BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Brandon Doughty threw for 441 yards and redshirt freshman D'Andre Ferby relieved an injured Leon Allen and added a short touchdown among several key runs to help Western Kentucky survive Louisiana Tech 41-38 for an important but costly Conference USA victory Thursday night.
The Hilltoppers lost Allen, who rushed for 1,542 yards last season, to an apparent left leg injury early in the third quarter when he was tackled on an incomplete pass play. The senior was taken to a hospital for observation, but no further information was immediately available.
After a brief lull, the Hilltoppers (2-0, 1-0) regrouped behind Doughty and Ferby, who rushed four times for 13 yards on a drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion catch for a 38-24 lead with 54 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs scored twice (1-1, 0-1) late in the fourth but ran out of time.
Doughty bounced back from a 209-yard effort at Vanderbilt to complete 28 of 38 passes with a 37-yard touchdown and won the statistical battle with Bulldogs counterpart Jeff Driskel, the Florida transfer who was 28 of 48 for 357 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Ferby also rushed 14 times for 39 yards to provide the emotional lift the Hilltoppers needed in this early matchup of C-USA divisional favorites.
Western Kentucky had a score to settle with Louisiana Tech after last November's 59-10 road beatdown that marked the Hilltoppers' last loss. They have won seven consecutive, including last week's upset of SEC member Vanderbilt, and are 2-0 for the first time in 10 years.
But in staking an early claim as C-USA's top team, Western Kentucky now must deal with the possible absence of their top rusher, who had 81 yards rushing and a 28-yard TD run on 12 carries before his gruesome injury. More importantly, Allen and Doughty got the Hilltoppers started toward edging the Bulldogs in yardage, 590-580, in the shootout many expected.
Doughty hit Taywan Taylor in stride for a 37-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive en route to completing his first 10 attempts for 133 yards. Doughty nearly had another score on the next drive, but tight end Tyler Higbee fumbled at the 1 and Louisiana Tech recovered in the end zone for the touchback.
Allen made up for the missed opportunity by breaking through a big hole on the right side for a score and a 14-0 lead. Jonathan Barnes' 37-yard field goal put Louisiana Tech on the board, but Hilltoppers return man Kylen Towner answered with a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown that provided a buffer after Driskel's 13-yard scoring pass to Trent Taylor.
Despite trailing throughout, Louisiana Tech didn't wilt and pulled to within 27-24 in the third quarter on Kenneth Dixon's 1-yard run. Doughty simply found receivers and got help from Ferby and others to stay ahead.
SOUTHERN 50,
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY 13
ITTA BENA, Miss. -- Willie Quinn had punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns and threw for another score in Southern's victory over Mississippi Valley State.
Quinn's 39-yard punt return gave Southern a 20-0 lead in the first quarter. In the second quarter, he took a reverse and tossed a pass to a wide-open Randall Menard for an 89-yard score to make it 33-0. After Mississippi Valley State pulled to 33-13 early in the third, Quinn returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards.
Lenard Tillery had 85 yards rushing and two touchdowns for Southern (1-1, 1-0 Southwestern Athletic). Quinn also caught three passes for 32 yards.
Tillery capped Southern's 12-play, 64-yard opening drive with an untouched touchdown run of 10 yards. Mississippi Valley State punted on its fourth play from scrimmage and Tillery capitalized on a short field with a 13-yard touchdown run.
Dontrinell Scott was 12 of 20 for 163 yards and had 2 touchdown passes to Terrence Barron for Mississippi Valley State (0-2, 0-1).
TENNESSEE-MARTIN 72,
BETHEL 10
MARTIN, Tenn. -- Jarod Neal threw six touchdown passes, three to Caylon Weathers, and Tennessee-Martin beat NAIA's Bethel University of Tennessee.
Neal was 18 of 27 for 249 yards. He threw five scoring passes in the first half, connecting with Weathers for 11, 13 and 33 yards.
Tennessee-Martin's game-opening 14-play drive ended in Neal's short touchdown pass to Rod Wright. Bethel got on the board in the first quarter with a field goal, but Tennessee-Martin scored 58 consecutive points. Neal lobbed a pass to Taylor Higgason down the right sideline for a 37-yard touchdown in the second quarter and found Malcolm Faciane at the start of the third for a short TD.
Jaimiee Bowe, Najee Ray and Preston Baker each had a rushing touchdown in the second half for Martin (2-0).
Alexza Nesbitt had a 54-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter for Bethel (0-1). The Wildcats had just 204 total yards.
MARYVILLE 28,
EAST TENNESSEE 21
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- Trenton Shuler scored twice and Division III Maryville College of Tennessee beat East Tennessee State.
East Tennessee State was coming of a 56-16 loss to Kennesaw State last week in its return to football after the school shut down the program because of financial reasons following the 2003 season.
Shuler scored on a 22-yard run in the first quarter, then scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter on a swing pass from Evan Pittenger -- breaking several tackles along the way -- for 35 yards. Shuler finished with 107 yards on 25 carries.
Twice in the second half, Maryville (2-0) forced East Tennessee State to turn the ball over on downs. In the third, East Tennessee State had a 15-play, 54-yard drive that took over 8 minutes stall at the 1 when Ezekial Koko stopped Tony Drew for no gain. With 5:21 to go, Nick Sexton tried to scramble on fourth-and-3 and fumbled on a tackle by Cameron Fannon.
JaJuan Stinson had 114 yards on 25 carries for East Tennessee State.
Sports on 09/11/2015