Preview: Q&A with WKU Beat Writer Jeff Nations

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Listening into Rick Stockstill and Tyson Helton's weekly press conferences this week made for a slightly eerie experience, as the Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky head coaches, respectively, went through the similarities between the two programs.

Beyond the two schools' close distance, a little over 100 miles on I-24 and I-65 or a little under 100 miles on US-231, the football programs offer a host of similarities. Offenses that love to throw the ball first with coordinators who cut their teeth in the air raid. Defenses with aggressive blitz packages that like the gamble for takeaways.

"We get that live look all the time, especially in pass skel, where it's just DBs vs receivers," safety Tra Fluellen said of the scheme familiarity between MTSU and WKU on offense. "With a great, smart quarterback who makes throws that DBs can't get to. Practicing that all the time is getting us better."

Look at the two programs' 2023 seasons, with both entering Thursday night's contest in Bowling Green, Ky., coming off heartbreaking losses, looking to gain momentum in their first Conference USA game of the season while battling the challenges of shortened game weeks and injuries that have come through the first four games of the season

Then one steps back and takes a bird's eye view to the MTSU-WKU rivalry, finding that only one game in 72 meetings separates the two schools in the win and loss column, and it's easy to understand why so many Blue Raiders and Hilltoppers will get excited for this Thursday's matchup, kicking off at 6:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network and the Blue Raider Radio Network.

"Excited for the opportunity ahead, I think we have a really good opportunity this week to play a very good team, a very good defense," quarterback Nicholas Vattiato said.

It'll be a return to Houchens-Smith Stadium for Vattiato, who made his first career start as a true freshman in the home of the Hilltoppers during the 2021 season, replacing starter Chase Cunningham after Cunningham tore his ACL the week prior. It's a game that contains many of Vattiato's firsts at the collegiate level, his first start, of course, but also his first touchdown pass.

It's also a game with many moments Vattiato has since learned from, including five interceptions.

"I've come a long way since then, as a player, as a person," Vattiato reflected this week. "I've definitely grown, I've definitely improved. I still have a long way to go in terms of being my best. But that game, my first start, I'll always remember it, the good, the bad."

Challenging MTSU's offense this week will be WKU's rather unique defensive system, which only lists two defensive linemen among their starters, with four linebackers and three safeties playing alongside two cornerbacks. A scheme that, on paper at least, is a funky 2-4-5.

"I wish they were a 2-4-5, that's what they list their starters as?" Stockstill asked at this week's press conference. "They'll be more than two defensive linemen up there, I promise you."

The interchangeable parts on so many levels of the defense, Stockstill acknowledged, does mean MTSU has to prepare for a wide variety of looks in a short time frame.

"They've always been a very exotic defense, especially on third down. We've got to be prepared to get a lot of different looks," Stockstill said. "Kind of like what you saw with the Hawai'i Bowl last year in San Diego State. What they did defensively, it puts so much pressure on you because you don't see it every week."

The Hilltoppers enter Thursday's match 2-2 on the year, while the Blue Raiders will look to start CUSA play with a win after a 1-3 start.

To learn more about the 2023 edition of WKU, GoBlueRaiders.com Staff Writer Sam Doughton chatted with Jeff Nations, who covers the Hilltoppers as the Sports Editor of the Bowling Green Daily News. Nations discussed the non-conference slate for WKU, early injury concerns in the wide receiver room, break out players on defense and much more!

The conversation below has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity and flow.

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1. Western Kentucky has been near the top of Conference USA for the past several years under Tyson Helton and was voted as the preseason favorite for the CUSA title in this year's preseason poll. After a 2-2 start to the season, including a close loss on the road at Troy this past weekend, what have the Hilltoppers shown you so far on whether they can meet those high expectations?

That WKU is 2-2 through the nonconference schedule is really no surprise; the Tops were heavy underdogs against then No. 6 Ohio State and underdogs again on the road at defending Sun Belt Conference champion Troy. That said, the latest loss to the Trojans did little to inspire confidence that WKU is the same high-powered offense it has been the past few seasons. The first half against the Trojans was a decidedly uninspiring outing by WKU's offense, which struggled to post just 70 yards of total offense through the first two quarters and ended up getting outgained 521-288 by Troy.

Part of the problem for WKU has been injuries – wide receiver Malachi Corley missed most of the South Florida game and all the Houston Christian contest (both WKU wins), while fellow wideout Dalvin Smith went down early against Houston Christian and hasn't been back yet and Michael Mathison -- the team's second-leading returning receiver last year -- still hasn't played as he recovers from an injury.

