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OCT 4 CONFERENCE USA OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: QB Bailey Zappe completed 46-64 (71.2%) passes for 488 yards, with three touchdowns and zero interceptions at No. 17 Michigan State. It was the third-most passing yards against a Spartans' defense since 2000 (via Sports-Reference.com). Zappe's 488 yards were the fifth-most in WKU history and the most by a C-USA quarterback since ODU's Blake LaRussa had 495 vs. Virginia Tech in 2018. Zappe's 46 completions tied the WKU all-time record set by Brandon Doughty vs. Bowling Green in 2014 and were the most by a C-USA quarterback since that same performance. For the season, Zappe is now 133-183 (72.7%) for 1,712 yards, with 16 touchdowns compared to only two interceptions on the year. Zappe's 428.0-yard average leads all FBS quarterbacks and he has three of the four 400-yard passing performances among all C-USA quarterbacks in 2021. - Conference USA Football

(DS#8 QB) rSr/2022

QB Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky
News Source: Conference USA Football
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09/13/21 - Bailey Zappe, rSr/2022, Western Kentucky, 6-1, 217 (DS#8 QB) + More +

SEPT 13 CONFERENCE USA CO-OFFENSIVE OF THE WEEK: A week after throwing for 424 yards against an FCS opponent, Zappe one-upped himself against one of the FBS' best defenses from a year ago. At Army on Saturday, Zappe completed 28-40 passes (70%) for 435 and three touchdowns, compared to one interception, while adding a touchdown on the ground as well. Zappe's 435 yards were the most allowed by an Army defense to a single quarterback since at least 2000 (per Sports-Reference.com). Through two full weeks of the college football season, Zappe has two of the five 400-yard passing games by all FBS quarterbacks. Zappe leads the FBS with 429.5 passing yards per game, 40.5 yards ahead of the second-best mark of 389.0 by Ohio State's C.J. Stroud. - Conference USA Football

(DS#8 QB) rSr/2022

QB Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky
News Source: Conference USA Football
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09/13/21 - Bailey Zappe, rSr/2022, Western Kentucky, 6-1, 217 (DS#8 QB) + More +

The move from the FCS to FBS has been no problem for Western Kentucky's Bailey Zappe. The Houston Baptist transfer leads the nation with 429.5 yards passing per game with 10 touchdowns against two interceptions. His 458-yard average in 2020 led all of college football. Zappe has plenty of company from Houston Baptist. Zach Kittley moved with him to be his quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, and receivers Jerreth and Josh Sterns and Ben Ratzlaff also came along. Jerreth Sterns averages a team-leading eight catches for 139 yards and four touchdowns. - AP College Football

(DS#8 QB) rSr/2022

QB Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky
News Source: AP College Football
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09/04/21 - Austin Reed, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky, 6-2, 220 (DS#11 QB) + More +

Austin Reed threw for 380 yards and four touchdowns and Division II-member West Florida beat McNeese 42-36 on Saturday. In the season opener for both squads, the Argonauts moved their all-time record to 2-0 against FCS teams after beating North Alabama 24-19, also on the road, in 2018. UWF hadn't played in 623 days when it beat Minnesota State in the 2019 NCAA Division II championship game. Deonta McMahon gave the Cowboys their only lead of the game when he ran it in from 3 yards out in the first quarter for a 7-0 advantage. The Argonauts responded with back-to-back scoring drives starting with Reed throwing a 44-yard touchdown pass to David Durden before Durden's 6-yard touchdown run.

