Both the Hilltoppers and North Texas will close out the 2012 regular season Saturday with a high-noon, post-Thanksgiving matchup at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. WKU is looking to bolster its postseason resume with a victory, while the Mean Green will be looking to close out the 2012 season with a win in their final Sun Belt Conference game. While the Hilltoppers earned their first-ever victory over North Texas last season in Denton, the Mean Green are 2-0 all-time in matchups played in Bowling Green.
Gameday Info:
Series Information
UNT leads 4-1
In Bowling Green: UNT leads 2-0
First Meeting: UNT 27-26, Nov. 24, 2007
Last Meeting: WKU 31-21, Nov. 19, 2011
Broadcast Information
TV: Sun Belt Network
Tom Dore, play-by-play
Cole Cubelic, analysis
Barbara Jordan, sideline
Radio: Big Red Radio Network
(103.7 WPTQ-FM; 1450 WWKU-AM in Bowling Green)
Randy Lee, play-by-play
Leo Peckenpaugh, analysis
Scott Thompson, sideline
Internet: ESPN3; Live audio on wkusports.com
Opening Kickoff
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The Hilltoppers are looking to close out the regular season with a victory for the second straight year, and at the same time secure a winning season for the second straight year with a 7-5 record.
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This is the last scheduled matchup between the Hilltoppers and Mean Green, as North Texas will move to Conference USA starting in 2013.
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The Mean Green have won four of the five all-time meetings between the two schools. WKU picked up its first-ever victory over North Texas last season with a 31-21 victory in Denton. This will be the third meeting between the two schools in Bowling Green.
- WKU is 5-1 on Nov. 24. The last time it played on this date was back in 2007, falling at North Texas 27-26.
Nation's Best - Entering play this week, a pair of Hilltoppers lead the country in two statistical categories. Junior running back Antonio Andrews is averaging a nation's best 241.3 all-purpose yards per game, while senior defensive lineman Quanterus Smith tops the national rankings with 1.25 sacks per game. This is the second straight week Andrews has topped the all-purpose list, averaging more than 10 more yards per game than West Virginia's Tavon Austin (231.2 ypg). Smith is in his fourth week as the nation's sack leader. He is one of just nine players in the nation to average more than one full sack per game. Georgia's Jarvis Jones is second behind Smith with 1.17 sacks per contest.
Andrews Remains On a Tear - Over the last three weeks, Antonio Andrews has posted over 300 all-purpose yards per game, posting 342 last week at Louisiana-Lafayette. Not only that, but Andrews posted a new career best with 238 rushing yards against the Ragin' Cajuns. It was the second time this season that he has gone over 200 rushing yards this season, also finishing with 215 against Arkansas State. Andrews enters the week with 2,654 all-purpose yards on the season. That is 16th all-time on the FBS single-season list, and 597 yards away from breaking Barry Sanders' record set in 1988. Andrews has already set a new WKU and Sun Belt Conference single-season record.
Jakes Eyes Record In Final Home Game - Senior quarterback Kawaun Jakes has already set a new WKU single-season record with 20 passing touchdowns this season. He now comes into his final game at Houchens-Smith Stadium needing just two TD passes to also hold the career mark. With 49 touchdown passes over the last four seasons, he sits just one behind Justin Haddix, who threw for 50 TDs from 2003-06. Jakes has done most of his damage at home this season, with 16 of his 20 scoring passes coming in the first five home games. He has thrown for multiple touchdowns in all five home games, including four-TD games against Austin Peay and Louisiana-Monroe.
Doyle Named Mackey Semifinalist - Last Monday, Hilltopper senior tight end Jack Doyle was one of eight players named a semifinals for the 2012 John Mackey Award. Finalists will be announced on Nov. 19. Doyle - who has caught passes in 14 straight games - continues to lead the Hilltoppers with 44 receptions this season. He needs just four grabs to move into the WKU single-season top 10 list for the second straight year.
Wright Is Right against Cajuns - Junior cornerback Arius Wright posted a career-high 12 tackles last week against Louisiana-Lafayette - his second career games with double digit tackles. He also was responsible for two of the four turnovers forced by the Hilltopper defense, including his second career interception. Wright also forced and recovered a fumble on the same play in the third quarter.
Schwettman Perfect - Freshman kicker Garrett Schwettman continued his impressive freshman campaign, connecting on all five of his kicks at ULL (2 FG and 3 PAT). That included a career-long 42-yard field goal in the second quarter, his first make from over 40 yards. On the year, Schwettman is now 8 for 11 on field goals and 38 for 39 on PATs. He ranks second on the team behind Andrews with 62 points scored on the year.
Another 1,000-Yard Season - Thanks to his 136 yards on the ground against Middle Tennessee, Antonio Andrews went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season. It marked the 16th 1,000-yard campaign in the history of WKU football, and gave the Hilltoppers a 1,000-yard rusher for the third straight season. Bobby Rainey reached the mark in both 2010 and 2011. It is the first time WKU has produced a 1,000 yard runner in three straight seasons since 1997-99. Willie Taggart did so in the first two campaigns, and Rod Smart reached the milestone during the 1999 season. Thanks to his career-high 238 yards at Louisiana-Lafayette, Andrews has moved up to seventh on WKU's single-season rushing list with 1,379 yards.
Hilltoppers Get Bowl Eligible Again - With its 14-6 win at Florida International, the Hilltoppers picked up their sixth win of the season, and got bowl eligible for the second straight year - finishing 7-5 in 2011. In all, 62 FBS teams are currently eligible for postseason play, while 15 more can still become bowl eligible. If seven of those 15 teams are eliminated this week, the Hilltoppers will automatically clinch a bowl spot.
