2021 Conference USA football standings

	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Western Kentucky xy		7	–	1					9	–	5
Marshall		5	–	3					7	–	6
Old Dominion		5	–	3					6	–	7
Middle Tennessee		4	–	4					7	–	6
Florida Atlantic		3	–	5					5	–	7
Charlotte		3	–	5					5	–	7
FIU		0	–	8					1	–	11
West Division
UTSA xy$		7	–	1					12	–	2
UAB		6	–	2					9	–	4
North Texas		5	–	3					6	–	7
UTEP		4	–	4					7	–	6
Rice		3	–	5					4	–	8
Southern Miss		2	–	6					3	–	9
Louisiana Tech		2	–	6					3	–	9
Championship: UTSA 49, Western Kentucky 41
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

The 2021 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hilltoppers played their home games at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and competed in the East Division of Conference USA (CUSA). The team was coached by third-year head coach Tyson Helton.

Western Kentucky announced its 2021 football schedule on January 27, 2021.^[1][2] The 2021 schedule consists of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:00 p.m.	UT Martin*	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	ESPN+	W 59–21	16,236
September 11	11:00 a.m.	at Army*	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	CBSSN	L 35–38	25,989
September 25	7:00 p.m.	Indiana*	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	CBSSN	L 31–33	25,171
October 2	6:30 p.m.	at No. 17 Michigan State*	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	FS1	L 31–48	70,075
October 9	6:00 p.m.	UTSA	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	Stadium	L 46–52	15,243
October 16	2:30 p.m.	at Old Dominion	S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA	ESPN3	W 43–20	16,418
October 23	6:00 p.m.	at FIU	Riccardo Silva Stadium Miami, FL	ESPN+	W 34–19	0
October 30	3:00 p.m.	Charlotte	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	ESPN+	W 45–13	16,763
November 6	2:30 p.m.	Middle Tennessee	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY (100 Miles of Hate)	Stadium	W 48–21	15,022
November 13	1:00 p.m.	at Rice	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN+	W 42–21	17,883
November 20	11:00 a.m.	Florida Atlantic	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	Stadium	W 52–17	10,477
November 27	2:30 p.m.	at Marshall	Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV	CBSSN	W 53–21	19,134
December 3	6:00 p.m.	at UTSA	Alamodome San Antonio, TX (C-USA Championship Game)	CBSSN	L 41–49	41,148
December 18	10:00 a.m.	vs. Appalachian State*	FAU Stadium Boca Raton, FL (Boca Raton Bowl)	ESPN	W 59–38	15,429
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:^[1][3]

Tennessee–Martin at Western Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total Skyhawks 7 7 0 7 21 • Hilltoppers 7 21 14 14 56 Date: September 2, 2021 Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY Game start: 7:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 32 minutes Game attendance: 16,236 Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Clear Referee: Kevin Randle TV announcers (ESPN+): Graham Doty (play-by-play) and Bob Belvin (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –24.0	58.5[4]

Statistics	UT Martin	Western Kentucky
First downs	22	25
Total yards	396	587
Rushing yards	201	109
Passing yards	195	478
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	33:30	26:30

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UT Martin	Passing	Keon Howard	20/43, 195 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Peyton Logan	7 carries, 75 yards
	Receiving	Colton Dowell	6 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	28/35, 424 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Kye Robichaux	9 carries, 44 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterns	7 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TDs

Western Kentucky at Army

1 2 3 4 Total Hilltoppers 0 14 0 21 35 • Black Knights 0 21 7 10 38 Date: September 11, 2021 Location: Michie Stadium West Point, NY Game start: 10:30 a.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 19 minutes Game attendance: 25,989 Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: WSW 6 MPH Referee: Matt Overton TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Jason Horowitz (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst), and Tina Cervasio (sideline reporter)

Pregame line	Over/under
ARMY –6.0	51.5[5]

Statistics	Western Kentucky	Army
First downs	22	23
Total yards	477	416
Rushing yards	42	339
Passing yards	435	77
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	20:22	39:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	28/40, 435 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	8 carries, 33 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterns	9 receptions, 171 yards, 2 TDs
Army	Passing	Christian Anderson	5/6, 77 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Christian Anderson	22 carries, 119 yards
	Receiving	Braheam Murphy	1 reception, 40 yards, 1 TD

Indiana at Western Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total • Hoosiers 14 9 3 7 33 Hilltoppers 0 14 10 7 31 Date: September 25, 2021 Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY Game start: 7:02 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 42 minutes Game attendance: 25,171 Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: NNW 3 MPH Referee: Kevin Randall TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst), and Jenny Dell (sideline reporter)

Pregame line	Over/under
IU –9.5	63[6]

Statistics	Indiana	Western Kentucky
First downs	35	24
Total yards	507	458
Rushing yards	134	93
Passing yards	373	365
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	38:34	21:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana	Passing	Michael Penix Jr.	35/53, 373 yards
	Rushing	Stephen Carr	25 carries, 109 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Peyton Hendershot	7 receptions, 100 yards
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	31/44, 365 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	6 carries, 41 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterns	7 receptions, 82 yards

