Bowling Green, KY (Sports Network) - Logan Kilgore had two touchdown passes
and Reggie Whatley's kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter gave
Middle Tennessee a 34-29 victory over Western Kentucky in Sun Belt action.
Kilgore was 11-for-17 with 118 yards while Jordan Parker carried the ball 32
times for 149 yards and a score for the Blue Raiders (6-3, 4-1 Sun Belt), who
have won their past two games.
Kawaun Jakes had three touchdown passes and went 19-for-30 with 283 yards and
an interception for the Hilltoppers (6-3, 3-2), who have lost two of their
last three. Antonio Andrews had 136 yards on 25 carries in the loss.
With the score tied at the break, the Blue Raiders took a 24-17 lead on their
first possession of the second half as Kilgore tossed a 5-yard score to
Anthony Amos with 5:33 left in the third to finish a 13-play, 80-yard drive.
Western Kentucky answered with a scoring drive of its own as the seventh play
of the 73-yard march saw Jakes loft a pass into the right corner of the end
zone where Willie McNeal came down with the 32-yard score with 2:03 left in
the third.
Middle Tennessee was forced to punt on its next possession, but Andrews
fumbled after catching the ball and the Blue Raiders recovered at the Western
Kentucky 18.
The Raiders got down to the 2-yard line, but were unable to punch it in and
Carlos Lopez's 19-yard field goal gave the team a 27-24 lead with 11 minutes
to play.
Western Kentucky came back with a long drive that went 66 yards over 10 plays
and was finished on a 28-yard field goal from Garrett Schwettman to make it
27-all.
Whatley, though, took the ensuing kickoff near his own end zone, kicked it out
to the left and raced into the end zone on a 96-yard return for a 34-27 lead
with 6:03 to play.
Western Kentucky came right back down the field and got to the Middle
Tennessee 21, but Jakes had a pass tipped and Kenneth Gilstrap came down with
it for an interception to give the Blue Raiders the ball back with 1:39 to
play.
Middle Tennessee was unable to get a first down, but fourth down came with
five seconds to play. With the ball at his own 7-yard line and Western
Kentucky brining everyone in an attempt to block a punt, Kilgore ran the clock
down before running out of bounds for the safety to account for the final
score.
Middle Tennessee started the game with the ball and a steady diet of Parker,
who carried the ball nine times for 52 yards on the opening drive, which led
to a 19-yard field goal from Lopez five minutes in.
Following a three-and-out from Western Kentucky, the Blue Raiders struck quick
as Parker busted a run on the sixth play for 58 yards and a 10-0 lead with
6:01 left in the first.
The Hilltoppers answered on their next touch as a 6-play, 75-yard drive was
capped on a 35-yard touchdown catch by Austin Aikens from Jakes to make it a
10-7 game with 2:38 left in the first.
Middle Tennessee answered with a 8-yard touchdown catch by Amos from Kilgore
for a 17-7 lead early in the second quarter, but Western Kentucky scored on
its next two possessions to tie the game.
Jakes' second touchdown pass of the game, a 24-yarder to Andrews with 7:52 to
play made it a three-point game and, following a three-and-out from Middle
Tennessee, Schwettman tied the contest at 17-all with his 29-yard field goal
with 3:50 left in the first half.
GAME NOTES:
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