WKU Football Loses 35-21 to Delaware at Houchens-Smith Stadium

Hilltoppers Drop Tuesday Contest to Delaware

Western Kentucky University football fell 35-21 to Delaware on Tuesday at Houchens-Smith Stadium, dropping to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in Conference USA play, according to wkusports.com. WKU opened the game with a 75-yard scoring march, capped by a 2-yard pass from Brock Glenn to CC Ezirim at the 11:37 mark of the first quarter. Delaware answered quickly, pulling even on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 6:43 remaining in the opening frame.

The loss marks WKU’s first defeat against Delaware, moving their all-time record against the Fightin’ Blue Hens to 1-3. It also snaps a strong home stretch at Houchens-Smith Stadium, where the Hilltoppers had won 13 of their previous 15 games, bringing their home record this season to 2-1.

WKU Generates 477 Total Yards of Offense

Despite the final score, WKU generated 477 total yards of offense, breaking down into 245 passing yards and 232 rushing yards. wkusports.com reported that this total marks the second-highest yardage output for the Hilltoppers this season, trailing only the 596 yards recorded against Mercyhurst on Sept. 26. Tuesday’s matchup also marked the first time this season that WKU scored touchdowns on its opening two possessions.

Quarterback Brock Glenn led the offensive charge through the air and on the ground. Glenn completed 25 of 37 passes for 224 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, while adding 129 rushing yards on 17 carries. That ground total makes Glenn the first WKU quarterback to rush for over 100 yards in a single game since Kawaun Jakes ran for 121 yards against Troy on Nov. 7, 2009.

Ajay Allen contributed 73 rushing yards on 12 carries, scoring a 5-yard touchdown in the first half following a 61-yard rush by Glenn. Allen now leads the team with six touchdowns this season. Zion Taylor added a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter—his second score of the year and his first on the ground—while CC Ezirim collected his first touchdown as a Hilltopper.

Freshman receiver Jonathan Stafford Jr. continued his ascent into the program’s record books. Stafford caught five passes, bringing his season totals to 46 receptions for 433 yards. wkusports.com noted that Stafford moved past Easton Messer (42 catches in 2023) into second place in program history for receptions by a freshman, trailing only Malachi Corley’s 73 catches in 2021. Stafford also advanced to fifth place among freshmen in single-season receiving yards, passing Nicholas Norris.

Coaching Reactions and Defensive Statistics

Defensively, linebackers Jaylen Wester and Westen Ard paced the Hilltoppers with nine tackles apiece, contributing to a total of 12 WKU players who recorded multiple stops. Mackavelli Malotumau and Zeiqui Lawton combined for a sack, and Malotumau led the team with two tackles for loss. In the first quarter, Dave Herard forced and recovered a fumble, marking his second career forced fumble and fourth recovery overall.

I thought we had plenty of opportunities in the game — we didn’t capitalize on them. Guys battled hard. That was a good football team… quarterback’s a good player. They made their plays when they needed to make them, and we didn’t. We’ll go back to the drawing board. We got a great opportunity to move forward, and we got to get ready for Middle Tennessee.

Delaware capitalized on critical sequences, taking a 28-21 lead just before halftime on an 8-yard touchdown reception with 59 seconds left in the second quarter. The Blue Hens added a 40-yard touchdown reception at the 4:20 mark of the third quarter, which proved to be the final score of the evening as the fourth quarter remained scoreless.

Upcoming Matchup at Middle Tennessee

The Hilltoppers return to a Saturday schedule on Nov. 7, traveling to face Middle Tennessee at Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT.