WKU Football: Gameday Information for the Lending Tree Bowl Against Georgia State
The roller coaster 2020 Western Kentucky football season wraps up today as Hilltoppers play Georgia State in the Lending Tree Bowl down in Mobile. With a win, the Hilltoppers will finish at 6–6 and close their season with a lot of momentum as a win today will be their fourth straight.
If you need to know any of the game information, look no further — we have you covered.
Location
Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mobile, Alabama
Time
2:30 PM CT
Weather Forecast
TV
ESPN
Mike Couzens (Play by Play), Jay Walker (Analyst)& Dawn Davenport (Reporter) on the call
Radio
Randy Lee(Play by Play), Leo Peckenpaugh(Analyst) & Terry Obee (Sideline) on the call
Gameday Information
Betting Lines from Sportsline.com
Georgia State -3.5
Over/ Under: 50
Moneyline: Georgia State -180
Current Records
WKU: 5–6 (4–3 in Conference USA)
Georgia State: 5–4 (4–4 in Sun Belt)
Last Week
On December 6th, WKU traveled down to Charlotte to face a 49er squad that hadn’t played since Halloween. In a game that the Hilltoppers dominated throughout, they jumped out to 17–0 lead at the half. The Hilltoppers would stretch that lead to 30–7 as they outgained the 49ers 436–309 on the day. Each team would trade some garbage time scores as the Hilltoppers cruised to a 37–19 Win, their third in a row to finish the regular season at 5–6 overall.
On November 28th, Georgia State hosted arch-rival, Georgia Southern. After falling behind 14–3 in the early second quarter, the Panthers would respond by ending the half on a 10–0 run to cut the halftime deficit to one. Georgia Southern would extend their lead to 24–13 early in the fourth quarter before the Panthers would answer. Georgia State would control the game the rest of the way as quarterback Cornelious Brown IV passed for 372 yards and the Panthers would end the game on a 17–0 run en route to a 30–24 Win as Georgia State finished their season at 5–4 overall.
Coaches
Tyson Helton- 2nd Season- 14–10 Overall
Shawn Elliott-5th Season Overall- 22–30 Overall- 4th Season at Georgia State- 21–25 in Atlanta
Series
Last Meeting
During the 2017 Cure Bowl, the 6–6 Hilltoppers would meet the 6–6 Panthers with a winning record on the line. The Mike Sanford coached Hilltoppers fell behind early after a Panther field goal but answered with a 54-yard bomb from Mike White to Deon Yelder as the Hilltoppers would take a 7–3 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Panthers would respond with a touchdown of their own on a 26-yard run from DeMarcus Kirk making it 10–7 a couple of minutes later. Ryan Nuss would tie it up at 10 to start the 2nd quarter but it was all Panthers from there on out as they would go on a 17–0 run putting the game away before a garbage-time Touchdown pass from Mike White to Deon Yelder made it respectable. Georgia State would prevail handing WKU a 17–27 Loss, clinching their first losing season since 2010 as they finished 6–7 during Mike Sanford’s debut season.
Relevant Reading
- Tops to Face Georgia State in LendingTree Bowl
- Podcast: Bowling Season… Roll Tops!
- Georgia State Q&A with THERSday Night
- Western Kentucky Q&A With Ross Shircliffe from The Towel Rack
- STATE of Atlanta Podcast- Episode 070- Bourbon Slip N’ Slide
Injury Report by USA Today
For WKU:
- LB- Clay Davis- Out- Knee
- TE- Dalvin Smith- Out- Lower Leg
- WR- Dayton Wade- Probable- Lower Leg
- WR- Xavier Lane- Out- Knee
For Georgia State
- Not Available
Excitement Level —7
While this may not be a marquee matchup, the Hilltoppers still have a lot to play for. A losing season is on the line should the Hilltopper not prevail. Should they win they’ll have the aforementioned .500 record & 4 straight wins to hang their hat on. This game should be strength versus strength the Hilltoppers veteran defense will get tested one last time against a high powered Panther attack. Let’s hope that we can get revenge for the 2017 Cure Bowl and have a lot of momentum heading into a crucial 2021 season. Whatever happens, it’s exciting to watch our Hilltoppers one last time before we have to wait another 8 months to do it again. Go Tops!
Go Tops. We’ll be providing live coverage and reaction. If you’ve made the trip to Mobile, please send us your tailgating and in-game pictures via Twitter at @TheTowelRackWKU or on our Facebook page and we’ll share.
