# 2024 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

The 2024 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers were led by Tyson Helton in his sixth year as the head coach. The Hilltoppers played their home games at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium, located in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

## Preseason
### C-USA media poll

The Conference USA preseason media poll was released on July 19. The Hilltoppers were predicted to finish second in the conference.
Media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Liberty | 197 (18) |
| 2 | Western Kentucky | 173 (2) |
| 3 | Jacksonville State | 166 |
| 4 | Middle Tennessee | 98 |
| 5 | New Mexico State | 97 |
| 5 | Sam Houston | 97 |
| 7 | Louisiana Tech | 88 |
| 8 | FIU | 81 |
| 9 | UTEP | 76 |
| 10 | Kennesaw State | 27 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 5 Alabama* | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL | ESPN | L 0–63 | 100,077 |
| September 7 | 6:00 p.m. | Eastern Kentucky* | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY (Battle of the Bluegrass) | ESPN+ | W 31–0 | 16,712 |
| September 14 | 6:00 p.m. | at Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd StadiumMurfreesboro, TN (100 Miles of Hate) | ESPN+ | W 49–21 | 12,227 |
| September 21 | 6:00 p.m. | Toledo* | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPN+ | W 26–21 | 19,127 |
| September 28 | 11:00 a.m. | at Boston College* | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | ACCN | L 20–21 | 41,403 |
| October 10 | 7:00 p.m. | UTEP | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPNU | W 44–17 | 12,723 |
| October 16 | 7:00 p.m. | at Sam Houston | Bowers StadiumHuntsville, TX | ESPN2 | W 31–14 | 8,914 |
| October 30 | 6:30 p.m. | Kennesaw State | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPN2 | W 31–14 | 14,547 |
| November 9 | 5:00 p.m. | at New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, NM | ESPN+ | W 41–28 | 12,710 |
| November 16 | 11:00 a.m. | Louisiana Tech | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | CBSSN | L 7–12 | 13,312 |
| November 23 | 12:00 p.m. | at Liberty | Williams StadiumLynchburg, VA | ESPN+ | L 21–38 | 17,930 |
| November 30 | 3:00 p.m. | Jacksonville State | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPNU | W 19–17 | 6,547 |
| December 6 | 6:00 p.m. | at Jacksonville State | AmFirst StadiumJacksonville, AL (C-USA Championship Game) | CBSSN | L 12–52 | 15,628 |
| December 18 | 4:30 p.m. | vs. James Madison | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL (Boca Raton Bowl) | ESPN | L 17–27 | 15,808 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### at No. 5 Alabama

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 5 Crimson Tide | 21 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 63 |
at Bryant-Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL
* Date: Saturday August 31st, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 PM EST
* Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C), Wind SE @ 3 mph
* Game attendance: 100,077
* Referee: Matt Loeffler
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), and Taylor McGregor (sideline)
* Box Score
| Statistics | WKU | ALA |
| First downs | 10 | 25 |
| Total yards | 67–145 | 65–600 |
| Rushing yards | 27–42 | 47–334 |
| Passing yards | 103 | 266 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 22–40–2 | 12–18–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:25 | 30:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | TJ Finley | 18/31, 92 yards, 2 INT |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Elijah Young | 10 carries, 18 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Moussa Barry | 4 receptions, 27 yards |
| Alabama | Passing | Jalen Milroe | 7/9, 200 yards, 3 TD |
| Alabama | Rushing | Justice Haynes | 4 carries, 102 yards, TD |
| Alabama | Receiving | Ryan Williams | 4 receptions, 139 yards, 2 TD |

### vs. Eastern Kentucky (FCS) (Battle of the Bluegrass)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colonels (FCS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hilltoppers | 10 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
at Houchens Industries-L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, Kentucky
* Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game attendance: 16,712
* Referee: Reed Brotherton
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Steve Schlanger (play-by-play) and Terry Obee (analyst)
* Box Score
| Statistics | EKU | WKU |
| First downs | 13 | 25 |
| Total yards | 266 | 467 |
| Rushing yards | 190 | 116 |
| Passing yards | 76 | 351 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 11–20–0 | 27–39–0 |
| Time of possession | 34:10 | 25:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern Kentucky | Passing | Matt Morrissey | 9/17, 70 yards |
| Eastern Kentucky | Rushing | Joshua Carter | 19 rushes, 100 yards |
| Eastern Kentucky | Receiving | Marcus Calwise Jr. | 4 receptions, 24 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | TJ Finley | 27/39, 351 yards, TD |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Elijah Young | 13 rushes, 52 yards, 2 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Kisean Johnson | 6 receptions, 119 yards |