The Cowboys closed to 35-28 when Cody Orgeron threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Josh Matthews with 7:31 remaining. But West Florida countered with a four-play, 75-yard scoring drive when Reed threw nine yards to Marcus Clayton. McNeese reduced the deficit to 42-36 when Stephon Huderson crashed in from 2 yards out and Orgeron connected with Matthews for the two-point conversion with 2:44 left. But West Florida recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock to end it. Orgeron threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns. - AP College Football

(DS#11 QB) rSr/2024

QB Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
News Source: AP College Football
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09/02/21 - Bailey Zappe, rSr/2022, Western Kentucky, 6-1, 217 (DS#8 QB) + More +

Bailey Zappe passed for 424 yards and seven touchdowns as Western Kentucky walloped UT Martin in the season opener 59-21 on Thursday night. College football's leading passer in 2020 while playing at Houston Baptist, Zappe opened his Western Kentucky career by hitting Daewood Davis on a 73-yard score to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter, then added three more touchdowns in the second quarter to give the Hilltoppers a 28-14 halftime lead. Zappe is the first WKU passer to throw for seven touchdowns in a home game. Zappe was picked off on his second pass attempt of the game and finished 28 of 35. Jerreth Sterens and Joshua Simon each pulled in two scoring passes. Sterens caught seven passes for 107 yards. Keon Howard was 20 of 43 for 195 yards passing and a touchdown and carried 12 times for 44 yards for the Skyhawks. - Western Kentucky/AP College Football

(DS#8 QB) rSr/2022

QB Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky
News Source: Western Kentucky/AP College Football
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08/12/21 - DeAngelo Malone, rSr/2022, Western Kentucky, 6-3, 239 (DS#10 OLB) + More +

With the NCAA granting an additional year of eligibility for fall sport student-athletes last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, questions arose surrounding which seniors would return. At Western Kentucky, DeAngelo Malone was one of the biggest - if not the biggest - question marks. The defensive end and 2019 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year elected to return shortly after the conclusion of the 2020 season, and has bigger goals in mind for this fall with the Hilltoppers in the early stages of fall camp. "We're very excited for the upcoming season," Malone said Tuesday at the team's media day. "I feel like we've got a lot to prove and I feel like we've got the guys to do it." Like most in his position, Malone is hoping to eventually take the next step and play in the NFL.

He posted productive seasons throughout his career, but wanted to use the offseason to improve his body and return to the dominant force he was in 2019 when he became the first Hilltopper to be named C-USA's Defensive Player of the Year. In 2019, he had 99 total tackles, including 21 for loss and 11.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown against Southern Miss. His 21 tackles for loss set the program's FBS era record. - BG Daily News

(DS#10 OLB) rSr/2022

OLB DeAngelo Malone, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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08/12/21 - Kaleb Oliver, rSr/2023, Western Kentucky, 6-2, 219 (DS#51 SS) + More +

Western Kentucky has made a late addition to its 2021 roster. The Hilltoppers on Friday announced the signing of Georgia Tech transfer safety Kaleb Oliver. "More Than Excited To Be On The Hill," Oliver wrote in a quote tweet of the announcement. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound redshirt junior played in nine games with four starts last year for the 3-7 Yellow Jackets. He recorded 32 tackles, including four for loss and two sacks, broke up three passes and recovered a fumble. He appeared in 11 games and made six starts at safety as a redshirt sophomore in 2019, finishing seventh on the team with 39 total tackles. He led Georgia Tech with two interceptions, which came against Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and Temple's Anthony Russo. After redshirting in 2017, he played in all 13 games in 2018 and collected 21 tackles - 2.5 for loss - while recording an interception, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. - BG Daily News

(DS#51 SS) rSr/2023

SS Kaleb Oliver, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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08/10/21 - Markese Stepp, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky, 6-0, 229 (DS#90 RB) + More +

Another day, another round of praise for USC transfer running back Markese Stepp, who is ahead of schedule in his return from offseason foot surgery. "I've been pleasantly surprised with Markese Stepp's progress," Frost said. "Weren't sure he was going to be 100% coming into camp and I still don't think he's quite 100%, but he's stacked some pretty good practices together and is further along with knowing the scheme and everything than I was expecting him to be. "I've been really happy with his performance in the first few practices." - Lincoln Journal Star

(DS#90 RB) rSr/2024

RB Markese Stepp, Western Kentucky
News Source: Lincoln Journal Star
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08/06/21 - Markese Stepp, rSr/2024, Western Kentucky, 6-0, 229 (DS#90 RB) + More +

Junior running back Markese Stepp, a USC transfer who missed all but the team's first two spring practices in April after doctors determined he needed foot surgery, appears to be ahead of schedule. That has made him squarely a factor in NU's six-man competition for the starting running back job this fall. "He's done some really good things. This is really his first time taking reps because he was hurt in the spring, but he looks 100% and ready to roll," Lubick said. Coach Scott Frost said last month at Big Ten Media Days that Stepp, a 6-foot-1, 230-pounder, might be on a "pitch count" to begin camp, but Lubick on Wednesday said that hasn't really needed to be the case.

