It's Finally Over, As Hilltoppers Break 26 Game Losing Streak!

Finally over
Tops break 26-game skid with win at La.-Lafayette
By NICK BAUMGARDNER

LAFAYETTE, La. — After 763 days, countless close calls and an unlimited amount of frustration, the streak is finally over for Western Kentucky.

The Hilltoppers snapped their NCAA-worst 26-game losing streak in dominating fashion Saturday with a 54-21 thrashing of host Louisiana-Lafayette in front of 15,641 at Cajun Field in Lafayette, La.

The win was WKU’s first football victory since a 50-9 win over Murray State on Sept. 20, 2008.

Click here for more photos from Saturday’s game.

“I feel like a million bucks,” WKU sophomore quarterback Kawaun Jakes said with a wide grin. “Everybody came out and wanted it, everybody played 110 percent - every down, every play.

“It feels like someone just gave me a million bucks.”

WKU coach Willie Taggart said when he was hired last November that he wanted to give the Hilltopper fan base something to be happy about again.

On Saturday, the first-year coach took his first step to fulfilling that promise.

“I’m so happy for the guys and especially the older ones that have been around here through it all,” a Gatorade-soaked Taggart said after his first win as a college football head coach. “They finally got a chance to feel this. They can go out and say they’ve got a win. And I’m happy for our fans and everyone in the Bowling Green community.

“We can all smile now.”

The win comes one week after WKU blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter against Louisiana-Monroe at Houchens-Smith Stadium. But that game, and the 25 losses that preceded it, matter no longer.

“We did it,” WKU senior linebacker Chris Bullard said. “Our word of the day was ‘believe.’ We’ve been believing. We put it all together and dominated somebody.

“I’m just happy - happy I can share it with my 100 and some odd brothers in that locker room, and I love each and every one of them.”

After taking a 3-0 first-quarter lead on a 20-yard field goal by Casey Tinius, WKU began what would turn into a 24-point second quarter in strange fashion when sophomore defensive end Quanterus Smith sacked ULL quarterback Chris Masson, forcing a fumble. The ball fell right into the arms of sophomore defensive tackle Jamarcus Allen, who then rumbled 69 yards for a touchdown to make it 10-0 with 13:01 to go in the half.

After the Ragin’ Cajuns got on the board with a 52-yard scoring hookup from Masson to running back Aaron Spikes on their next possession, WKU embarked on a massive 15-play, 69-yard drive that ate up 8:33 of game time. The drive was capped by a 1-yard keeper from Jakes, making it 17-7 with 3:02 to go.

The Hilltoppers caught another break minutes later when ULL punter Spencer Ortego dropped a snap on fourth-and-long, allowing WKU to take over on downs from the Cajun 24 with 2:25 to play. Two plays later, freshman Antonio Andrews found the end zone from 4 yards out to make it 24-7.

WKU was able to get one final score in the frame after ULL failed to convert a fourth-and-6 near midfield with less than a minute to play, giving the Hilltoppers the ball on their own 37 with 38 seconds to play. After Jakes completed three straight passes to Marcus Vasquez, Bobby Rainey and Willie McNeal, Tinius tied his career best with a 47-yard field goal as time expired, sending the Hilltoppers into the locker room with a 27-7 lead.

The Ragin’ Cajuns threatened to make it interesting with a quick score in the third quarter to make it 27-14, but unlike last week, WKU wasn’t about to let this one slip away.

The Hilltoppers answered right back with a 1-yard plunge by Jakes and a 43-yard scoring pass from Jakes to freshman tight end Demetrius Coley to make it 40-14 with 3:22 to go in the third.

And after Derrius Brooks picked off Masson early in the fourth quarter and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown, the weight of 26 straight losses finally started to fade away.

“We said we weren’t going to get down,” Taggart said. “We were going to keep fighting. We knew it wasn’t over and we’ve learned from our mistakes as a young football team. And these guys did that tonight.”

Andrews added his second touchdown of the day to make it 54-14 with 9:25 to play. ULL’s Brad McGuire capped the scoring off with a 1-yard plunge at the 1:45 mark of the fourth quarter.

Jakes finished 18 of 22 for 265 yards and a score through the air. He added 28 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground to lead WKU (1-6, 1-2 Sun Belt). Vasquez made eight catches for 76 yards, while McNeal caught five balls for 88. Rainey and Andrews combined for 119 yards on the ground, with Andrews getting two scores.

Masson finished 16 of 34 for 223 yards to go along with a touchdown and two interceptions for ULL (2-5, 2-3 Sun Belt).

With the streak and the pressure of breaking through now gone, the Hilltoppers say there’s only one thing left to accomplish.

Winning again.

“When that clock hit zero, we knew it was ours,” WKU senior offensive tackle Preston King said. “It just felt awesome.

“The streak’s over, but we’ve got a new one going now and that’s what we’ll worry about.”