# 2023 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

The 2023 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers played their home games at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and competed members of Conference USA. They were led by fifth-year head coach Tyson Helton. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team drew an average home attendance of 15,710 in 2023.

## Schedule

Western Kentucky and Conference USA announced the 2023 football schedule on January 10, 2023.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 11:00 a.m. | South Florida* | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | CBSSN | W 41–24 | 15,438 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Houston Christian* | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPN+ | W 52–22 | 20,712 |
| September 16 | 3:00 p.m. | at No. 6 Ohio State* | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | FOX | L 10–63 | 100,217 |
| September 23 | 11:00 a.m. | at Troy* | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPNU | L 24–27 | 26,124 |
| September 28 | 6:30 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY (100 Miles of Hate) | CBSSN | W 31–10 | 14,712 |
| October 5 | 7:00 p.m. | at Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, LA | ESPN | W 35–28 | 13,014 |
| October 17 | 6:30 p.m. | at Jacksonville State | Burgess–Snow Field at JSU StadiumJacksonville, AL | ESPNU | L 17–20 | 17,977 |
| October 24 | 6:30 p.m. | Liberty | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPNU | L 29–42 | 16,036 |
| November 4 | 8:00 p.m. | at UTEP | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX | ESPN+ | W 21–13 | 11,111 |
| November 11 | 2:30 p.m. | New Mexico State | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPN+ | L 29–38 | 16,319 |
| November 18 | 2:30 p.m. | Sam Houston | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPN+ | W 28–23 | 11,041 |
| November 25 | 2:00 p.m. | at FIU | Riccardo Silva StadiumWestchester, FL | ESPN+ | W 41–28 | 12,724 |
| December 18 | 1:30 p.m. | vs. Old Dominion* | Jerry Richardson StadiumCharlotte, NC (Famous Toastery Bowl) | ESPN | W 38–35 $^{OT}$ | 5,632 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### at No. 6 Ohio State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 6 Buckeyes | 7 | 35 | 7 | 14 | 63 |
at Ohio Stadium • Columbus, Ohio
* Date: September 16
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: N at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
* Game attendance: 100,217
* Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
* TV announcers (FOX): Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Brock Huard (analyst), and Allison Williams (sideline reporter)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | WKU | OSU |
| First downs | 15 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 72–284 | 60–562 |
| Rushes–yards | 33–80 | 33–204 |
| Passing yards | 204 | 358 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–39–2 | 22–27–1 |
| Time of possession | 32:34 | 27:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Austin Reed | 21/37, 207 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | L. T. Sanders | 7 carries, 26 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Malachi Corley | 8 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD |
| Ohio State | Passing | Kyle McCord | 19/23, 318 yards, 3 TD |
| Ohio State | Rushing | TreVeyon Henderson | 13 carries, 88 yards, 2 TD |
| Ohio State | Receiving | Marvin Harrison Jr. | 5 receptions, 126 yards, 1 TD |

### at Jacksonville State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Gamecocks | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
at Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium • Jacksonville, Alabama
* Date: October 17
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear, 62 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 17,977
* Referee: Ed Ardito
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Derek Mason (analyst)
| Statistics | WKU | JVST |
| First downs | 16 | 27 |
| Plays–yards | 72–339 | 95–484 |
| Rushes–yards | 24–89 | 55–262 |
| Passing yards | 250 | 222 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 24–48–1 | 23–40–1 |
| Time of possession | 26:56 | 33:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Austin Reed | 24/48, 250 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Elijah Young | 10 carries, 39 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | K. D. Hutchinson | 4 receptions, 52 yards |
| Jacksonville State | Passing | Zion Webb | 22/39, 218 yards, 1 INT |
| Jacksonville State | Rushing | Zion Webb | 28 carries, 146 yards, 1 TD |
| Jacksonville State | Receiving | P. J. Wells | 5 receptions, 53 yards |