american football
GAME 2
WKU (1-0) on Hawaii (0-1)
Date: Saturday 3 Sept.
Kick-off: 11 p.m. CT
Place: Honolulu Hawaii (Clarence TC Ching Complex)
Watch: Team 1 Sports mobile app
Listen: WKLX (SAM 100.7 FM) and WWKU (ESPN Radio 102.7 FM) in Bowling Green
Social: @WKUFootball | @WKUSports
Game Notes: WKU
Game day information: Live stats
COMMENTS AND QUOTES
- Western Kentucky makes its maiden voyage across the Pacific to Hawaii as it prepares to take on the Rainbow Warriors on Saturday. The Hilltoppers enter the game after a season-opening, Week 0 win over Austin Peay. Hawaii also played Week 0, but saw the opposite result as WKU with a 63-10 drubbing against Vanderbilt.
- WKU Head Coach Tyson Helton began his coaching career in Hawaii for the 2000 college football season. After playing quarterback at the University of Houston for his father from 1996 to 1999, Helton followed in his father’s footsteps and began coaching a year later as a graduate assistant for the Rainbow Warriors. After one season as a GA, Helton was promoted to serve as the team’s special teams coordinator. He spent three seasons in that capacity before moving to the University of Memphis in 2004 to serve as a tight ends coach and special teams coordinator.
- When Helton started his coaching career with the Rainbow Warriors in 2000, current Hawaii Head Coach Timmy Chang started his playing career in the Islands. Chang was named WAC Freshman of the Year that season, which was just the start of a richly decorated career. In four seasons together, Helton and Chang took a combined 31-21, including a season of 10 wins in 2002 with a pair of seasons of nine wins. Helton and Chang now face each other as head coaches for the first time.
- WKU sophomore linebacker JaQues Evans (nicknamed donut by his teammates), set a career high in tackles in the Tops’ season-opening win over Austin Peay. Evans tallied 13 stops on the day, including a career-best 2.5 sacks for 13 yards.
- The trip to Hawaii marks a handful of firsts for the Hilltoppers. Not only has WKU never been to Hawaii or taken on the Rainbow Warriors, but the Tops have never played against a Mountain West Conference team. In addition to Hawaii, current membership in the MWC Air Force includes Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, and Wyoming. The Hilltoppers first played BYU, a founding member of the Mountain West, in 2020, but the Cougars left the MWC to become independent in 2011.
“Week in Hawaii, big week for us. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a fast week. We start training today. Normally the players would be free today, but we’ll get on the plane later this week and fly there I’m looking forward to the trip and looking forward to a very competitive game I think we’re going to meet a very, very good football team in Hawaii I think they’re a good fit for us I think it’s going to be a four quarter game And we’d better show up and play our best game if we want to win.”
-Helton gives an example of the match-up in Hawaii
“It will be neat. Unfortunately for me the only thing I focus on is trying to win a match. I was there for four years and it is a very special place. We were there at a great time. June Jones was the head coach and we were winning Timmy Chang was the quarterback Nick Rolovich was the quarterback and I think of some other big names It will be special to go back there and be on campus I heard it was is a great location.’
-Helton on his return to Hawaii after starting his coaching career there
“I had the feeling that we were offensively many meters out there. I felt” Austin Reed in his first start he did some very, very good things. We had a few drops that could have been explosive plays that could have changed some things. It’s a big attacking line for us defensively, so we need to be able to stop the run.”
-Helton is watching the Austin Peay game and looking forward to Hawaii
LAST TIME OFF
In the first-ever college football game of 2022, WKU defeated Austin Peay by a score of 38-27. Malachi Corley caught three quarterback touchdowns Austin Reed while Daewood Davis caught the other. Hilltopper’s defense recorded four pre-match takeaways, including a pick of six by defending defender Upton Stout.
ABOUT HAWAII
The Rainbow Warriors fell to Vanderbilt, 63-10, in their season opener at home. Brayden Schager threw 161 yards for Hawaii with Jonah Panoke as his leading receiver with seven catches for 101 yards. Dedrick Parson led the hasty offense by scoring 82 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Virdel Edwards and Leonard Lee each recorded six tackles for the Rainbow Warriors.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between WKU and Hawaii.
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