### at Middle Tennessee (100 Miles of Hate)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 14 | 7 | 21 | 7 | 49 |
| Blue Raiders | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium, Murfreesboro, TN
* Date: Saturday September 14, 2024
* Game time: 6:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C)
* Game attendance: 12,227
* Referee: Douglas Mercer
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jake Rose (play-by-play), Jeremy Kellem (analyst) and Justin Beasley (sideline)
* Box Score
| Statistics | WKU | MTSU |
| First downs | 30 | 21 |
| Total yards | 631 | 514 |
| Rushing yards | 150 | 58 |
| Passing yards | 481 | 456 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 31–37–0 | 24–31–1 |
| Time of possession | 31:22 | 28:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Caden Veltkamp | 27/30, 398 yds, 5 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | L.T. Sanders | 8 rushes, 54 yds |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Kisean Johnson | 8 receptions, 129 yds, 2 TD |
| Middle Tennessee | Passing | Nicholas Vattiato | 24/31, 456 yds, 3 TD, INT |
| Middle Tennessee | Rushing | Nicholas Vattiato | 9 rushes, 21 yds |
| Middle Tennessee | Receiving | Omari Kelly | 9 receptions, 239 yds, 3 TD |

### vs. Toledo

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rockets | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 26 |
at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY
* Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
* Game time: 6:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 19,127
* Referee: Rodney Burnette
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jeff Hem (play-by-play) and Terry Obee (analyst)
* Box Score
| Statistics | TOL | WKU |
| First downs | 17 | 16 |
| Total yards | 325 | 313 |
| Rushing yards | 125 | 71 |
| Passing yards | 200 | 242 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 19–33–2 | 20–30–2 |
| Time of possession | 34:19 | 26:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Toledo | Passing | Tucker Gleason | 19/33, 200 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Toledo | Rushing | Tucker Gleason | 12 rushes, 46 yds, TD |
| Toledo | Receiving | Jacquez Stuart | 3 receptions, 93 yds |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Caden Veltkamp | 20/30, 242 yds, TD, 2 INT |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Elijah Young | 9 rushes, 36 yds |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Kisean Johnson | 6 receptions, 73 yds, TD |

### at Boston College

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, MA
* Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
* Game time: 11:00 a.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 41,403
* Referee: Ron Hudson
* TV announcers (ACCN): Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Orlando Franklin (analyst) and Morgan Uber (sideline)
* Box Score
| Statistics | WKU | BC |
| First downs | 20 | 19 |
| Total yards | 355 | 279 |
| Rushing yards | 123 | 111 |
| Passing yards | 232 | 168 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–39–2 | 19–32–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:40 | 29:20 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Caden Veltkamp | 25/39, 232 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Elijah Young | 21 rushes, 85 yds |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | River Helms | 4 receptions, 72 yds |
| Boston College | Passing | Grayson James | 19/32, 168 yds, TD, INT |
| Boston College | Rushing | Kye Robichaux | 18 rushes, 81 yds, TD |
| Boston College | Receiving | Jaeden Skeete | 4 receptions, 55 yds |

### vs. UTEP

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Miners | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| Hilltoppers | 14 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 44 |
at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY
* Date: Thursday October 10, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 12,723
* Referee: Reed Brotherton
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Mike Corey (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst)
* Box Score
| Statistics | UTEP | WKU |
| First downs | 18 | 20 |
| Total yards | 330 | 482 |
| Rushing yards | 152 | 218 |
| Passing yards | 178 | 264 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14–24–1 | 18–27–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:23 | 29:37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UTEP | Passing | Cade McConnell | 3/7, 96 yards, TD, INT |
| UTEP | Rushing | Ezell Jolly | 27 carries, 119 yards |
| UTEP | Receiving | Kenny Odom | 1 reception, 76 yards, TD |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Caden Veltkamp | 18/27, 264 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Elijah Young | 16 carries, 60 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Easton Messer | 6 receptions, 106 yards |

### at Sam Houston

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
| Bearkats | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, TX
* Date: Wednesday October 16, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind: NE 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
* Game attendance: 8,914
* Referee: Roy Bernard
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play) and Fozzy Whittaker (analyst)
* Box Score
| Statistics | WKU | SHSU |
| First downs | 23 | 22 |
| Total yards | 411 | 400 |
| Rushing yards | 130 | 165 |
| Passing yards | 281 | 235 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 29:45 | 30:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Caden Veltkamp | 20/29, 281 yards, 3 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Elijah Young | 23 carries, 97 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | K. D. Hutchinson | 3 receptions, 88 yards, TD |
| Sam Houston | Passing | Hunter Watson | 6/9, 128 yards, 2 TD |
| Sam Houston | Rushing | Jase Bauer | 11 carries, 41 yards |
| Sam Houston | Receiving | Simeon Evans | 5 receptions, 59 yards, TD |

### Kennesaw State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Hilltoppers | 21 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY
* Date: Wednesday October 30, 2024
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 14,547
* Referee: Garrett Dickerson
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Steve Addazio (analyst)
* Box Score
| Statistics | KENN | WKU |
| First downs | 18 | 24 |
| Total yards | 272 | 467 |
| Rushing yards | 176 | 191 |
| Passing yards | 96 | 276 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 13–26–1 | 17–22–0 |
| Time of possession | 32:54 | 27:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kennesaw State | Passing | Davis Bryson | 13/26, 96 yards, 1 INT |
| Kennesaw State | Rushing | Michael Benefield | 16 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD |
| Kennesaw State | Receiving | Carson Kent | 3 receptions, 34 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Caden Veltkamp | 17/22, 276 yards, 3 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Elijah Young | 15 carries, 114 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Easton Messer | 2 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD |

### at New Mexico State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 14 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 41 |
| Aggies | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, NM
* Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C) • Wind: W 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
* Game attendance: 12,710
* Referee: Rodney Burnette
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Adam Young (play-by-play) and Danny Knee (analyst)
* Box Score
| Statistics | WKU | NMSU |
| First downs | 17 | 14 |
| Total yards | 413 | 460 |
| Rushing yards | 116 | 331 |
| Passing yards | 297 | 129 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 19–28–2 | 10–22–2 |
| Time of possession | 30:30 | 29:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Caden Veltkamp | 18/27, 246 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Elijah Young | 16 carries, 74 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Kisean Johnson | 5 receptions, 88 yards, TD |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Santino Marucci | 10/20, 129 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Mike Washington | 19 carries, 152 yards, 2 TD |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | Seth McGowan | 3 receptions, 47 yards |

### Louisiana Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY
* Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 13,312
* Referee: Rory Bernard
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Alex Del Barrio (play-by-play) and Taylor McHargue (analyst)
* Box Score
| Statistics | LT | WKU |
| First downs | 18 | 12 |
| Total yards | 275 | 215 |
| Rushing yards | 209 | 63 |
| Passing yards | 66 | 152 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12–15–0 | 18–26–0 |
| Time of possession | 39:38 | 20:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Evan Bullock | 12/15, 66 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Amani Givens | 17 carries, 103 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Tru Edwards | 7 receptions, 52 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Caden Veltkamp | 18/26, 152 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Caden Veltkamp | 8 carries, 17 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Kisean Johnson | 4 receptions, 40 yards |

### at Liberty

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Flames | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, VA
* Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Matt Warner (play-by-play), Joe Jauch (analyst) and Emily Austen (sideline)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |
| Liberty | Passing |
| Liberty | Rushing |
| Liberty | Receiving |

### Jacksonville State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Gamecocks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY
* Date: Saturday November 30, 2024
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Jacksonville State | Passing |
| Jacksonville State | Rushing |
| Jacksonville State | Receiving |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |

### at Jacksonville State (C-USA Championship)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| Gamecocks | 14 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 52 |
at AmFirst Stadium • Jacksonville, AL
* Date: Friday December 6, 2024
* Game time: 6:00 p.m.
* Referee: Rory Bernard
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Robert Turbin (analyst), and Amanda Guerra (sideline reporter)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Kentucky | Passing |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving |
| Jacksonville State | Passing |
| Jacksonville State | Rushing |
| Jacksonville State | Receiving |

### James Madison (Boca Raton Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Dukes | 7 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 27 |
at FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida
* Date: December 18th, 2024
* Game time: 4:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: SE at 11 miles per hour (18 km/h)
* Game attendance: 15,808
* TV: ESPN
Game information :
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under :
| Statistics | WKU | JMU |
| First downs | 14 | 19 |
| Total yards | 318 | 394 |
| Rushing yards | 16 | 212 |
| Passing yards | 302 | 182 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–39–0 | 17–24–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:28 | 36:32 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Caden Veltkamp | 25/39, 302 yards, 2 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Elijah Young | 11 carries, 37 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Dalvin Smith | 2 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD |
| James Madison | Passing | Billy Atkins | 16/23, 181 yards, 1 TD |
| James Madison | Rushing | George Pettiway | 14 carries, 100 yards |
| James Madison | Receiving | Omarion Dollison | 6 receptions, 82 yards |