Western Kentucky at Michigan State

1 2 3 4 Total Hilltoppers 10 6 0 15 31 • No. 17 Spartans 21 21 3 3 48 Date: October 2, 2021 Location: Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI Game start: 6:40 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 59 minutes Game attendance: 70,075 Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: S 6 MPH Referee: Mark Kluczynski TV announcers (Big Ten Network): Joe Beninati (play-by-play), Jeremy Leman (analyst), and Michelle McMahon (sideline reporter)

Pregame line	Over/under
MSU –10.5	66.5[7]

Statistics	Western Kentucky	Michigan State
First downs	31	26
Total yards	560	519
Rushing yards	72	192
Passing yards	488	327
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	29:35	30:25

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	46/64, 488 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	7 carries, 37 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterns	17 receptions, 186 yards, 1 TD
Michigan State	Passing	Payton Thorne	20/30, 327 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Kenneth Walker III	24 carries, 126 yards, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Jalen Nailor	8 receptions, 128 yards

UTSA at Western Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total • Roadrunners 14 14 14 10 52 Hilltoppers 10 14 13 9 46 Date: October 9, 2021 Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY Game start: 6:06 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 39 minutes Game attendance: 15,243 Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny and Clear • Wind: 5-10 MPH Referee: Kevin Randall TV announcers (Stadium): Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Sherdrick Bonner (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –3.5	71[8]

Statistics	UTSA	Western Kentucky
First downs	32	35
Total yards	564	670
Rushing yards	192	147
Passing yards	372	523
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	29:56	30:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UTSA	Passing	Frank Harris	28/38, 349 yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Sincere McCormick	23 carries, 120 yards
	Receiving	De'Corian Clark	7 receptions, 160 yards, 3 TDs
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	38/60, 523 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Adam Cofield	9 carries, 65 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterns	16 receptions, 195 yards, 2 TDs

Western Kentucky at Old Dominion

1 2 3 4 Total • Hilltoppers 14 16 3 10 43 Monarchs 0 3 3 14 20 Date: October 16, 2021 Location: S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA Game start: 2:35 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes Game attendance: 16,418 Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny Referee: Kevin Vicknair Television network: ESPN3

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –13.5	67[9]

Statistics	Western Kentucky	Old Dominion
First downs	29	23
Total yards	518	446
Rushing yards	121	119
Passing yards	397	327
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	30:39	29:21

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	36/54, 397 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Adam Cofield	10 carries, 67 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterns	13 receptions, 221 yards, 1 TD
Old Dominion	Passing	Hayden Wolff	26/41, 327 yards, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Blake Watson	22 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Ali Jennings III	13 receptions, 172 yards

Western Kentucky at Florida International

1 2 3 4 Total • Hilltoppers 0 17 7 10 34 Panthers 6 6 0 7 19 Date: October 23, 2021 Location: Riccardo Silva Stadium University Park, FL Game start: 7:28 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 2 hours and 24 minutes Game attendance: 0 Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Sunny Referee: Patrick Foy TV announcers (ESPN+): A. J. Ricketts (play–by–play) and Cam Lynch (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –16.5	78[10]

Statistics	Western Kentucky	FIU
First downs	31	18
Total yards	530	290
Rushing yards	148	28
Passing yards	382	262
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	33:15	26:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	39/49, 382 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Adam Cofield	15 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterns	14 receptions, 115 yards, 2 TDs
FIU	Passing	Max Bortenschlager	15/32, 192 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	D'Vonte Price	15 carries, 86 yards
	Receiving	Randall St. Felix	5 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD

Charlotte at Western Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 3 10 0 0 13 • Hilltoppers 14 14 7 10 45 Date: October 30, 2021 Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY Game start: 3:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 11 minutes Game attendance: 16,763 Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Wet and Cloudy Referee: Scott Hardin TV announcers (ESPN+): Nate Gatter (play–by–play) and Bob Belvin (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –19.5	71.5[11]

Statistics	Charlotte	Western Kentucky
First downs	17	29
Total yards	319	469
Rushing yards	190	76
Passing yards	129	393
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	33:44	26:16

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Charlotte	Passing	James Foster	12/24, 129 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Calvin Camp	7 carries, 60 yards
	Receiving	Shadrick Byrd	1 reception, 53 yards
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	33/45, 393 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	10 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterns	10 receptions, 89 yards, 1 TD

Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total Blue Raiders 7 7 0 7 21 • Hilltoppers 21 10 17 0 48 Date: November 6, 2021 Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY Game start: 2:36 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 21 minutes Game attendance: 15,022 Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C) • Weather: Sunny and Clear Referee: Joe Lehring TV announcers (Stadium): Chris Hassel (play–by–play) and Max Starks (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –17.5	66.5[12]

Statistics	Middle Tennessee	Western Kentucky
First downs	19	19
Total yards	349	352
Rushing yards	123	71
Passing yards	226	281
Turnovers	7	0
Time of possession	33:02	26:58