Even for a pass-heavy offense, the run game could use a boost. WKU is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry with four touchdowns scored -- and Reed has two of those. Defensively, WKU has largely continued its trend from last season of creating turnovers and defensive scores -- the Tops have 11 takeaways already. That big-play penchant has somewhat mitigated a porous run defense, something WKU's opponents have exploited all season. Through four games, the Tops are allowing an average of just less than 500 yards per game -- that number has to come down if WKU hopes to challenge for a CUSA crown.

2. Austin Reed stayed with the Hilltoppers for the 2023 season after initially entering the transfer portal and has continued his excellent play so far this season, though his completion percentage game-to-game is down, outside of WKU's win over FCS Houston Christian. Has that been more a credit to the defenses Reed has faced early in the season or are there bigger picture issues the offense is working through at the moment?

Reed has looked good to me, even with a lower completion rate. Again, a lot of those issues have been a product of an ever-changing cast of wide receivers due to injury this season. That's led to increased drops, a few more miscommunications and tighter throwing windows as some of the newer wideouts haven't been able to create the same level of separation against some pretty good secondaries.

WKU has a new offensive coordinator in Drew Hollingshead this season, and at times it does appear the offense is still finding its way. That mostly showed up against two excellent defenses in Ohio State and Troy, which have made other offenses look pedestrian as well this season. There's a sense that WKU's offense has yet to really hit its stride, but still has the potential to get there. That starts with Reed and Malachi Corley, still a lethal combination when they're both on the field.

3. Most CUSA fans will know Malachi Corley, the All-Conference First Team wide receiver that's been Reed's favorite target since he arrived in Bowling Green. But off the bench, redshirt freshman Easton Messer is an unexpected name as the second leading receiver in WKU's pass heavy offense. What has he done to burst onto the scene early this season?

Easton Messer worked his way into the Tops' plans with a stellar spring and fall camp performance, but he's probably been featured even more due to some of those injuries mentioned above. Messer runs clean routes, can get open and certainly has sure hands. He definitely seems to have developed a strong rapport and trust level with Reed and seems to be effective wherever he's been deployed this season.

Corley is the undisputed No. 1 on the roster, with Dalvin Smith the second option when he's out there. After that, it has at times been Messer or Blue Smith, with K.D. Hutchinson also getting plenty of looks. Reed will spread it around for sure, and the Tops have had 16 different players catch passes from him already this season.

4. Defensive coordinator Tyson Summers is known for bringing exotic looks on defense, so it's no surprise that 12 different Hilltoppers have at least 10 tackles on the season through four games and seven have at least 13. On a defense that lost a lot of starts from a year prior, who have been some of the breakout players in that group during non-conference play from your perspective?

Linebacker JaQues Evans is the obvious linchpin to the Tops' defense, a player who epitomizes defensive coordinator Tyson Summers' preference for interchangeable players with a varied skill-set. Evans is a dangerous pass rusher, but also can drop back into coverage when needed. Upton Stout has been solid at cornerback this season, while West Florida transfer cornerback Anthony Johnson Jr. seemed to be developing well before missing the Troy game.

Defensive lineman Hosea Wheeler had a breakout performance against Ohio State with a strip sack to force a fumble and an interception. WKU safeties Talique Allen and Kendrick Simpkins have been solid this season and have created much of that extra pressure Summers has been bringing to try and force some of those turnovers.

5. The WKU-MTSU rivalry almost feels like a throwback in an age where so many of these fierce games have gone away due to conference realignment. What are the key matchups you think WKU will have to win to prevent MTSU from tying up the all-time series in 2023?

WKU has struggled to slow the run this season and will have to do a better job of that against an MTSU team that hasn't put up big numbers yet this season. The Tops have done a solid job of limiting turnovers on offense while creating them on defense, a trend that WKU would very much like to continue. The Hilltoppers have done a solid job of protecting Reed from sacks, although he hasn't always had as much time as needed to really develop some deep-shot opportunities.

This might be a game where the Hilltoppers need to dial down the pressure and limit some of the potential big-play chances that gambling strategy has provided its opponents this season -- the Tops have been burned with explosive plays too often and WKU's offense has yet to really justify those risks for the potential extra possessions. It's still a talented offense and the expectation remains it will flourish as conference play begins, especially as some of the key wideouts return to action to bolster what has been a somewhat thin group.

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Players Mentioned

Chase Cunningham

Tra Fluellen

Nicholas Vattiato

Middle Tennesee State University Athletics