Go Tops! Thurman Whitsitt here, but everybody in Warren County calls me Tops. I've been cutting hair in Bowling Green for three decades, and I've told a Hilltopper story with every haircut. Sit down in the chair, friend. I'll give you a trim and the truth, and I won't charge extra for either.
First, the truth: Western Kentucky doesn't play this week. It's an open week. My clippers get a rest, and so do the Tops. So let's talk about last Wednesday, and then about what's coming to the Hill.
Part 1: The Cleanest Shave in Texas
Western Kentucky beat Sam Houston 16-3 last Wednesday night in Huntsville. We're 3-4 and 2-1 in Conference USA, and that's two straight wins.
That was a clean shave, friends. AP says the defense forced a Sam Houston three-and-out in 50 seconds to open the game, and then the offense went 65 yards in 11 plays. Brock Glenn finished it with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Coleson Arends. Karl Campbell made all three of his field goals, from 33, 35 and 39 yards. And that was plenty.
Because our defense gave the Bearkats nothing but a little off the top. Sam Houston gained 177 yards, with 12 first downs, per AP. Its only points came on a field goal in the second quarter. Freshman Westen Ard made a career-high 10 tackles with 1.5 sacks. We committed zero turnovers and just four penalties for 33 yards, per ESPN's box score. That's a tidy cut. Not a hair out of place.
AP also says WKU is 4-1 against Sam Houston and perfect against the Bearkats since they joined Conference USA in 2023.
Now, a barber tells the truth even when the customer doesn't want to hear it. The offense was choppy. Glenn went 14 of 30 for 127 yards, and we went 8 for 20 on third down. And this season's had some rough haircuts. We lost at Nevada, 49-14, at Georgia, 70-20, and at Indiana, 38-0. We lost 34-13 at New Mexico State. But we beat Mercyhurst 52-7, Missouri State 34-13 and Sam Houston. The fade is coming together.
And let me brag on a young man. Jonathan Stafford Jr. caught five passes against Sam Houston, and AP says his 41 receptions are already third on WKU's freshman list. Conference USA's Oct. 13 notes said he became the first player in league history to win three straight Freshman of the Week awards, and that he ranked third among FBS freshmen in catches. Folks in the shop haven't stopped talking about him.
The Open Week, Honestly
There's no WKU game this week. The rest of the league plays Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We sit in the waiting chairs with a magazine. That's fine by me. Fresh legs and a clean neckline for the stretch run. Five regular-season games remain after this week, and all five are against Conference USA teams. Every one of them matters.
Part 2: Delaware Comes to the Hill
Next up: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m. Eastern, CBS Sports Network, Delaware at Western Kentucky.
First, a kind word, because my mama would come back to haunt the shop if I didn't give one. Delaware can throw it. AP's Oct. 18 preview ranks its passing offense 29th in FBS, at 271.0 yards a game. Sean Wilson has 339 receiving yards. Blake Matthews has 4.5 sacks. And they gave us a close one last year: we won 27-24 in Newark, per CollegeFootballData.com.
But let me pull out the mirror and show the Blue Hens the back of their head.
Delaware's pass defense ranks 125th in FBS, allowing 259.2 yards a game. Its rushing offense ranks 135th, at 94.0 yards a game. Its scoring offense ranks 103rd. The Blue Hens are 0-3 on the road this season, and they've lost three straight: at Virginia, at home to Liberty and at Middle Tennessee. At Middle Tennessee, they were flagged 13 times for 101 yards, per ESPN. Friends, that's not a haircut. That's a bowl cut done in the dark.
Delaware plays Missouri State on Tuesday night first, so those numbers will change a bit before they come to town. I'll be watching from the shop with the TV turned up.
And here's my honest worry. Our offense has been a little shaggy. But a defense that just held a team to 177 yards and three points goes a long way, and the Hill is home.
Tales From Two Towns
Bowling Green. Bowling Green is a city of 72,294, the third-most populous in Kentucky, per Wikipedia, behind only Louisville and Lexington. It was founded by pioneers in 1798, and by 1810 it had all of 154 residents. Steamboats on the Barren River helped it grow, and it kept right on growing. And the Bowling Green Assembly Plant has built every Chevrolet Corvette since 1981. Every one! We've got the National Corvette Museum, too, and companies like Spalding and Fruit of the Loom. One story Wikipedia tells about our name says it came from the Bowling Green in New York City, where patriots pulled down a statue of King George III and turned the lead into bullets during the Revolution. Bowling Green: home of the Corvette and named for a little Revolutionary spunk.
And Hilltopper football has a fine haircut, too. Wikipedia says the 2002 team won the FCS national championship. The program has 13 conference titles and seven FBS bowl wins. Our stadium, Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium at Jimmy Feix Field, opened in 1968 and seats 22,000. It was expanded in 2008 to get ready for the move to FBS, which WKU completed in 2009. Wikipedia calls it one of the smallest stadiums in FBS. I call it cozy, like a two-chair shop where everybody knows your name. Our program goes way back, too: WKU first fielded a team in 1908, and its first sanctioned season, in 1913, was a single 20-0 win over Elizabethtown. Undefeated. Somebody frame that. And our logo? Since 2003, it's been a red towel. That's a logo a barber can respect. Every good shop has a clean towel ready.
Newark. Newark, Delaware, is a fine little college town of 30,601, per Wikipedia. But Wikipedia also has to tell you how to say it: "NEW-ark." So even the town's name comes with a pronunciation guide. Newark's oldest big industry was the Curtis Paper Mill. Bowling Green builds Corvettes. I don't think I need to tell you which town has the shinier paint. And the Blue Hen? Wikipedia says it isn't a recognized chicken breed. Friends, I've been cutting hair for 30 years, and I know when somebody's just made up a style and given it a fancy name.
Tops's Barbershop Checklist for the Open Week
1. Rest up. Every good haircut starts with a clean, sharp pair of clippers. 2. Keep the defense sharp. Three points allowed is a cut worth framing. 3. Throw at that secondary. A 125th-ranked pass defense is a head of hair begging for a trim. 4. Stay clean. Four penalties and zero turnovers is how the Tops win on the road and at home.
The shop's open all week, friends. Come on in, sit down, and we'll talk Hilltoppers until the Blue Hens get here.