This Saturday, the (5-4) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will travel to Charlotte, NC to take on the (2-7) Charlotte 49ers in the tenth week of the 2022 college football season. Kickoff will be at Noon EST inside Jerry Richardson Stadium. Neither of these teams has had the regular season that they were hoping for, but there is still time to finish strong!
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are coming into this one after falling to North Texas, 40-13. They got dominated in that one, and they will be looking to bounce back. They also gave up 541 total yards of offense, as they will have to be better on defense if they want to challenge the 49ers on the road.
The Charlotte 49ers are coming into this one after defeating Rice, 56-23. The 49ers had it working on offense, as they recorded 514 total yards. They will look to carry that momentum over into this game, as they will have to stay strong with the ba ll in their hands if they want to take down the Hilltoppers at home.
The Hilltoppers got dominated last week by North Texas, as they will be looking to forget about that game as quickly as they can. On offense, Western Kentucky is scoring 34.8 points per game and averaging 471.6 total yards. This is the 30th most points scored in the country and the 21st most total yards. They have shown that they can consistently move the ball this season, as they have a deadly passing attack. They are currently throwing for 318 yards per game, which is the 11th most in the country. Austin Reed will start at quarterback, as the senior has thrown 22 touchdowns this season and only six interceptions. He will also get the ball to Malachi Corley, as he leads the Hilltoppers with 701 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He is averaging 12.1 yards per catch as well. Western Kentucky is also running for 153.6 yards per game, which is the 65th most in the nation. Kye Robichaux is the lead back for Western Kentucky, as he has recorde d 458 yards and three touchdowns this season. He didn't play against North Texas last week but is not listed on the injury report against the 49ers.
On the defensive side of the field, the Hilltoppers will be attempting to be better than they were last week. They surrendered 40 points to North Texas, as they struggled against the pass. Western Kentucky is currently allowing 24 points per game and 378.2 yards. This is the 51st least amount of points given up per game and the 66th least amount of yards. Their front seven has continued to rally toward the ball, as they are better against the run than the pass. The Hilltoppers are only surrendering 141.9 rushing yards per game, which is the 67th least in the nation. They are also allowing 236.3 passing yards per game, as this is the 76th most in the country. Jaques Evans continues to lead the defense, as he has recorded 78 total tackles this season and 5.5 sacks. Last week, he recorded 15 tackles and one sack.