A couple of caveats: NU is keeping a close eye on Stepp and on Thursday the team goes full pads for the first time, so there is still reason for some level of caution. However, Lubick said he at this point doesn't have any doubts that Stepp is just about full speed. "Coming into this fall, we kind of thought limited reps, let's see what he can do, we don't want to rush him back too soon and see how he progresses," Lubick said. "He's been doing better than we thought as far as his health. I don't know, it's kind of a practice-by-practice thing, but I think he's ready to roll in a scrimmage. If we had to play tomorrow, he'd be ready to roll. We feel good about that. He's kind of progressed faster than we thought he would from a health standpoint." - Lincoln Journal Star

(DS#90 RB) rSr/2024

RB Markese Stepp, Western Kentucky
News Source: Lincoln Journal Star
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08/05/21 - Bailey Zappe, rSr/2022, Western Kentucky, 6-1, 217 (DS#8 QB) + More +

There will be no competition for the starting quarterback position at Western Kentucky entering fall camp. WKU head coach Tyson Helton announced Tuesday at the team's media day at Houchens-Smith Stadium that Bailey Zappe would be the team's starting quarterback. "I think we're in a position right now where Bailey Zappe is going to be the quarterback," the third-year head coach said. "He's been here long enough - he was with us during the spring, he was with us during the summer, our staff's been able to make evaluations. I think it's better for us moving into this season having that guy in place and he knows he's the guy. I think we can go ahead and say, 'Yeah, he's going to be the starter." Zappe joined the team during the offseason as a transfer from Houston Baptist - the same program new WKU offensive coordinator Zach Kittley comes from.

WKU, which opens fall camp Wednesday, also signed receivers Jerreth and Josh Sterns and Ben Ratzlaff from HBU. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Victoria, Texas, native didn't learn he'd be the starting quarterback until Helton's announcement Tuesday at media day. "I guess I found out the same time y'all did - just now. They kind of kept it under wraps," Zappe said. "We had a great spring, great summer, I was working toward being the starter and I'm real excited to get it started. I'm grateful coach Helton gave me the starting spot." Zappe threw for 10,004 passing yards in four seasons with HBU. In the four games of the Huskies' fall 2020 schedule, Zappe completed 141 of 215 passes (65.6%) for 1,833 yards, with 15 touchdowns and one interception. - BG Daily News

(DS#8 QB) rSr/2022

QB Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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07/30/21 - DeAngelo Wilson, rSr/2022, Western Kentucky, 5-08, 175 (DS#999 WR) + More +

For the second time in as many days, Western Kentucky's football team landed a reinforcement from close to home. The Hilltoppers announced via Twitter that former Bowling Green High School standout DeAngelo Wilson, who entered the transfer portal this offseason following a stellar career at FCS program Austin Peay, has joined the program. On Monday, Wilson's former teammate from his Purples days - fullback Jamale Carothers - was announced as a transfer to WKU from the Naval Academy.

