White tosses 4 TDs, Western Kentucky tops Old Dominion 59-24

 Mike White threw for 378 yards and four touchdowns and Western Kentucky beat Old Dominion 59-24 on Saturday night.

Scoring came at will for Western Kentucky (5-3, 3-1 Conference USA), logging points on eight of its first nine possessions to lead 52-14 at halftime.

White completed 28 of 32 passes and tossed three of his four first-half touchdowns to Taywan Taylor for 6, 14 and 54 yards.

Taylor led the Hilltoppers receiving corps by hauling in 10 catches for 123 yards and three TDs.

Western Kentucky had 459 of its 624 yards of offense in the first half and averaged 9.2 yards per play to win its third straight over Old Dominion (4-3, 2-1).

Anthony Wales ran for 157 yards and the first of two touchdowns on a 44-yard run on Western Kentucky's opening drive.

David Washington threw for 236 yards and had both of his TD passes in the second quarter for the Monarchs - to Zach Pascal and Travis Fulgham - as the highlight of an otherwise dismal night. The Old Dominion run game sputtered for 67 yards.

Old Dominion defensive back Jamshyer McUmber was ejected after a brawl on the Monarchs sideline cleared both benches midway through the third quarter. Every player from both teams received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the incident, which was the second of the night after a minor on-field scuffle in the first half.

THE TAKEAWAY

Old Dominion: The Monarchs' three-game win streak came to an end. On top of losing McUmber from an ejection, sophomore defensive end Daniel Appouh was taken off the field in an ambulance for an unknown injury.

Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers defense responded well after giving up 55 points at Louisiana Tech and 43 to Middle Tennessee State.

UP NEXT

Old Dominion: The Monarchs are on the road for a second straight week at UTEP on Saturday.

Western Kentucky: One win from bowl eligibility for a sixth straight season, the Hilltoppers travel to Florida Atlantic on Saturday.

Blocked PAT in 2nd OT helps WKU beat Middle Tennessee 44-43

 Anthony Wales ran for three touchdowns and Deon Yelder blocked an extra point in the second overtime to lift Western Kentucky over Middle Tennessee 44-43 on Saturday.

Middle Tennessee's Brent Stockstill threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Andrews in the second OT butCanon Rooker's PAT was blocked. Wales bullied in from the 1-yard line and Skyler Simcox made the PAT to end it.

Wales ran for 158 yards and Mike White threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns for Western Kentucky (4-3, 2-1 Conference USA).

White drove the Hilltoppers 77 yards in 10 plays to the Blue Raiders' half-yard line with 14 seconds left in regulation. Middle Tennessee forced an incomplete pass on third down, and Simcox kicked an 18-yard field goal to send it to overtime.

Stockstill threw for 434 yards and three touchdowns for Middle Tennessee (4-2, 2-1). I'Tavius Mathers had 143 yards rushing and two scores. Richie James broke his own program record with 16 catches and had 233 yards receiving.

Higgins, Louisiana Tech hold off Western Kentucky 55-52

 Ryan Higgins passed for 454 yards and five touchdowns and Louisiana Tech held off Western Kentucky 55-52 on Thursday night.

Louisiana Tech (5-5, 2-1 Conference USA) led 49-24 in the middle of the third quarter and Jonathan Barnes' career-long 54-yard field goal with 11 minutes left in the game proved enough to withstand Western Kentucky's rally.

Mike White rallied the Hilltoppers (3-3, 1-1) with TD passes of 31, 8 and 11 yards that made it 55-45 with 7:24 left.

Shaquille Johnson blocked a punt and Kylen Townerrecovered and scored to pull WKU within three with 5:02 left. The Hilltoppers forced a punt, but Louisiana Tech's Aaron Brown strip-sacked White on the next play to secure the win.

Carlos Henderson had eight catches for 232 yards and three touchdowns for Louisiana Tech. White had 340 yards and five touchdowns passing for Western Kentucky.

Norris has 3 TDs, Western Kentucky tops Houston Baptist 50-3

One week after a heartbreaking overtime loss to Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky took out its frustrations on Houston Baptist Saturday night.

Nicholas Norris scored three touchdowns, Western Kentucky scored on its first eight possessions and the Hilltoppers went on to rout Houston Baptist 50-3 in a nonconference game.

"We needed a lot of fine-tuning to do from the loss we had last week," Norris said. "So we tried to work on the little things, especially with us going into a hostile environment next week against Louisiana Tech."

