburn PassingJarquez Hunter1/1, 20 yards, 1 TD
RushingTank Bigsby18 carries, 110 yards, 2 TD
ReceivingKoy Moore2 receptions, 31 yards, 1 TD
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP Western Kentucky Auburn
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.

At Florida Atlantic

1 2 3 4OT Total
Owls 0 7 10 77 31
Hilltoppers 0 7 10 78 32

South Alabama (New Orleans Bowl)

1 2 3 4 Total
Hilltoppers 14 17 10 3 44
Jaguars 0 3 14 6 23

References

  1. ↑ "Reed throws four TD passes, Western Kentucky rolls in opener". My San Antonio. August 27, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Football Player Passing Stats 2022". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  3. ↑ "2022 Ryan C-USA Kickoff Set for July 27 in Arlington". Conference USA. June 30, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  4. ↑ "C-USA Announces Media's Predicted Order of Finish for 2022". Conference USA. July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  5. ↑ Nick Bromberg (March 30, 2022). "Conference USA releases revised 2022 football schedule without teams leaving for Sun Belt". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Hilltoppers announce revised 2022 football schedule". Bowling Green Daily News. March 30, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
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