Wilson is coming off a truncated senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a shortened schedule, Wilson thrived once again for the Governors and was named the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Wilson followed up a record-breaking 2019 campaign with 619 yards - sixth among FCS receivers - in a shortened 2020-21 season. He did the bulk of his damage in OVC play, where he recorded 100 yards in four of the five games he played and averaged 112.4 yards per game with three touchdowns. - BG Daily News

(DS#999 WR) rSr/2022

WR DeAngelo Wilson, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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07/29/21 - DeAngelo Malone, rSr/2022, Western Kentucky, 6-3, 239 (DS#10 OLB) + More +

For the second consecutive year, Western Kentucky defensive end DeAngelo Malone has been named to the Nagurski Trophy Watch List, the Football Writers Association of America announced Tuesday. It is the second preseason watch list for Malone, who on July 19 was honored by the Bednarik Award, which recognizes the most outstanding defensive player in college football. The Atlanta native is one of five Conference USA players and one of 22 defensive ends on the initial list of 90. Meanwhile, there were no other players from Kentucky schools. Malone enters his fifth season as a Hilltopper after exercising his option for an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through four campaigns, he has become one of the most accomplished defenders in WKU history.

In 48 career games - 39 of them starts - he has made 255 total tackles (135 solo, 120 assisted) while racking up 42.5 tackles for loss and 25 sacks. Malone's 25th sack Nov. 14, 2020, against Southern Miss set the program's FBS era (since 2009) record, while his 42.5 tackles for loss entering the 2021 season stands only 0.5 behind Andrew Jackson for that record as well. In 2019 he produced 99 tackles - including an FBS era-record 21 for loss - to go along with 11.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hurries. - BG Daily News

(DS#10 OLB) rSr/2022

OLB DeAngelo Malone, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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07/28/21 - Jamale Carothers, rSr/2023, Western Kentucky, 5-09, 200 (DS#999 RB) + More +

Jamale Carothers is coming home. The standout fullback and 2016 Kentucky Mr. Football out of Bowling Green High School announced his transfer to Western Kentucky via Twitter on Monday after starting his collegiate career at Navy. Carothers has signed with WKU and will be eligible this fall, WKU confirmed to the Daily News. As a junior during the 2020 season in which Navy went 3-7, the 5-foot-9, 203-pound Carothers was his team's second-leading rusher with 358 yards and two touchdowns on 97 carries. He also caught four passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. - BG Daily News

(DS#999 RB) rSr/2023

RB Jamale Carothers, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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07/24/21 - DeAngelo Malone, rSr/2022, Western Kentucky, 6-3, 239 (DS#10 OLB) + More +

Western Kentucky defensive end DeAngelo Malone has been named the 2021 Preseason Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Monday. UTSA junior running back Sincere McCormick was selected as the Preseason C-USA Offensive Player of the Year and UTSA junior punter Lucas Dean earned Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year honors. The accolades were voted on by the league's 14 head coaches. Malone, an Atlanta native who was named to the 2021 Bednarik Award Watch List on Monday, has made 255 total tackles (135 solo, 120 assisted) while racking up 42.5 tackles for loss and 25 sacks in his first four seasons as a Hilltopper.

Malone finished with 71 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks, two forced fumbles, nine quarterback hurries and also blocked a pair of kicks in 2020 for the Hilltoppers in 11 appearances. Malone earned 2019 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named a first-team all-conference performer by the league's head coaches in 2019 and 2020. Malone enters his fifth season as a Hilltopper, exercising his option for an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. - BG Daily News

(DS#10 OLB) rSr/2022

OLB DeAngelo Malone, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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07/23/21 - Bailey Zappe, rSr/2022, Western Kentucky, 6-1, 217 (DS#8 QB) + More +

Conference USA announced its 2021 Preseason Watch List on Monday, which includes Western Kentucky football players Bailey Zappe, Cole Spencer, DeAngelo Malone, Antwon Kincade and Brayden Narveson. Each of the league's 14 teams had five selected as key players to watch ahead of the season. Zappe threw for 10,004 passing yards in four seasons with Houston Baptist and transferred to WKU this winter. In the four games of the Huskies' fall 2020 schedule, Zappe completed 141-of-215 passes (65.6%) for 1,833 yards, with 15 touchdowns and only one interception. At 458.3 yards per game, Zappe's average led all of college football and ranked 101.3 yards above the leading FBS passer - Dillon Gabriel of Central Florida, who averaged 357 yards per game - in 2020. - BG Daily News

(DS#8 QB) rSr/2022

QB Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky
News Source: BG Daily News
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