Western Kentucky (3-2) wasted no time, going 82 yards in just four plays on the opening drive for the game's first touchdown. Anthony Wales capped the march, running nearly untouched through the Houston Baptist (2-3) defense for a 45-yard touchdown less than a minute-and-a-half into the contest.

Mike White's 34-yard touchdown pass to Norris made it 14-3 after the first quarter.

"We came out and did what we needed to do and executed early on," Western Kentucky coach Jeff Brohm said. "We moved the ball, scored points, and took care of the football. We improved upon certain things that we didn't do well last week. Overall, we just took care of business, it was a good win."

The Hilltoppers scored so fast and so often, that they had only 15:33 of possession through three quarters, compared to 29:27 for the Huskies, despite leading by 47 points.

Houston Baptist coach Vic Shealy knew quickly that his Huskies were overwhelmed. Houston Baptist is in only its fourth season of fielding a football team.

"When your only two losses are against SEC schools, and one of them is an overtime loss that many probably would like to have over again, you know they are a quality team coming in playing," Shealy said. "They didn't disappoint. They're really athletic, well coached and play hard. We knew who we were playing."

Brohm emphasized getting back on track after last Saturday's 31-30 overtime loss to Vanderbilt.

"I think it was important to clean some things up and learn from our mistakes," Brohm said. "And that's kind of how we've been the last couple of years. We just try to improve each and every week. We're pretty good at learning from our mistakes, being critical of ourselves. We did that today.

Norris also caught a 19-yard pass from White in the second quarter and had an 85-yard touchdown run on an end-around to open the Hilltoppers' scoring in the third period.

Also, in a 20-point third quarter, Nacarius Fant had a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown and Marcus Trigg had a 12-yard touchdown run.

Skyler Simcox added a 50-yard field goal as the game was quickly out of hand.

Houston Baptist's only points came on a 25-yard field goal by Alec Chadwick with 34 seconds left in the opening quarter.

THE TAKEAWAY

Houston Baptist: The Huskies have now given up at least 50 points in all three of their losses this season. They previously lost 56-13 to Central Arkansas and 52-16 to Sam Houston State.

Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers dominated the game in nearly every facet and did not punt until the 1:33 mark of the fourth quarter. Western Kentucky piled up a season-high 535 yards of total offense and had 23 first downs in the game.

UP NEXT

Houston Baptist: The Huskies have a bye week next week, and then return to action for a homecoming matchup against Nichols on Oct. 15.

Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers travel to Ruston, Louisiana, to face Conference USA foe Louisiana Tech on Thursday night.

Vanderbilt rallies to beat Western Kentucky 31-30 in OT

Vanderbilt's defense turned away a 2-point conversion play at the end of the first overtime as the Commodores escaped with a 31-30 victory over Western Kentucky on Saturday.

Kyle Shurmur's 5-yard pass to Nathan Marcus on the first possession of overtime gave Vanderbilt (2-2) its first lead of the game, and Tommy Openshaw added the point after for the Commodores.

Western Kentucky (2-2) answered quickly, needing just two plays to find the end zone on Mike White's 8-yard pass to Shaquille Johnson.

Hilltoppers coach Jeff Brohm elected to go for two points. White rolled to his right, but his pass was batted into the air and ruled incomplete, as Vanderbilt players rushed the field to celebrate the comeback victory.

The Commodores went 75 yards in the final 1:02 of regulation in seven plays to tie the game at 24-24 and force overtime. A pass interference call in the end zone on Western Kentucky's De'Andre Simmons against Vanderbilt's Trent Shurfield gave the Commodores the ball at the Hilltopper 2 with three seconds to play in regulation. Vanderbilt running back Ralph Webb, who had three rushing touchdowns in the game, leaped from just inside the 5 and landed just beyond the front edge of the end zone for the tying score.

The Hilltoppers built a 14-0 lead in the first half, getting a 4-yard run from Anthony Wales to cap the opening drive of the game. WKU added a second-quarter score when backup quarterback Tyler Ferguson hit Nacarius Fan on a 61-yard pass play.

Webb capped touchdown drives for Vanderbilt of 4 and 2 yards to tie the game briefly at 14-14.

Wales put the Hilltoppers back in front with a 20-yard touchdown and the teams traded fourth-quarter field goals before the Commodores game-tying drive.

THE TAKEAWAY

WESTERN KENTUCKY: The Hilltoppers dominated the game on the stat sheet, putting up 501 yards of total offense. Running back Anthony Wales gained 157 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns. The Hilltoppers also completed 24 of 40 passes for 291 yards. However, Western Kentucky was penalized 11 times for 88 yards and also had a pass intercepted and lost two fumbles. WKU was just 3 of 12 on third-down conversions in the game.

VANDERBILT: The Commodores haven't exactly been known for their passing, but quarterback Kyle Shurmur starred in the fourth-quarter and the overtime period. Shurmur was just 10 of 17 for 124 yards and an interception through the first three quarters. But in the fourth quarter and overtime, he was 8 of 12 for 155 yards and a touchdown in overtime. Shurmur took the Commodores 75 yards in seven plays with 1:02 left and no timeouts to tie the game and force OT.

UP NEXT

VANDERBILT: The Commodores return home and to SEC action as the Florida Gators visit on Oct. 1.

WESTERN KENTUCKY: The Hilltoppers are at home for the second consecutive week, hosting Houston Baptist on Oct. 1.

Norris, Baker help Western Kentucky top Miami (Ohio) 31-24

Nicholas Norris set career highs with 11 catches for 187 yards, Quinton Baker rushed for 103 yards and a score, and Western Kentucky fought off Miami (Ohio) for a 31-24 victory on Saturday.

Western Kentucky (2-1) took a 24-3 lead midway through the third quarter when Norris hauled in a 53-yard pass from Mike White.

Miami (0-3) got two touchdowns from Billy Bahl - a 9-yard run and 70-yard pass to James Gardner - in a 2:36 span to get within striking distance, 24-17, at the end of the third quarter.

But White found Taywan Taylor for a 36-yard touchdown, making Taylor the leading receiver in Western Kentucky history with 172 catches. Taylor holds Hilltoppers career and season records for receptions, yards and touchdowns.

The RedHawks converted a Hail Mary with 1:17 left to get within one score, but the onside kick was recovered by Western Kentucky.

Hurts leads No. 1 Alabama past Western Kentucky, 38-10

Freshman Jalen Hurts passed for 287 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start to lead No. 1 Alabama to a 38-10 victory over Western Kentucky on Saturday.

Hurts likely nailed down the quarterback job with a 23-of-36 passing performance. The Crimson Tide (2-0) started slow and then piled it on with big plays from the defense and receivers Calvin Ridley and ArDarius Stewart.

Hurts is the first true freshman quarterback to start at Alabama since Vince Sutton started four games in 1984. He also had two likely touchdowns dropped.

Blake Barnett got the nod in the opener against Southern California and completed 2 of 6 passes for 64 yards in this one.

Western Kentucky (1-1) was outgained 475-239 in total yards against a defense that has allowed 16 points in the first two games.

Ridley had nine catches for 129 yards and Stewart gained 90 yards on five receptions. Both also logged carries.

Western Kentucky quarterback Mike White left late in the third quarter. He was 10 of 24 for 135 yards with an interception after racking up 517 yards in the opener against Rice. The Hilltoppers converted a turnover into a touchdown in the final minute.

THE TAKEAWAY

Western Kentucky: The winners of 13 consecutive Conference USA games trailed just 10-3 midway through the second quarter. Receiver Taywan Taylor continued his trend of big games against teams from the Power 5 conferences, with 121 yards on nine catches. He averaged 113 yards against Vanderbilt, Indiana and LSU last season.

Alabama: The Tide didn't look spectacular but got the job done with another strong defensive effort and a smattering of big plays. Stewart had a 52-yard catch, Ridley a 51-yarder and Gehrig Dieter a 40-yarder. The defense had four sacks and held the Hilltoppers to 23 rushing yards.

POLL IMPLICATIONS:

Alabama should comfortably hold onto the No. 1 spot, especially since No. 2 Clemson struggled to put away Troy.

PICK SIX

Safety Eddie Jackson's 55-yard interception return in the first half gave some breathing room in a 10-3 game and was his third of the past two seasons. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey scored on a pick six against USC.

UP NEXT

Alabama visits No. 19 Mississippi, which has handed the Tide its only regular-season loss in each of the last two years.

Western Kentucky travels to Miami, Ohio.

White throws for 517 yards as W. Kentucky beats Rice 46-14

 Mike White threw for 517 yards and three touchdowns in his debut as starting quarterback as Western Kentucky opened the season and Conference USA play with a 46-14 drubbing of Rice.

White, who was 25 for 31 passing, is only the third quarterback to throw for 500 or more yards in Western Kentucky history.

The Hilltoppers had two receivers top 100 yards in receiving as Taywan Taylor caught five passes for 165 yards and Nicholas Norris hauled in seven for 147 yards and two scores.

Western Kentucky, which won its 13th straight conference game, finished with 552 yards passing and 97 rushing, amassing 649 yards while limiting Rice to 288 total yards.

White's first scoring strike was for 87 yards as Norris hauled that one in for a 16-0 lead with 1:31 left in the first quarter. The Hilltoppers were up 30-7 at the half.

Tyler Stehling led Rice with 183 passing yards.

Brown's stop saves Western Kentucky's 14-12 win over Vandy

 Joe Brown stopped Nathan Marcus a yard shy of the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt with 33 seconds left to preserve Western Kentucky's 14-12 victory over Vanderbilt on Thursday night.

Brown made an open-field tackle after Marcus caught Johnny McCrary's pass on the conversion attempt. Vanderbilt had cut the lead to 14-12 when McCrary threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Trent Sherfield on fourth-and-goal.

Vanderbilt recovered the ensuing onside kick but touched the ball before it traveled the necessary 10 yards.

Leon Allen had a 4-yard touchdown run and Tyler Higbee caught a 9-yard touchdown pass for Western Kentucky. Higbee set up Allen's score with a 65-yard reception.

Tommy Openshaw kicked field goals of 49 and 26-yards for Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt had three scoreless trips inside Western Kentucky's 10-yard line. McCrary had two passes intercepted in the end zone, and Openshaw missed a 28-yard field goal after a low snap. The Commodores had to settle for a field goal on another trip inside the 10 when Marcus dropped a pass in the right corner of the end zone.

Western Kentucky has won six straight games in a streak that began last November. Vanderbilt was seeking to turn things around after going 3-9 last year in Derek Mason's debut season as coach.

Mason, a former Stanford defensive coordinator, responded to that dismal year by firing both his coordinators and putting himself in charge of the defense. Vanderbilt's defense contained a Western Kentucky offense that ranked sixth nationally in points per game (44.4) and fourth in yards per game (534.6) last season.

That high-powered Western Kentucky offense was scoreless for the first 44 minutes of Thursday's game.

Higbee finally awoke Western Kentucky's offense late in the third quarter when he caught a Brandon Doughty pass, headed to the right sideline and broke free before finally getting brought down at the Vanderbilt 4 to set up the Hilltoppers' first touchdown.

After Openshaw's 26-yard field goal cut Western Kentucky's lead to 7-6, Doughty found Higbee again for a touchdown that made it 14-6 with 8:38 remaining.

Higbee finished with four catches for 102 yards, while Doughty was 19 of 30 for 209 yards. Doughty threw for 4,830 yards and 49 touchdowns last season to lead all Football Bowl Subdivision players in both categories.

McCrary, who earned the start for Vanderbilt after winning a quarterback competition with Wade Freebeck, went 18 of 34 for 217 yards and also rushed for 66 yards on eight carries. He engineered a 77-yard touchdown drive in a two-minute drill to get the Commodores within reach.

Then Brown stopped Vanderbilt's comeback hopes one yard short.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Season Preview

The Hilltoppers won the inaugural Popeyes Bahamas bowl and ended its season on a five-game winning streak to finish its inaugural Conference USA campaign with an 8-5 record. WKU’s victory represents the program’s first FBS bowl win.

The Hilltoppers 67-66 overtime win at then-No. 19 Marshall in the regular season finale marked the program’s first win over a ranked team in the FBS era.

In 2014, WKU became the first FBS Team to have a 4,500 yard passer and 1,500 yard rusher as QB Brandon Doughty threw for 4,830 and RB Leon Allen rushed for 1,542. WKU was also the fourth team in FBS history to have a 4,000-yard passer and 1,500-yard rusher in the same season. Baylor (2011), Tulsa (2008) and Oregon State (2003) are the only programs in FBS history to have two individuals hit those marks in the same season.

Doughty led the FBS with 4,830 yards and 49 passing TDs for the season. Doughty threw at least 4 TDs on six occasions last season and for 5 TDs five different times. Only five quarterbacks since 1956 have thrown for more touchdowns than Doughty’s 49, and only 15 quarterbacks since 1956 have thrown for more yards than Doughty’s 4,830. Doughty enters 2015 as the FBS’ active career leader in passing yards (7,800) and TD passes (63).

Allen was third in C-USA with 1,542 rushing yards and scored 16 touchdowns (fourth-best in WKU history). WKU has had a running back reach the 1,500 yard mark in each of the last five seasons, becoming just the second program in NCAA history to have a 1,500- yard rusher in five-consecutive seasons. WKU is joined on the list by Northern Illinois (2002-06).