WKU Football Falls to Delaware 35-21 in Tuesday Night Matchup

Hilltoppers Drop Tuesday Matchup to Delaware at Houchens-Smith Stadium

WKU Football dropped to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in Conference USA following a 35-21 loss to the Fightin’ Blue Hens on Tuesday at Houchens-Smith Stadium, wkusports.com reported. The Tuesday night contest drew an announced attendance of 12,147 fans to Bowling Green, where the Hilltoppers moved to 2-1 at home this season after previously winning 13 of their last 15 games on their home turf. Tight end Coleson Arends, linebacker Westen Ard and linebacker Elijah Rumph served as the team captains for the game.

The loss moves the Hilltoppers to 1-3 all-time against the program across historical meetings. Delaware improved to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play with the road victory.

Offensive Output Overshadowed by Missed Opportunities

WKU generated 477 yards of total offense during the contest—comprising 245 passing yards and 232 rushing yards—marking the second-highest yardage total for the team this season behind only the 596 yards put up against Mercyhurst on September 26. The offense clicked early, as Tuesday marked the first time this season the Hilltoppers scored touchdowns on their opening two drives. WKU opened the scoring when the team marched 75 yards in eight plays, capped off by a 2-yard pass from quarterback Brock Glenn to CC Ezirim at the 11:37 mark of the opening frame for Ezirim’s first touchdown as a Hilltopper and the second of his college career.

Delaware Fightin Blue Hens vs.Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Highlights | Week 9 Condensed Game

Quarterback Brock Glenn finished the night throwing for 224 yards and one touchdown on 25-of-37 passing with two interceptions. Glenn also added 129 rushing yards on 17 carries, becoming the first WKU quarterback to rush for over 100 yards in a single game since Kawaun Jakes ran for 121 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries against Troy on November 7, 2009. Ajay Allen contributed 73 rushing yards on 12 carries and scored a 5-yard touchdown—his team-leading sixth score of the season—following a 61-yard rush by Glenn earlier in the sequence. Delaware later answered with a 5-yard touchdown run and an 8-yard reception before halftime, followed by a 40-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.

“I thought we had plenty of opportunities in the game — we didn’t capitalize on them. Guys battled hard. That was a good football team… quarterback’s a good player. They made their plays when they need to make them, and we didn’t. We’ll go back to the drawing board. We got a great opportunity to move forward, and we got to get ready for Middle Tennessee.”

Stafford Reaches Second Place in Freshman Receptions History

Nine different WKU players caught passes in the game, with eight different players posting multiple receptions. Stafford’s production pushed him into second place in program history for receptions by a freshman with 46 catches for 433 yards this season, passing Easton Messer’s 42 catches from 2023 and trailing only Malachi Corley, who caught 73 passes during the 2021 season.

WKU Football Falls to Delaware 35-21 in Tuesday Night Matchup — Photo: wnky.com

Defensively, linebackers Jaylen Wester and Westen Ard anchored the front with nine tackles apiece, while Mackavelli Malotumau tallied two tackles for loss and shared a sack alongside Zeiqui Lawton.

The Hilltoppers will return to Saturday competition on November 7, traveling to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to face Middle Tennessee at Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT.