WKU 44, South Alabama 23 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl What Happened, What It All Means

WKU 44, South Alabama 23: R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl what happened, player of the game, and what it all means

WKU beat South Alabama to win the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. What happened, who was the player of the game, and what does it all mean?


WKU 44, South Alabama 23 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl What Happened, Player of the Game, What It All Means

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R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl What Happened

WKU got hot early, put the game away, and South Alabama wasn’t able to do much to respond until it was way too late. Austin Reed threw three touchdown passes – four for the game – and receiver Dalvin Smith threw a trick play touchdown pass on the way to a 31- 3 halftime lead.

It was 41-10 WKU late in the third, but South Alabama’s Carter Bradley threw three touchdown passes including two int he last 19 minutes. It didn’t matter. WKU got enough points less than 20 minutes in.

That wasn’t the normal South Alabama team. It was brilliant all season and tight defensively, but WKU and Reed were too sharp and too good in the first half. It wasn’t a sloppy game, but two USA turnovers didn’t help and the inability to keep drives going early on was a killer.

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R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Player of the Game

Austin Reed, QB WKU
He was supposed to have transferred to Louisville, but came back and decided to stay. He completed 36-of-55 passes for 497 yards with four touchdowns and a pick. He also ran for 25 yards.

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R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Fun Stats

– WKU WR Dalvin Smith caught six passes for 145 yards and a score, and he completed his only throw for a 25-yard score. Jaylin Hall (138 yards) and Malachi Corley (114 yards) also hit the 100-yard mark.

– South Alabama WR Devin Voisin came up with a game high 11 catches for 154 yards and a score. QB Carter Bradley threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns with two picks.

– Total Yards: WKU 677 – South Alabama 421

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl What It All Means

Wow. WKU came into this a bit undermanned, but Austin Reed was there slinging it around and running the offense, and that was it. For a team that had a bit of an inconsistent season, Reed was brilliant from the start, the passing game clicked like it was supposed, and this was over fast.

Give the WKU defense a little credit, too. It held up early, got the ball back to Reed, and boom. Now that’s two straight bowl wins under head coach Tyson Helton, and he’s 3-1 in the last four years. The program has won six of its last eight since losing its first ever bowl appearance in 2012.

What was that, South Alabama? Against UCLA in a tough loss against Troy in a 10-6 battle of a loss, and in game after game, the offense found ways to keep moving early on and the defense was good at holding up in a 10-2 season. This loss doesn’t ruin a great season, but it sours it a bit.

The program still hasn’t won a bowl game – it’s 0-3 – but this was the first winning season since moving up to the FBS level in 2012. It was the first time it got past six wins. This was a special year, but the first 20 minutes of this were shocking.

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South Alabama vs WKU R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Prediction Game Preview

South Alabama vs WKU game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Wednesday, December 21

South Alabama vs WKU prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Wednesday, December 21


South Alabama vs WKU R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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South Alabama vs WKU How To Watch

Date: Wednesday, December 21
Game Time: 9:00 pm ET
Venue: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: South Alabama (10-2), WKU (8-5)
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South Alabama vs WKU R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl 5 Things To Know

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

South Alabama might be the best Power Five team you didn’t pay any attention to this season. You probably didn’t notice it came this close to beating UCLA, and you probably didn’t notice that it was that 32-31 loss and a 10-6 battle with Troy away from being perfect. It didn’t exactly roll a slew of killers, but it has a solid offense, it controls the clock, and it brings one of the best run defenses in the country.

WKU brings the fun. No, it doesn’t care about time of possession, and it’ll see your solid offense with a high-octane passing attack. It lost star QB Austin Reed to the transfer portal – he was supposedly headed to Louisville – but he changed his mind and came back. Here comes the offensive show.

The Hilltoppers have played in eight FBS-level bowl games and won five of them. Head man Tyson Helton won two of his three – including the 2021 Boca Raton with a 59-38 explosion over Appalachian State.

This is just the third bowl game for South Alabama and the first under head coach Kane Wommack. It’s a showcase moment for him and the program that lost its first two bowl tries and hasn’t been in one since losing to Air Force in the 2016 Arizona.

The New Orleans Bowl always seems like it should be fun – the matchups are always strong – but the last five have been relative blowouts and seven of the last eight were decided by 13 or more. It’s been the Sun Belt’s world winning the last four.

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Why South Alabama Will Win The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

How did South Alabama get it done this year?

It’s been a rock defensively, it doesn’t make a slew of mistakes or turnovers, and the ground game was one of the best in the nation. La’Damian Webb ran for over 1,000 yards and 13 scores, but he’s not alone in the rotation of runners including QB Carter Bradley.

Run well, rely on the defense, limit the turnovers – which, to be fair, come in bunches, but the team overcomes them. But against WKU it’s about holding up against a ton of midrange passes.

The Jaguars haven’t had too many problems surviving the games against teams that throw a ton. The wins haven’t been easy, but they can handle WKU thanks to a strong-tackling back-seven.

However …

Why WKU Will Win The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Getting back Austin Reed changes the game.

He’s a veteran passer who’s been around the block as a big bomber for West Florida at the D-II level before fitting right in at WKU. The South Alabama defense might be terrific, but it’s about to get thrown on 50 times for at least 300 yards.

But it’s not just about Reed and the air show. The WKU offense can run well enough to mix it up, and the defense isn’t just along for the ride. It might have had a bumpy finish in a blowout loss to Auburn and a tough 32-31 fight with Florida Atlantic, but few teams in the country do more to take the ball away.

WKU’s defense is high-risk/high-reward. It can get run over, but it makes up for it with a ton of forced fumbles. It’ll give up big plays through the air, but it also generates a bunch of picks.

It’s just this simple. For all the good things the offense does, and as good as Reed is, WKU is 7-0 when coming up with two or more takeaways, and 1-5 when it doesn’t.

But …

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, South Alabama vs WKU Prediction, R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl History

WKU vs Florida Atlantic Prediction Game Preview

WKU vs Florida Atlantic game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 13 game on Saturday, November 26

WKU vs Florida Atlantic prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 13, Saturday, November 26


WKU vs Florida Atlantic Prediction Game Preview

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WKU vs Florida Atlantic How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 26
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
How To Watch: CBS Sports Network
Record: WKU (7-5), Florida Atlantic (5-6)
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WKU vs Florida Atlantic What’s Going To Happen

WKU is off to play in the Conference USA Championship if it wins this and Rice beats North Texas. Either way it’s in a bowl game, but Florida Atlantic is fighting for its bowl life – it needs to win to get in.

The Owls got bombed on by Middle Tennessee in a 49-21 loss, but that was on the road – this is a totally different team in Boca Raton. It’s 1-5 on the road – that one win was down the road at FIU – and 4-1 at home.

WKU’s offense, though, will be too explosive and the three takeaways from the D will will be enough to hang on in a fun back-and-forth fight.

FAU is 5-0 when keeping teams to under 24 points and 0-6 when allowing more. WKU was keep under 24 points just three times.

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WKU vs Florida Atlantic Prediction, Line

WKU 38, Florida Atlantic 30
Line: WKU -7.5, o/u: 61.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
WKU vs Florida Atlantic Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5

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Auburn vs WKU Prediction Game Preview

Auburn vs WKU game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 12 game on Saturday, November 19

Auburn vs WKU prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 12, Saturday, November 19


Auburn vs WKU Prediction, Game Preview

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Auburn vs WKU How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 19
Game Time: 4:00 ET
Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL
How To Watch: SEC Network
Record: Auburn (4-6), WKU (7-4)
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Why WKU Will Win

The passing game is going to make this interesting.

The Hilltoppers are fourth in the nation through the air averaging 336 yards per game with a whole lot of midrange completions. Auburn has a decent pass rush, but that’s negated a bit by the style and quickness of the WKU attack.

Mississippi State has a slightly different offensive flow, but it was able to hit Auburn for 357 passing yards, Georgia was effective when it decided to throw, and Penn State’s Sean Clifford was deadly accurate.

The Tigers are 1-4 when allowing over 200 yards through the air. WKU has failed to hit 270 just once, but …

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Why Auburn Will Win

The program perked up with Carnell Williams in as the interim head coach.

Things might have started with a loss to Mississippi State, but it was a good fight with the running game rolling. Last week it ran for 270 yards and the defense pitched its best game of the season in the 13-10 win over Texas A&M.

So how does AU deal with the WKU passing game? It runs and keeps on running.

Time of possession doesn’t matter to the Hilltoppers, so the Tigers should take advantage by grinding, keeping Austin Reed and that dangerous O on the sidelines, and more than anything else, getting good tackles out of the secondary to keep the short throws from becoming big plays.

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What’s Going To Happen

Indiana had to hang on for dear life in the 33-30 win over WKU, but it came up with the win. That was the only time the Hilltoppers dealt with a Power Five program.

Auburn can’t turn it over like it has over the last few weeks – five in the two games under Williams – and WKU takes the ball away, but the SEC running game will make up for a slew of mistakes by pounding away for 250 yards.

WKU will get its passing yards, but a few late drives won’t finish with points.

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Auburn vs WKU Prediction, Line

Auburn 34, WKU 27
Line: Auburn -5.5, o/u: 52.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3.5
Auburn vs WKU Must See Rating (out of 5): 3

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Rice vs WKU Prediction Game Preview

Rice vs WKU game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 11 game on Saturday, November 12

Rice vs WKU prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 11, Saturday, November 12


Rice vs WKU How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 12
Game Time: 2:00 ET
Venue: Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: Rice (5-4), WKU (6-4)
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Rice vs WKU Game Preview

Why Rice Will Win

Everything is fine when the Rice passing game works.

There was a loss to Houston after bombing away for well over 300 yards, but that was the only misfire when the passing game rolls for over 275.

The running game is okay, and the defense hasn’t been bad, but everything functions better around QB TJ McMahon and whether or not he’s on. That’s big, but against WKU it’s more important to hold down good passing attacks.

Rice is second in Conference USA allowing just over 200 yards, but …

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Why WKU Will Win

The Hilltoppers passing game is too dangerous top stop. Rice might be able to hold up in shootouts against good quarterbacks, but it’s 0-3 when allowing 249 passing yards or more.

WKU and QB Austin Reed have cranked out more than 270 yards against everyone but UAB – and won.

Everyone focuses on the offense – it’s fourth in the nation and the best in Conference USA – but the defense is showing up. It’s good on third downs and it’s the best in America at generating takeaways.  That means …

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What’s Going To Happen

WKU is 6-0 when it comes up with multiple takeaways and 0-4 when it doesn’t. Rice has turned it over two or more times six times in nine games and in three of the last four.

Both passing games will have fun, but WKU will be a little sharper at home as it pulls away in the second half.

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Rice vs WKU Prediction, Line

WKU 34, Rice 27
Line: WKU -13.5, o/u: 60.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Rice vs WKU Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5
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WKU vs Charlotte Prediction Game Preview

WKU vs Charlotte game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 10 game on Saturday, November 5

WKU vs Charlotte prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 10, Saturday, November 5


WKU vs Charlotte How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 5
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Jerry Richardson Stadium, Charlotte, NC
How To Watch: CBS Sports Network
Record: WKU (5-4), Charlotte (2-7)
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WKU vs Charlotte Game Preview

Why WKU Will Win

Are we really supposed to believe this is Charlotte now?

Can the team that still has the worst defense in America after the 56-23 win over Rice hold up against the WKU passing game?

Probably not.

Even in the win last week it allowed 218 yards and three scores through the air. WKU might have that in the first half.

The 11th-best passing attack in America hasn’t always bombed away – and the Hilltoppers are sometimes better when they don’t – but there shouldn’t be any problems. Charlotte doesn’t have any pass rush to be a bother, but …

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Why Charlotte Will Win

The 49er offense works.

The defense might be a problem, but the D came up with one of its best performances of the season against Rice, and the O rolled for over 500 yards and might be able to do it again.

Chris Reynolds threw five touchdown passes, and he should be able to bomb away on a defense that gave up over 200 passing yards in six of the eight games. The Hilltoppers are 0-4 when allowing more than 270 yards through the air, and the 49ers average 272 yards per game.

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What’s Going To Happen

This should be a whole lot of fun.

WKU will throw for 350, Charlotte will get its own offense moving, and it’ll go to the road team thanks to three takeaways.

The 49ers didn’t turn the ball over against Rice and good things happen. Before that they gave it up three times or more in the previous four games.

The Hilltoppers have generated 18 turnovers in the last five games.

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WKU vs Charlotte Prediction, Line

WKU 45, Charlotte 27
Line: WKU -16.5, o/u: 72.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
WKU vs Charlotte Must See Rating (out of 5): 2
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North Texas vs WKU Prediction, Game Preview

North Texas vs WKU game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 9 game on Saturday, October 29

North Texas vs WKU prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 9, Saturday, October 29


North Texas vs WKU How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 29
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: Stadium
How To Watch: Houchens Industries, L.T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY
Record: North Texas (4-4), WKU (5-3)
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North Texas vs WKU Game Preview

Why North Texas Will Win

The running game fun might have chilled out for a game but it’s about to come back strong.

The Mean Green were rolling with 775 rushing yards over a two game stretch before stalling in last week’s 31-27 loss to UTSA. Now it’s about to hit the 200-yard mark again against a WKU defense that’s fine, but had problems in the win over UAB and the loss to USTA.

It’s this simple for North Texas, though – can it slow down the Hilltopper passing game? The D isn’t special, but it can generate a pass rush and hold on  for a few drives while the offense takes over.

For all of the fun with the WKU attack, it’s not great on third downs and doesn’t push the ball down the field enough to matter.

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Why WKU Will Win

The Hilltoppers aren’t bad against the run overall.

The goal is to get that passing game going early to force North Texas to start throwing and get it out of its gameplan. It can do that with a few good early drives.

To be fair, WKU leads Conference USA against the run because everyone throws against this D – and because few on the slate so far can grind – but North Texas doesn’t power up like UAB and UTSA do. It’s more about getting playmakers in space, and WKU can slow that down.

Keep the Mean Green from ripping off yards in chunks, come up with a few takeaways, and …

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What’s Going To Happen

These two teams have plays a whole slew of fun games this year, and this should be another one.

North Texas, though, is is 3-1 at home, 1-3 on the road, and that one win away from Denton came in the opener against UTEP.

WKU showed last week it can win even when it gets gouged by a good ground game, but it took four takeaways against UAB to get that done.

The D won’t get that many, but it’ll come up with two to help out the offense that will control things with the quick passing attack.

College Football Expert Picks, Week 9

North Texas vs WKU Prediction, Line

WKU 38, North Texas 30
Line: WKU -9.5, o/u: 69.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
North Texas vs WKU Must See Rating (out of 5): 3
Predictions of Every Game

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UAB vs WKU Prediction, Game Preview

UAB vs WKU game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 8 game on Friday, October 21

UAB vs WKU prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 8, Friday, October 21


UAB vs WKU How To Watch

Date: Friday, October 21
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY
How To Watch: CBS Sports Network
Record: UAB (4-2), WKU (4-3)
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UAB vs WKU Game Preview

Why UAB Will Win

Steady, UAB just keeps rolling along with a passing attack that’s going to be good, will throw well into the 200 yard range, and with a ground game that can balance things out a bit.

There aren’t any big problems with turnovers – the team is 0-2 when giving it up multiple times and 4-0 when it doesn’t – and WKU’s defense doesn’t do enough to force a ton of mistakes.

On the other side, the Hilltoppers are good for at least two giveaways and UAB will happily force that to happen – the Blazers are +5 in turnover margin.

The pass defense hasn’t been destroyed. WKU will throw and keep throwing, but UAB has yet to give up more than 215 passing yards this season. That’s partly because …

NFL Expert Picks, Week 7

Why WKU Will Win

UAB hasn’t faced anyone who can really bomb away other than Georgia Southern.

WKU is going to throw it 50 times, rely on a run defense that doesn’t get gouged, and hope it all works from there.

As good as UAB is, it hasn’t faced a Power Five team, the schedule has hardly been a killer, and it’s 0-2 away from home. It has an okay pass rush, but it’s hardly dominant. The passing game is consistent, but it’s not the type that’s going keep up in a shootout.

– Game Previews, Predictions CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

Can the Hilltoppers rise up at home after a strong road win over Middle Tennessee?

Can UAB prove it can get the job done away from home?

WKU will pull out a fun win with a whole lot of passing and help from the run defense that will keep the Blazers in check.

UAB has rushed for close to 600 yards over the last two weeks and for 230 yards or more in every game but the loss to Rice. WKU will give up 200 yards, but it’ll throw for 300.

College Football Expert Picks, Week 8

UAB vs WKU Prediction, Line

WKU 27, UAB 24
Line: WKU -1.5, o/u: 58.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
UAB vs WKU Must See Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Predictions of Every Game

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WKU vs Middle Tennessee Prediction, Game Preview

WKU vs Middle Tennessee game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 7 game on Saturday, October 15

WKU vs Middle Tennessee prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 7, Saturday, October 15


WKU vs Middle Tennessee How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 15
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium, Murfreesboro, TN
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: WKU (3-3), Middle Tennessee (3-3)
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WKU vs Middle Tennessee Game Preview

Why WKU Will Win

The Hilltoppers keep on winging it around.

They might not be as fun as they were in the Bailey Zappe days of last year, but they’re third in the nation in passing, the offense averages close to 500 yards per game, and Middle Tennessee will have to press to keep up.

The biggest key against Middle Tennessee is the ability to keep the mistakes to a minimum. The Hilltoppers don’t have a massive turnover problem, but as long as they’re no worse than -1 against the Blue Raiders they should be fine because …

NFL Expert Picks, Week 6

Why Middle TennesseeWill Win

The Middle Tennessee defense brings the pressure throughout.

It’s among the best in the nation in sacks, it lives in the backfield with a ton of tackles for loss, and it forces takeaways in bunches with 12 over a four game stretch before failing to come up with one in the 41-14 loss at UAB.

Even with all of that the pass defense isn’t great. However, the Blue Raider passing game can keep up – Chase Cunningham won’t have a problem hitting the 300-yard mark if this gets going.

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What’s Going To Happen

Both teams are going to throw it, and WKU does it better.

Can it limit the turnovers? There will be two, but Middle Tennessee needs to force a few more. The biggest Blue Raider problem will be consistency of the pass rush – it won’t be quite as effective against the quick-hitting WKU passing game.

Expect lots of points, lots of yards, and a fun game with a good finish.

College Football Expert Picks, Week 7

WKU vs Middle Tennessee Prediction, Line

WKU 38, Middle Tennessee 34
Line: WKU -8, o/u: 67
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
WKU vs Middle Tennessee Must See Rating (out of 5): 3
Predictions of Every Game

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WKU vs UTSA Prediction, Game Preview

WKU vs UTSA game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 6 game on Saturday, October 8

WKU vs UTSA prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 6, Saturday, October 8


WKU vs UTSA How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 8
Game Time: 6:00 ET
Venue: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: WKU (3-2), UTSA (3-2)
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WKU vs UTSA Game Preview

Why WKU Will Win

The Hilltoppers are back on track.

The Roadrunners are struggling in the secondary. They got bombed on by Middle Tennessee, Army – yeah, Army – hit the 300-yard mark, and it starts with the lack of a steady pass rush to be a bother.

WKU might not be as potent as last season, but it’s still able to crank up the passing attack with close to 900 passing yards and nine touchdown passes over the last two weeks.

The defense has its moments, it’s not bad against the run, and …

NFL Expert Picks, Week 5

Why UTSA Will Win

UTSA has the ability to move the ball however it wants to.

It might have lost to Texas, but the win over Texas Southern was nice and the 45-30 road victory over Middle Tennessee was big.

Frank Harris and the passing game are going off, the defense held up against the run last week, and the ninth-ranked offense in the country is more than capable of keeping up with the WKU attack.

The Hilltoppers aren’t moving the ball like the 2021 version did, the pass defense isn’t a rock, and they’re good for two turnovers.

They’re not perfect, and UTSA isn’t the 2021 version either, but …

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What’s Going To Happen

The rematch of the Conference USA Championship – a UTSA win – won’t be quite as entertaining, but it’ll be good battle of offenses trading haymakers.

It’s just the second home game or UTSA since September 3rd, and it’s about to play at a different level.

Sort of like last week’s 34-27 loss to Troy, WKU will come up with its yards, but it won’t be able to do enough to stop the Roadrunner attack in key moments in the second half.

CFN Expert Picks, Week 6

WKU vs UTSA Prediction, Line

UTSA 38, WKU 30
Line: UTSA -6.5, o/u: 72
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
WKU vs UTSA Must See Rating (out of 5): 3.5
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