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Middle Tennessee	Passing	Nick Vattiato	24/41, 205 yards, 2 TDs, 5 INTs
	Rushing	Frank Peasant	18 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	DJ England-Chisolm	3 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	29/50, 281 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	17 carries, 67 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterns	11 receptions, 110 yards

Western Kentucky at Rice

1 2 3 4 Total • Hilltoppers 7 21 0 14 42 Owls 0 0 7 14 21 Date: November 13, 2021 Location: Rice Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 1:05 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes Game attendance: 17,883 Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 7 MPH Referee: Scott Hardin TV announcers (ESPN+): David Saltzman (play–by–play) and Taylor McHargue (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –19.0	61.5[13]

Statistics	Western Kentucky	Rice
First downs	27	25
Total yards	587	504
Rushing yards	92	124
Passing yards	495	380
Turnovers	4	5
Time of possession	24:20	35:40

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	34/42, 482 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Kye Robichaux	12 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Mitchell Tinsley	10 receptions, 198 yards, 2 TDs
Rice	Passing	Jake Constantine	28/50, 380 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs
	Rushing	Ari Broussard	15 carries, 60 yards
	Receiving	August Pitre III	9 receptions, 113 yards

Florida Atlantic at Western Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total Owls 3 7 7 0 17 • Hilltoppers 14 17 7 14 52 Date: November 20, 2021 Location: Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY Game start: 11:06 a.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 27 minutes Game attendance: 10,477 Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Partly Cloudy Referee: Rodney Burnette TV announcers (Stadium): Noah Coslov (play–by–play) and Sherdrick Bonner (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –11.5	64[14]

Statistics	Florida Atlantic	Western Kentucky
First downs	18	35
Total yards	301	608
Rushing yards	25	100
Passing yards	276	508
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	24:39	35:21

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida Atlantic	Passing	N'Kosi Perry	19/28, 213 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Johnny Ford	13 carries, 48 yards
	Receiving	Je'Quan Burton	7 receptions, 80 yards
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	39/49, 470 yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	9 carries, 46 yards
	Receiving	Mitchell Tinsley	9 receptions, 164 yards, 2 TDs

Western Kentucky at Marshall

1 2 3 4 Total • Hilltoppers 0 6 23 24 53 Thundering Herd 7 7 0 7 21 Date: November 27, 2021 Location: Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV Game start: 2:37 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 37 minutes Game attendance: 19,134 Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Sunny Referee: Jonathan Noli TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Alex Del Barrio (play–by–play) and Sherdrick Bonner (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
EVEN	75[15]

Statistics	Western Kentucky	Marshall
First downs	25	20
Total yards	485	325
Rushing yards	157	126
Passing yards	328	199
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	30:34	29:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	24/48, 328 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	14 carries, 69 yards
	Receiving	Daewood Davis	3 receptions, 105 yards, 2 TDs
Marshall	Passing	Luke Zban	16/25, 123 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Rasheen Ali	24 carries, 99 yards
	Receiving	Corey Gammage	7 receptions, 44 yards

Western Kentucky at Texas–San Antonio

1 2 3 4 Total Hilltoppers 10 3 13 15 41 • Roadrunners 14 14 14 7 49 Date: December 3, 2021 Location: Alamodome San Antonio, TX Game start: 6:06 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 49 minutes Game attendance: 41,148 Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: N/A (Indoors) Referee: Kevin Randall TV announcers (CBS Sports Network): Rich Waltz (play–by–play), Aaron Taylor (analyst), and Jenny Dell (sideline reporter)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –3.0	74.5[16]

Statistics	Western Kentucky	UTSA
First downs	26	28
Total yards	568	556
Rushing yards	-9	304
Passing yards	577	252
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	23:16	36:44

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	36/59, 577 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Noah Whittington	4 carries, 15 yards
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterns	10 receptions, 179 yards, 2 TDs
UTSA	Passing	Frank Harris	19/28, 218 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Sincere McCormick	36 carries, 204 yards, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Zakhari Franklin	6 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD

Western Kentucky vs. Appalachian State

1 2 3 4 Total • Hilltoppers 14 17 21 7 59 Mountaineers 14 10 7 7 38 Date: December 18, 2021 Location: FAU Stadium Boca Raton, FL Game start: 10:00 a.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 42 minutes Game attendance: 15,429 Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SE 17 MPH Referee: Steve Baron TV announcers (ESPN): Clay Matvick (play–by–play), Rocky Boiman (analyst), and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline reporter)

Pregame line	Over/under
WKU –1.0	68[17]

Statistics	Western Kentucky	Appalachian State
First downs	24	27
Total yards	609	637
Rushing yards	251	215
Passing yards	358	422
Turnovers	4	1
Time of possession	31:12	28:48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Kentucky	Passing	Bailey Zappe	33/47, 422 yards, 6 TD
	Rushing	Noah Wittington	7 carries, 150 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jerreth Sterns	13 receptions, 184 yards, 3 TD
Appalachian State	Passing	Chase Brice	15/23, 317 yards, 4 TD, INT
	Rushing	Camerun Peoples	13 carries, 101 yards
	Receiving	Christian Wells	4 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD