Western Kentucky’s coach preached about finishing in the fourth quarter and being in contention within the last five minutes. Days later in the miserable humidity of southern Florida, the Hilltoppers were pushed to the brink and answered the call.
WKU made a defensive stand against Florida International’s 18-play drive that lasted over half the fourth quarter. It was enough to earn a 20-14 win over the Panthers, giving Helton his first win as the head coach and an early leg up in the Conference USA standings.
The Hilltoppers (1-1 overall, 1-0 C-USA) never trailed and stood tall when the Panthers (0-2, 0-1) came within a yard of a potential go-ahead score.