# 2020 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

The 2020 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team (WKU) represented Western Kentucky University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers played their home games at the Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky, as members of the East Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by second-year head coach Tyson Helton.

## Preseason

Media poll (East Division) :
| Predicted finish | Team |
| 1 | Charlotte |
| 2 | FIU |
| 3 | Florida Atlantic |
| 4 | Marshall |
| 5 | Middle Tennessee |
| 6 | Old Dominion |
| 7 | Western Kentucky |
Media poll (CUSA Championship) :
| Rank | Team | Votes |
| TBD |||

### Preseason All-CUSA teams

To be released

## Schedule

Western Kentucky announced its 2020 football schedule on January 8, 2020. The 2020 schedule consists of 6 home and 5 away games in the regular season.
The Hilltoppers had games scheduled against Indiana and Old Dominion, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 12 | 7:00 p.m. | at Louisville* | Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ACCN | L 21–35 | 11,179 |
| September 19 | 11:00 a.m. | Liberty* | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPNU | L 24–30 | 4,276 |
| October 3 | 4:00 p.m. | at Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd StadiumMurfreesboro, TN (100 Miles of Hate) | ESPN3 | W 20–17 | 6,500 |
| October 10 | 6:30 p.m. | Marshall | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | Stadium | L 14–38 | 4,428 |
| October 17 | 12:30 p.m. | at UAB | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL | Stadium | L 14–37 | 11,098 |
| October 24 | 3:00 p.m. | Chattanooga* | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPN3 | W 13–10 | 3,905 |
| October 31 | 9:15 p.m. | at No. 11 BYU* | LaVell Edwards StadiumProvo, UT | ESPN | L 10–41 | 6,843 |
| November 7 | 5:00 p.m. | at Florida Atlantic | FAU StadiumBoca Raton, FL | Stadium | L 6–10 | 5,292 |
| November 14 | 2:30 p.m. | Southern Miss | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | CBSSN | W 10–7 | 3,815 |
| November 21 | 1:00 p.m. | FIU | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPN3 | W 38–21 | 3,823 |
| December 6 | 11:00 a.m. | Charlotte | Jerry Richardson StadiumCharlotte, NC | ESPN3 | W 37–19 | 714 |
| December 26 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. Georgia State* | Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL (2020 LendingTree Bowl) | ESPN | L 21–39 | 5,128 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### At Louisville

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| • Cardinals | 7 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LOU –13 | 55 |
| Statistics | Western Kentucky | Louisville |
| First downs | 12 | 22 |
| Total yards | 248 | 487 |
| Rushing yards | 119 | 144 |
| Passing yards | 129 | 343 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 27:27 | 32:33 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 10/23, 129 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 17 carries, 68 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Jahcour Pearson | 5 receptions, 67 yards |
| Louisville | Passing | Malik Cunningham | 19/34, 343 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| Louisville | Rushing | Javian Hawkins | 19 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Dez Fitzpatrick | 4 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD |

### Liberty

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Flames | 10 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 30 |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| WKU –14.5 | 51.5 |
| Statistics | Liberty | Western Kentucky |
| First downs | 27 | 19 |
| Total yards | 487 | 291 |
| Rushing yards | 354 | 110 |
| Passing yards | 133 | 181 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 34:59 | 25:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Liberty | Passing | Malik Willis | 13/21, 133 yards |
| Liberty | Rushing | Malik Willis | 21 carries, 168 yards, 3 TDs |
| Liberty | Receiving | CJ Yarbrough | 2 receptions, 53 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 18/25, 181 yards, 3 TDs |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 14 carries, 74 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Mitchell Tinsley | 6 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD |

### At Middle Tennessee

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Hilltoppers | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
| Blue Raiders | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| WKU –7 | 52.5 |
| Statistics | Western Kentucky | Middle Tennessee |
| First downs | 21 | 18 |
| Total yards | 326 | 319 |
| Rushing yards | 138 | 102 |
| Passing yards | 188 | 217 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 31:35 | 28:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 21/36, 188 yards, 2 TDs |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 16 carries, 55 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Xavier Lane | 7 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD |
| Middle Tennessee | Passing | Asher O'Hara | 23/33, 217 yards, 1 TD |
| Middle Tennessee | Rushing | Asher O'Hara | 25 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD |
| Middle Tennessee | Receiving | Jarrin Pierce | 9 receptions, 65 yards |

### Marshall

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Thundering Herd | 14 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 48 |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| MARSH –6.5 | 43 |
| Statistics | Marshall | Western Kentucky |
| First downs | 17 | 15 |
| Total yards | 343 | 294 |
| Rushing yards | 181 | 85 |
| Passing yards | 162 | 209 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 34:41 | 25:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Marshall | Passing | Grant Wells | 16/22, 162 yards |
| Marshall | Rushing | Brenden Knox | 15 carries, 107 yards, 3 TDs |
| Marshall | Receiving | Broc Thompson | 4 receptions, 94 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Kevaris Thomas | 9/18, 148 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Kevaris Thomas | 7 carries, 30 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Xavier Lane | 4 receptions, 74 yards |

### At UAB

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| • RV Blazers | 10 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 37 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| UAB –11.5 | 44 |
| Statistics | Western Kentucky | UAB |
| First downs | 15 | 17 |
| Total yards | 250 | 358 |
| Rushing yards | 88 | 217 |
| Passing yards | 162 | 141 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 28:33 | 31:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Kevaris Thomas | 16/35, 162 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Jakairi Moses | 6 carries, 41 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Joshua Simon | 6 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD |
| UAB | Passing | Bryson Lucero | 15/31, 141 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| UAB | Rushing | DeWayne McBride | 10 carries, 131 yards, 1 TD |
| UAB | Receiving | Austin Watkins | 7 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD |

### Chattanooga

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mocs | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| • Hilltoppers | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| WKU –14 | 53.5 |
| Statistics | Chattanooga | Western Kentucky |
| First downs | 13 | 14 |
| Total yards | 225 | 254 |
| Rushing yards | 135 | 122 |
| Passing yards | 90 | 132 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 32:21 | 27:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Chattanooga | Passing | Drayton Arnold | 9/23, 90 yards |
| Chattanooga | Rushing | Ailym Ford | 25 carries, 92 yards |
| Chattanooga | Receiving | Tyron Arnett | 2 receptions, 30 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 4/8, 73 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Gaej Walker | 17 carries, 88 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Mitchell Tinsley | 4 receptions, 46 yards |

### At BYU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| • No. 11 Cougars | 14 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 41 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| BYU –31 | 52.5 |
| Statistics | Western Kentucky | BYU |
| First downs | 12 | 22 |
| Total yards | 248 | 487 |
| Rushing yards | 119 | 144 |
| Passing yards | 129 | 343 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 27:27 | 32:33 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 19/30, 106 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Gaej Walker | 17 carries, 75 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Xavier Lane | 3 receptions, 31 yards |
| BYU | Passing | Zach Wilson | 18/22, 224 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| BYU | Rushing | Tyler Allgeier | 16 carries, 95 yards, 1 TD |
| BYU | Receiving | Dax Milne | 5 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD |

### At Florida Atlantic

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| • Owls | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| FAU –7 | 38 |
| Statistics | Western Kentucky | Florida Atlantic |
| First downs | 16 | 18 |
| Total yards | 257 | 273 |
| Rushing yards | 94 | 165 |
| Passing yards | 163 | 108 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 33:49 | 26:11 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 19/39, 163 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Gaej Walker | 17 carries, 78 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Xavier Lane | 7 receptions, 60 yards |
| Florida Atlantic | Passing | Nick Tronti | 7/16, 108 yards |
| Florida Atlantic | Rushing | Javion Posey | 9 carries, 60 yards, 1 TD |
| Florida Atlantic | Receiving | TJ Chase | 3 receptions, 47 yards |

### Southern Miss

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • Hilltoppers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| WKU –7.5 | 45 |
| Statistics | Southern Miss | Western Kentucky |
| First downs | 13 | 19 |
| Total yards | 221 | 304 |
| Rushing yards | 154 | 121 |
| Passing yards | 67 | 183 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 25:18 | 34:42 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southern Miss | Passing | Trey Lowe | 6/14, 67 yards |
| Southern Miss | Rushing | Kevin Perkins | 8 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD |
| Southern Miss | Receiving | Antoine Robinson | 2 receptions, 25 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 19/30, 183 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Jakairi Moses | 12 carries, 40 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Xavier Lane | 5 receptions, 90 yards |

### FIU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 7 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 21 |
| • Hilltoppers | 0 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 38 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| WKU –7 | 42 |
| Statistics | FIU | Western Kentucky |
| First downs | 17 | 13 |
| Total yards | 268 | 278 |
| Rushing yards | 121 | 157 |
| Passing yards | 147 | 121 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 33:51 | 26:09 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| FIU | Passing | Max Bortenschlager | 8/18, 106 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| FIU | Rushing | D'Vonte Price | 24 carries, 100 yards |
| FIU | Receiving | JJ Holloman | 2 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 14/25, 121 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Gaej Walker | 17 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Mitchell Tinsley | 3 receptions, 28 yards |

### At Charlotte

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Hilltoppers | 3 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 37 |
| 49ers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CHAR –2 | 46 |
| Statistics | Western Kentucky | Charlotte |
| First downs | 21 | 18 |
| Total yards | 436 | 308 |
| Rushing yards | 218 | 89 |
| Passing yards | 218 | 219 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 29:59 | 30:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 18/27, 218 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Gaej Walker | 19 carries, 98 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Dakota Thomas | 5 receptions, 78 yards |
| Charlotte | Passing | Chris Reynolds | 14/34, 205 yards, 2 TDs |
| Charlotte | Rushing | Tre Harbison | 16 carries, 80 yards |
| Charlotte | Receiving | Victor Tucker | 8 receptions, 111 yards |

### Vs. Georgia State (LendingTree Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Panthers | 7 | 20 | 3 | 9 | 39 |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| GSU –3 | 50 |
| Statistics | Georgia State | Western Kentucky |
| First downs | 27 | 14 |
| Total yards | 484 | 284 |
| Rushing yards | 227 | 104 |
| Passing yards | 257 | 180 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 35:02 | 24:58 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia State | Passing | Cornelious Brown IV | 16/30, 232 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| Georgia State | Rushing | Destin Coates | 23 carries, 117 yards, 1 TD |
| Georgia State | Receiving | Cornelius McCoy | 5 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Tyrrell Pigrome | 17/33, 180 yards, 2 INTs |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | C. J. Jones | 5 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Joshua Simon | 4 receptions, 84 yards |